Microsoft® Windows® Desktop Deployment Resource Kit

Best Practices

The following are best practices for managing Windows XP Professional desktop:

• Create standardized desktop configurations. Standard desktop configurations reduce deployment costs, support costs, and deployment errors.

• In Active Directory environments, use Group Policy to manage settings. Group Policy is available in Active Directory environments, and it’s the preferred technology for managing user and computer settings.

• In non-Active Directory environments, use System Policy and local GPOs to manage settings. Both System Policy and local GPOs are available for networks that aren’t using Active Directory. Use System Policy to deploy settings to large numbers of computers and local GPOs for small numbers of computers.