GPMC on 64-bit Windows Server 2008
For those of you who are looking for Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) for 64-bit Windows Server 2003 (WS03) you may have already discovered that GMPC is not supported on 64-bit versions of WS03. The GPMC download page on Microsoft’s Web site states that:
The GPMC does not run on 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows.
This caused some confusion for people who want to run GPMC on Windows Server 2008 (WS08) because the above statement is not exactly true. GPMC will run on 64-bit versions, including WS08 and Windows 7. In fact, GPMC is included with these operating systems. However, the 32-bit version is not compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows. On Windows 7, you can install GPMC using RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools) for Windows 7. Among other tools, RSAT also includes Group Policy Management Tools such as Group Policy Management Console, Group Policy Management Editor, and Group Policy Starter GPO Editor. Click here for more information on these tools.
To avoid confusion, the download page should have said:
The GPMC does not run on 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.
If you try to install GPMC by downloading it from Microsoft’s Web site on a 64-bit WS08, you will get a prompt that it is not compatible with the version you are using because the downloadable version is a 32-bit version that is not supported on WS08.
By default, GPMC is not installed on WS08 but you can use one of the two following methods to install it.
Installing GPMC from a Command Prompt
Open command prompt as an administrator and run the following command:
ServerManagerCmd -install gpmc
Be patient because it may take some time to install the console. The numbers between the two brackets <> show you the progress. Wait until you see <100/100> before you close the command prompt window. Here’s what you will see,
C:\>ServerManagerCmd -install gpmc
….
Start Installation…
[Installation] Succeeded: [Group Policy Management].
<100/100>
Success: Installation succeeded.
Installing GPMC from the User Interface
- Start Server Manager.
- Click Features and then click Add Features in the right-hand pane.
- In the Add Features Wizard dialog box check Group Policy Management box and then click Install.
