This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:07:21
In the video, the presenter provides a detailed tutorial on preventing Windows 10 clients from upgrading to Windows 11 using domain Group Policy Objects (GPOs). The first step involves setting up a central store for policy definitions on a domain controller. This includes connecting to the sysvol share and copying the necessary policy definition files into the central store location, followed by verifying the setup through Group Policy Management.
The presenter then goes on to create a new GPO aimed at blocking Windows 11 upgrades by linking it to the relevant organizational unit (OU) and updating Windows update policies. This involves copying the appropriate language and ADMX files to the central store and enabling the policy setting that specifies the target feature update version. By setting this to "21H2," users will stay on Windows 10.
Finally, the video demonstrates manually updating the group policy settings on a Windows 10 client, ensuring that the upgrade option to Windows 11 is removed. The presenter confirms the success of this process and also demonstrates how to reverse the block by updating the policies again, making the Windows 11 upgrade option available when necessary. Important terms include "Group Policy Objects," "central store," "policy definitions," "ADMX files," and "Windows Update for Business." The tutorial emphasizes practical steps to control OS upgrades within an organization using GPOs effectively.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the presenter explains how to block Windows 11 upgrades on Windows 10 clients using domain group policy objects. The first step involves checking for a central store by connecting to the sysvol share and opening domain policies. If there is no policy definition folder, a central store does not exist. Another method is through Group Policy Management, where you can check if policies are retrieved from the local computer or the central store.
To create a central store, the presenter demonstrates connecting to a domain controller, copying the policy definitions folder from the domain controller to the central store location, and verifying its operation through Group Policy Management.
Next, to block future Windows upgrades, a group policy can be used. The example focuses on blocking Windows 11 by creating a new group policy object (GPO), linking it to the appropriate organizational unit (OU), and editing the policy to disable the update. If necessary, the admx files for Windows updates need to be updated by downloading and extracting the latest version.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the speaker details the process of updating Group Policy settings to prevent Windows 10 users from upgrading to Windows 11. They begin by locating and copying the correct folder (enus folder) and pasting it into the central store’s policy definitions folder, replacing any duplicate and outdated files. Next, they copy updated ADMX files from a temporary directory into the same policy definitions folder. After these updates, the speaker reopens Group Policy to access new settings. They navigate to policies, administrative templates, Windows components, and finally to Windows Update for Business where they enable the option to select the target feature update version. The speaker sets it to “21H2” to ensure users remain on Windows 10 and are not prompted to upgrade to Windows 11. To verify, they remotely access a Windows 10 client and demonstrate the current upgrade prompt to Windows 11, which will be blocked by the updated policy.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the presenter demonstrates how to manually update Windows policies to remove the option to upgrade to Windows 11 immediately. They execute a `gpupdate /force` command, check for updates to ensure the upgrade option to Windows 11 is gone, and confirm it by checking again. The option is successfully blocked. The presenter then illustrates how to re-enable the option by unlinking the policy and updating it again, resulting in the Windows 11 upgrade option reappearing. When ready to upgrade, they show that machines can now proceed with the upgrade process.