Creating a Starter GPO in Windows Server 2008

Starter GPOs (Group Policy Objects) can be created or added to a domain in a few ways. A starter GPO can be created from scratch using a blank template, it can be created by restoring from a starter GPO backup folder, or it can be imported from a provided Starter GPO cabinet file.

To create a new starter GPO, follow the below steps:

1. Log on to a designated Windows Server 2008 administrative workstation.

2. Open the Group Policy Management Console.

3. Expand the domain to expose the Starter GPOs container and select it.

4. Verify that the starter GPO functionality is enabled by viewing the right pane.

5. Right-click the Starter GPOs container in the left pane, and select New.

6. In the New Starter GPO dialog box, type in a name for the new starter GPO, and enter a comment to describe what will be included in this starter GPO and when and where it should be applied as a template.

7. Click OK to create the new starter GPO.

8. To configure some settings in the new starter GPO, right-click the GPO and select Edit to open the GPO in the Group Policy Starter GPO Editor.

9. When the GPO is configured as desired, close the Group Policy Starter GPO Editor.

10. In the GPMC, right-click the newly configured starter GPO, and select Backup.

11. Specify a destination folder to back up the GPO, enter a description for this backup, and click Back Up to back up the starter GPO.

12. When the backup completes, review the backup results and, if successful, click OK to close the window.

13. Close the GPMC tool.