The Group Policy changes can be divided into two broad categories.

First are the items the Group Policy team delivers: core functionality, including the Group Policy engine and new and updated features in the Group Policy editing system (Group Policy Management Console, or GPMC, and Group Policy Management Editor, or GPME).

Second are items that other teams provide to manage their components using Group Policy: updated policy settings and feature controls inside GPME that we all use to manage the new and updated functions on our target machines.

Updated Group Policy Core Features

For Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the Group Policy team has come through with a smorgasbord of features and updates. Here's the nonscientific breakdown of what is delivered in the most recent update of Windows: one big fix, one big update, one big new feature, one big user interface change and one big in-the-box addition.

The Big Fix: Updated Filters

The Big Update: Deploying Windows PowerShell Scripts to Target Machines

The Big Feature: Manipulating Registry Settings with PowerShell Cmdlets

The Big User Interface Change: Updated ADM and ADMX User Interface

The Big In-the-Box Addition: Built-in Starter GPOs