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Mike Swanson 04a01f0324 sync: Auto-sync from ACG-M-L5090 at 2026-02-01 16:23:43

2026-02-01 16:23:47 -07:00

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Glaztech PDF Preview Fix - Group Policy Configuration

Issue: Windows 10/11 security updates (KB5066791, KB5066835) block PDF previews from network shares Solution: Configure Group Policy to trust Glaztech network resources Client: Glaztech Industries Domain: glaztech.com

Quick Start

Option 1: Run PowerShell script once on each computer (fastest for immediate fix) Option 2: Configure GPO for permanent solution (recommended for long-term)

GPO Configuration (Permanent Solution)

Policy 1: Add Sites to Local Intranet Zone

Purpose: Trust Glaztech internal network resources

Open Group Policy Management Console
- Run: gpmc.msc
- Navigate to: Forest > Domains > glaztech.com > Group Policy Objects
Create New GPO
- Right-click "Group Policy Objects" → New
- Name: Glaztech - PDF Preview Fix
- Description: Fix PDF preview issues from network shares (KB5066791/KB5066835)
Edit GPO
- Right-click GPO → Edit
Configure Intranet Zone Sites
- Navigate to: User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Internet Explorer Maintenance > Security
- Double-click: Security Zones and Content Ratings
- Click: Import the current security zones and privacy settings
- Click: Modify Settings
Add Sites to Local Intranet Zone
- Click: Local intranet → Sites → Advanced
- Add these sites (one per line):
```
*.glaztech.com
https://*.glaztech.com
http://*.glaztech.com
file://*.glaztech.com
```

Add IP Ranges (if servers use IPs)

For each Glaztech site (192.168.0.* through 192.168.9.*):

https://192.168.0.*
https://192.168.1.*
https://192.168.2.*
https://192.168.3.*
https://192.168.4.*
https://192.168.5.*
https://192.168.6.*
https://192.168.7.*
https://192.168.8.*
https://192.168.9.*
file://192.168.0.*
file://192.168.1.*
(etc. for all 10 sites)

Policy 2: Disable SmartScreen for Intranet Zone

Purpose: Prevent SmartScreen from blocking trusted internal resources

Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer
Configure:
- Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen → Disabled (for Intranet zone only)
Alternative Registry-Based Setting:
- Navigate to: User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry
- Create new Registry Item:
  - Action: Update
  - Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
  - Key Path: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1
  - Value Name: 2702
  - Value Type: REG_DWORD
  - Value Data: 0 (Disable SmartScreen for Intranet)

Policy 3: Enable PDF Preview Handlers

Purpose: Ensure PDF preview is enabled in Windows Explorer

Navigate to: User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry
Create Registry Item:
- Action: Update
- Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Key Path: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
- Value Name: ShowPreviewHandlers
- Value Type: REG_DWORD
- Value Data: 1

Policy 4: Unblock Network Shares (Advanced)

Purpose: Automatically remove Zone.Identifier from files on network shares

Option A: Startup Script (runs at computer startup)

Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Scripts > Startup
Add Script:
- Click: Add → Browse
- Copy Fix-PDFPreview-Glaztech.ps1 to: \\glaztech.com\SYSVOL\glaztech.com\scripts\
- Script Name: Fix-PDFPreview-Glaztech.ps1
- Script Parameters: Leave blank (uses defaults)

Option B: Logon Script (runs at user logon)

Navigate to: User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Scripts > Logon
Add Script: (same as above)

Option C: Scheduled Task via GPO

Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Preferences > Control Panel Settings > Scheduled Tasks
Create new Scheduled Task:
- Action: Create
- Name: Glaztech PDF Preview Maintenance
- Run as: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM or %LogonDomain%%LogonUser%
- Trigger: At log on (or daily)
- Action: Start a program
  - Program: powershell.exe
  - Arguments: -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "\\glaztech.com\SYSVOL\glaztech.com\scripts\Fix-PDFPreview-Glaztech.ps1"

