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Q157673: Policy Not Updated on Workstation

Article: Q157673
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): 4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetwork kbOSWin2000
Last Modified: 07-MAY-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Administrators change user policies; however, these changes are not reflected on
the user's computer or account. For additional information about group policies
in Windows 2000, click the article number below to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q274478 Group Policies for Windows 2000 Professional Clients in Windows NT
  4.0 Domain or Workgroups

MORE INFORMATION
================

It is necessary for the user to be able to write to the local computer copy of
Ntconfig.pol to apply and enforce domain policies. If a user does not have
write-access to this file, the user will not get the updated policy.

1. If a particular account does not have write-access to the Machine copy of
  Ntconfig.pol, Domain policies will not be applied to this user.

2. If the ACLs on the Machine copy of Ntconfig.pol allow the users to write to
  this file, then the user has the ability to disallow changes in his or her
  file, making it read-only:

  attrib +r %SYSTEMROOT%\Profiles\Policy\ntconfig.pol

CAUSE
=====

The permissions on the Ntconfig.pol have been changed to read-only for the
current user.

RESOLUTION
==========

The implementation for applying policies has changed. Instead of downloading the
file to the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\Policy directory and applying the
restrictions, you now need to download the Policy file to a Temp file, apply the
policy, and then delete the Temporary file. The Policy file will be downloaded
each time you log on, but it gives the highest probability of the policy being
applied because the end user will never see, or be able to manipulate, the Temp
file.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. This
problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Windows NT
version 4.0. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the
following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

  S E R V P A C K

Additional query words: prodnt

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Keywords          : kbnetwork kbOSWin2000 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : :4.0

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