Group Policy for File Extensions

I suspect it would be easier to disable the sound card... or uninstall multimedia codecs, depending on what you're trying to block
 
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You could go into the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and go down to "mp3file". Then go to "shell', then "open", then blank that info. Also look for ".mp3" and remove all the keys associated with that. When the user tries to run a mp3, it won't work cos Windows won't know what to open the mp3 with.
 
What about file -> open from any program capable of playing an mp3?
 
The way I'd do it though is to change the permissions on the reg keys mercurial mentioned. Set everything to deny for all users. If you just delete them then the user can recreate it with a simple "Open With"->Remember.;) If you deny access then it can't be overwritten and the explorer can't figure out what app to use.

If you need a rule then I'd look at the function in GPEdit that blocks all applications except those specifically allowed. Maybe you can sneak in a wildcard there.
 
Another way is to disable the sound card in the CMOS and bung a password in so the CMOS cannot be changed.

So the luser will be breaking company policy if said luser opens said box to either bung in a sound card, or reset the CMOS password...

We had problems with the one site playing their MP3's after hours (and bringing in pesky viruses) so I disabled the cdrom, and never had any problem again :D
 
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I was hoping there was a group policy way of doing this... as even with no sound... they still transfer illegal music across.

I cant disable sound cards as they are needed for testing applications...

So this was my solution:
Since the user only has user rights, I took out all media playing software including windows media player.. just to discover you dont need privileges to reinstall this...

So I changed the group policy not open windows media player...

This has solved the problem of playing media on the pc...
But not on how to keep it off the pc.
 
Well gpedit.msc is a rather extensive listing, that's the only problem. But you are welcome to try it out. Go to start -> run -> type gpedit.msc. I sometimes use it. Your other option is to get a tweaking application for XP. Maybe something like TuneUp Utilities or many of the others that are available, but use them at your own risk. These apps usually have tons of settings that you can change - most of which reside directly in gpedit.msc. Havoc, the reason I said what I said in my previous post is because I had tampered with my settings for textfiles and afterward they wouldn't open at all - it used to give an error and that is why i suggested he does this for mp3's. It may work or it may not work. I would agree though that the best way to do it would be through permissions, whether to use gpedit or something else entirely.
 
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