Link GPO to OUs

In Group Policy Management:
- Right-click appropriate OU (e.g., "Computers" or "Workstations")
- Select: Link an Existing GPO
- Choose: Glaztech - PDF Preview Fix
Verify Link:
- Ensure GPO is enabled (checkmark in "Link Enabled" column)
- Set appropriate link order (higher = applied later)

Testing GPO

Force GPO Update on Test Computer:
```
gpupdate /force
```

Verify Applied Policies:

gpresult /H C:\Temp\gpresult.html
# Open C:\Temp\gpresult.html in browser to review applied policies

Check Registry Values:

# Check Intranet Zone configuration
Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1"

# Check if preview handlers are enabled
Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name ShowPreviewHandlers

Test PDF Preview:
- Navigate to network share with PDFs
- Select a PDF file
- Check if preview appears in Preview Pane (View → Preview Pane)

Troubleshooting

PDF Preview Still Not Working

Check if GPO applied:
```
gpresult /r /scope:user
```
Restart Windows Explorer:
```
Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force
```

Check for blocked files manually:

Get-ChildItem "\\server\share" -Filter "*.pdf" -Recurse |
    ForEach-Object {
        if (Get-Item $_.FullName -Stream Zone.Identifier -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
            Unblock-File $_.FullName
        }
    }

GPO Not Applying

Check GPO replication:
```
dcdiag /test:replications
```
Verify SYSVOL replication:
```
Get-SmbShare SYSVOL
```
Check event logs:
- Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application
- Look for Group Policy errors

SmartScreen Still Blocking

Manually disable SmartScreen for Intranet (temporary):

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\1" -Name "2702" -Value 0 -Type DWord

Check Windows Defender settings:
- Settings → Update & Security → Windows Security → App & browser control
- Ensure SmartScreen isn't overriding zone settings

Rollback Plan

If issues occur after GPO deployment:

Disable GPO:
- GPMC → Right-click GPO → Link Enabled (uncheck)
Delete GPO (if needed):
- GPMC → Right-click GPO → Delete
Force refresh on clients:
```
gpupdate /force
```

Alternative: PowerShell Deployment (No GPO)

If GPO deployment is not feasible:

Deploy via GuruRMM:

.\Deploy-PDFFix-BulkRemote.ps1 -UseGuruRMM
# Upload generated script to GuruRMM dashboard

Deploy via PowerShell Remoting:

$Computers = Get-ADComputer -Filter * -SearchBase "OU=Workstations,DC=glaztech,DC=com" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name
.\Deploy-PDFFix-BulkRemote.ps1 -ComputerNames $Computers

Manual deployment:
- Copy script to network share
- Email link to users
- Instruct users to right-click → "Run with PowerShell"

When to Use Each Method

Method	Use When	Pros	Cons
GPO	Large environment, permanent fix needed	Automatic, consistent, centrally managed	Requires AD infrastructure, slower rollout
GuruRMM	Quick deployment needed, mixed environment	Fast, flexible, good reporting	Requires GuruRMM access, manual execution
PowerShell Remoting	AD environment, immediate fix needed	Very fast, scriptable	Requires WinRM enabled, manual execution
Manual	Small number of computers, no remote access	Simple, no infrastructure needed	Time-consuming, inconsistent

Additional Server Names/IPs

TODO: Update this list when user provides Glaztech file server details

# Add servers to script parameters:
$ServerNames = @(
    # "fileserver01",
    # "192.168.1.50",
    # "glaztech-nas01",
    # Add more as identified...
)

Update script on SYSVOL or re-run deployment after adding servers.

References

Microsoft KB5066791 - Security update that changed file handling
Microsoft KB5066835 - Related security update
Mark of the Web (MOTW) - Zone.Identifier explanation
Internet Explorer Security Zones

Last Updated: 2026-01-27 Contact: AZ Computer Guru MSP Client: Glaztech Industries (GuruRMM Client ID: d857708c-5713-4ee5-a314-679f86d2f9f9)

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