Windows – How to copy local group policy objects from one machine to another

Open Regedit.

Backup your registry.

Delete the "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft" Key (looks like a folder).

Delete the "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft" Key

Delete the "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy Objects" Key.

Delete the "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies" Key.

Exit the registry and restart.

Note: HKLM = HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE & HKCU = HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Note 2: The registry is and can be a dangerous place.

As far as I can tell, the Group Policy Objects branch is only a cache of the active GPOs. Windows actually checks this Registry location for computer policy settings:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies

For the Prevent installation of devices that match any of these Device IDs setting, Group Policy uses this key:

HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions

The DenyDeviceIDs DWORD is set to 1 when the policy is Enabled. The DenyDeviceIDsRetroactive DWORD corresponds to the Also apply to matching devices that are already installed checkbox: 1 for checked, 0 for not.

The restricted entries are kept in a subkey of Restrictions that also is named DenyDeviceIDs. One value on that key is one restriction. Each value's name should be the same as its data.

Tip: I found this information using the Element Inspector tool in my own open-source application, Policy Plus.

You'll need to reboot for the changes to take effect.

Note that even if you set all the Registry settings exactly right, it's possible that Home editions might not respect them. Most Group Policy settings work just fine on all editions, but there are a few that don't; the components that make use of them might not be there on Home. If you find that these settings don't work, you'll need to upgrade to Pro.