You cannot edit the Administrative Templates when you apply a "Restrict users to the explicitly permitted list of snap-ins" setting in a Group Policy object in a Windows Server 2008 domain

Consider the following scenario:

• In a Windows Server 2008 domain, you apply a "Restrict users to the explicitly permitted list of snap-ins" setting in a Group Policy object (GPO) to restrict users' access to snap-ins.
• You allow access to the Group Policy Management snap-in and to the Group Policy Management Editor snap-in.
• You allow access to Administrative Templates (Computers) and to Administrative Templates (Users) in Group Policy Management or in Group Policy Management Editor.
• You link this GPO to an Organization Unit (OU) so that the users in this OU can apply the policy and be able to edit the Administrative Templates settings for the GPO.

When you log on by using an account in the OU to manage or to edit the Administrative Templates in Group Policy Management Editor, the nodes for Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local machine are not displayed. Therefore, you cannot edit the Administrative Templates.

This problem occurs because the GUIDs for these two nodes are missing from the ADMX template. Therefore, they are also missing in the registry.

To resolve this problem, install the following hotfix on the computer on which you use the user account to manage GPOs.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix on Windows Vista-based computer, you must have Windows Vista SP1 installed. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: There are no prerequisites for Windows Server 2008-based computers.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 file information notes

The .manifest files and the .mum files that are installed in each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 and for Windows Vista" section. These files and their associated .cat (security catalog) files are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The .cat files are signed with a Microsoft digital signature. The attributes of these security files are not listed.

For all supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

For all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To work around this problem, manually enable these two user policies on the computer where you use the user account to manage GPOs by adding the following registry entries. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. In Registry Editor, locate and then click the following registry sub key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC\{D02B1F72-3407-48ae-BA88-E8213C6761F1}
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type restrict_run for the DWORD value name, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click the new DWORD value, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
7. In Registry Editor, locate and then click the following registry sub key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC\{D02B1F73-3407-48ae-BA88-E8213C6761F1}
8. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
9. Type restrict_run for the DWORD value name, and then press ENTER.
10. Right-click the new DWORD value, and then click Modify.
11. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
12. Quit Registry Editor.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008