Excel 2007 Default Security Settings

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JesseP

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We'd like to modify the default security settings for external content in
Excel 2007 hosted on a W2K3 TS. The default for both 'Data Connections' and
'Workbook Links' is to prompt the user. We'd like to change that to 'Enable'
for both of these as a default.

In the Excel GUI, this is modified individually here: Office Button -->
Excel Options --> Trust Center --> Trust Center Settings --> External Content.

On a standalone workstation, these settings are found in
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security, with DWORD values of
DataConnectionWarnings and WorkbookLinkWarnings. The default value (prompt)
for each is "1." When you enable both of these, the value becomes "0."

On the TS, I tried to modify HKCU along with HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security, thinking this
was pretty straightforward. However, the defaults remain at "Prompt" for new
users.

I've checked the OCT/.adm , and they don't seem to include those settings.

Users can make this change via the GUI, and that change does stick with
their profile, so this isn't *that* big of a deal. We'd just like to reduce
Help Desk calls by forcing this setting for the handful of users who will be
given Excel 07 on TS.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Jesse
 
Re: Excel 2007 Default Security Settings

You can either create a custom .adm template file and enforce this
through a GPO, or just create a small logon script on the TS and
import the registry setting for each user in their HKCU hive (=
their profile).

Using Administrative Template Files with Registry-Based Group
Policy White Paper
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e7d72fa1-
62fe-4358-8360-8774ea8db847&displaylang=en

310516 - HOW TO: Add, Modify, or Delete Registry Subkeys and Values
by Using a Registration Entries (.reg) File
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310516
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?SmVzc2VQ?= <JesseP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
26 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> We'd like to modify the default security settings for external
> content in Excel 2007 hosted on a W2K3 TS. The default for both
> 'Data Connections' and 'Workbook Links' is to prompt the user.
> We'd like to change that to 'Enable' for both of these as a
> default.
>
> In the Excel GUI, this is modified individually here: Office
> Button --> Excel Options --> Trust Center --> Trust Center
> Settings --> External Content.
>
> On a standalone workstation, these settings are found in
> HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security, with DWORD
> values of DataConnectionWarnings and WorkbookLinkWarnings. The
> default value (prompt) for each is "1." When you enable both of
> these, the value becomes "0."
>
> On the TS, I tried to modify HKCU along with
> HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
> Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security,
> thinking this was pretty straightforward. However, the defaults
> remain at "Prompt" for new users.
>
> I've checked the OCT/.adm , and they don't seem to include those
> settings.
>
> Users can make this change via the GUI, and that change does
> stick with their profile, so this isn't *that* big of a deal.
> We'd just like to reduce Help Desk calls by forcing this setting
> for the handful of users who will be given Excel 07 on TS.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions?
>
> Jesse
 
Re: Excel 2007 Default Security Settings

Hi Vera,

Thanks for your reply. I tried the custom .adm template and found
interesting results. If the TS user running the application doesn't already
have a profile, then it works as expected. However, once that user has a
profile (we use roaming TS profiles), the .adm template settings are not
applied -- although gpresult shows that it should be applied. Any ideas what
might cause this behavior?

Jesse


"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> You can either create a custom .adm template file and enforce this
> through a GPO, or just create a small logon script on the TS and
> import the registry setting for each user in their HKCU hive (=
> their profile).
>
> Using Administrative Template Files with Registry-Based Group
> Policy White Paper
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e7d72fa1-
> 62fe-4358-8360-8774ea8db847&displaylang=en
>
> 310516 - HOW TO: Add, Modify, or Delete Registry Subkeys and Values
> by Using a Registration Entries (.reg) File
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310516
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>
> =?Utf-8?B?SmVzc2VQ?= <JesseP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
> 26 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>
> > We'd like to modify the default security settings for external
> > content in Excel 2007 hosted on a W2K3 TS. The default for both
> > 'Data Connections' and 'Workbook Links' is to prompt the user.
> > We'd like to change that to 'Enable' for both of these as a
> > default.
> >
> > In the Excel GUI, this is modified individually here: Office
> > Button --> Excel Options --> Trust Center --> Trust Center
> > Settings --> External Content.
> >
> > On a standalone workstation, these settings are found in
> > HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security, with DWORD
> > values of DataConnectionWarnings and WorkbookLinkWarnings. The
> > default value (prompt) for each is "1." When you enable both of
> > these, the value becomes "0."
> >
> > On the TS, I tried to modify HKCU along with
> > HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
> > Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security,
> > thinking this was pretty straightforward. However, the defaults
> > remain at "Prompt" for new users.
> >
> > I've checked the OCT/.adm , and they don't seem to include those
> > settings.
> >
> > Users can make this change via the GUI, and that change does
> > stick with their profile, so this isn't *that* big of a deal.
> > We'd just like to reduce Help Desk calls by forcing this setting
> > for the handful of users who will be given Excel 07 on TS.
> >
> > Does anyone have any suggestions?
> >
> > Jesse
>
 
Re: Excel 2007 Default Security Settings

I think that the behaviour that you see is explained in the White
Paper I mentioned, under the "True policies versus Preferences"
section.
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?SmVzc2VQ?= <JesseP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
08 apr 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Hi Vera,
>
> Thanks for your reply. I tried the custom .adm template and
> found interesting results. If the TS user running the
> application doesn't already have a profile, then it works as
> expected. However, once that user has a profile (we use roaming
> TS profiles), the .adm template settings are not applied --
> although gpresult shows that it should be applied. Any ideas
> what might cause this behavior?
>
> Jesse
>
>
> "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> You can either create a custom .adm template file and enforce
>> this through a GPO, or just create a small logon script on the
>> TS and import the registry setting for each user in their HKCU
>> hive (= their profile).
>>
>> Using Administrative Template Files with Registry-Based Group
>> Policy White Paper
>> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e7d72fa
>> 1- 62fe-4358-8360-8774ea8db847&displaylang=en
>>
>> 310516 - HOW TO: Add, Modify, or Delete Registry Subkeys and
>> Values by Using a Registration Entries (.reg) File
>> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310516
>> _________________________________________________________
>> Vera Noest
>> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
>> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
>> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>>
>> =?Utf-8?B?SmVzc2VQ?= <JesseP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>> on 26 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>>
>> > We'd like to modify the default security settings for
>> > external content in Excel 2007 hosted on a W2K3 TS. The
>> > default for both 'Data Connections' and 'Workbook Links' is
>> > to prompt the user. We'd like to change that to 'Enable' for
>> > both of these as a default.
>> >
>> > In the Excel GUI, this is modified individually here: Office
>> > Button --> Excel Options --> Trust Center --> Trust Center
>> > Settings --> External Content.
>> >
>> > On a standalone workstation, these settings are found in
>> > HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security, with
>> > DWORD values of DataConnectionWarnings and
>> > WorkbookLinkWarnings. The default value (prompt) for each is
>> > "1." When you enable both of these, the value becomes "0."
>> >
>> > On the TS, I tried to modify HKCU along with
>> > HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
>> > Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security,
>> > thinking this was pretty straightforward. However, the
>> > defaults remain at "Prompt" for new users.
>> >
>> > I've checked the OCT/.adm , and they don't seem to include
>> > those settings.
>> >
>> > Users can make this change via the GUI, and that change does
>> > stick with their profile, so this isn't *that* big of a deal.
>> > We'd just like to reduce Help Desk calls by forcing this
>> > setting for the handful of users who will be given Excel 07
>> > on TS.
>> >
>> > Does anyone have any suggestions?
>> >
>> > Jesse
 
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