Q: How can I convert an ADM file into an ADMX file?
A: Prior to Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista, Group
Policy templates were created in Microsoft’s proprietary
ADM format. With Windows 2008 and Vista, Microsoft has
switched to a new XML-based format, ADMX. You can use
Microsoft’s ADMX Migrator tool to convert custom ADM
files to ADMX. You can download the tool at www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=0F1EEC3D-10C4-
4B5F-9625-97C2F731090C&displaylang=en. The tool also
includes an ADMX editor that makes creating customized
ADMX files much easier.
To convert an ADM file, open the ADMX Migrator Command
Window and run the faAdmcConv command. For
example, to convert blocksharecreate.adm, I would use this
command:
C:\Program Files (x86)\FullArmor\ADMX Migrator>
faadmxconv d:\temp\blocksharecreate.adm d:\temp /x
where d:\temp is the location to save the generated ADMX
file and /x says to also save an ADML file. An ADML file
contains the language-specific information used by an
ADMX file to allow policy settings to display in the specified
language.
—John Savill