How can I stop UNC shares automatically being added to My Network Places?

A. In Windows 2000 if you open a file or web via a UNC name it will automatically be added to the My Network Places area. To stop this happening perform the following:

1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc.exe, and then click OK.
2. In Microsoft Management Console (MMC) click Add/Remove Snap-in on the Console menu.
3. Click Add.
4. Click Group Policy, and then click Add.
5. Accept the default (which is Local Computer), and then click Finish.
6. Click Close, and then click OK.
7. Under Local Computer Policy, expand the User Configuration entry.
8. Expand the Administrative Templates entry.
9. Expand the Desktop entry.
10. Right-click Do not add shares of recently opened documents to My Network Places, and then click Properties.
11. Click Enabled, and then click OK.

The above works on a local machine, for a domain/site/OU group policy you would open the corresponding Group Policy Object, goto User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop area and make the change.

You can also make the change in the registry by setting HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoRecentDocsNetHood to 1.