Managing multiple Windows machines (especially legacy systems like XP/Vista/7) without Active Directory presents unique technical hurdles. For charity organizations with 5-10 machines and limited IT budgets, we need lightweight solutions that provide:

• Centralized policy enforcement
• Cross-version Windows compatibility
• No server infrastructure requirements
• Minimal ongoing maintenance

Here's a PowerShell script that applies standardized local security policies across multiple machines. Save this as Apply-BasicSecurity.ps1:

# Define common security settings
$securityParams = @{
    "MinimumPasswordAge" = 1
    "MaximumPasswordAge" = 90
    "MinimumPasswordLength" = 8
    "PasswordComplexity" = $true
    "LockoutThreshold" = 5
    "LockoutDuration" = 30
}

# Apply to local machine
secedit /export /cfg $env:TEMP\localsec.cfg
(Get-Content $env:TEMP\localsec.cfg) | ForEach-Object {
    $_ -replace "PasswordComplexity\s*=\s*\d", "PasswordComplexity = $($securityParams['PasswordComplexity'] -as [int])"
} | Set-Content $env:TEMP\localsec.cfg
secedit /configure /db $env:TEMP\secedit.sdb /cfg $env:TEMP\localsec.cfg

To deploy this across multiple machines, use this modified version with remote execution:

$computers = @("PC1","PC2","PC3") # Replace with your machine names
$cred = Get-Credential

foreach ($computer in $computers) {
    Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computer -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock {
        param($secParams)
        # Same security application code as above
    } -ArgumentList $securityParams
}

For organizations preferring GUI tools, consider these steps:

1. Configure one reference machine with desired Local Group Policy settings
2. Export using secedit /export /cfg policy.inf
3. Create a batch file to import to other machines:

   @echo off
   for %%C in (PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4) do (
       copy policy.inf \\%%C\c$\temp\
       psexec \\%%C secedit /configure /db c:\temp\secedit.sdb /cfg c:\temp\policy.inf
   )
   

For specific settings, direct registry manipulation works well across XP/Vista/7. Create a .reg file with your policies:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"legalnoticecaption"="Organization IT Policy"
"legalnoticetext"="Unauthorized access prohibited"
"shutdownwithoutlogon"="0"

Consider these additional tools for policy distribution:

• PDQ Deploy (Free version available): Push registry changes and scripts
• BatchPatch: Lightweight alternative for small networks
• Ansible (Windows module): For more advanced automation needs

Implement a simple version control system for your policy files:

mkdir C:\PolicyManagement
cd C:\PolicyManagement
git init
# Add your .ps1, .bat and .reg files
git add .
git commit -m "Initial policy baseline"

This allows tracking changes and rolling back if needed.

When dealing with mixed Windows environments (XP through 7) in resource-constrained scenarios, traditional domain controllers become impractical. The solution must accommodate:

- No dedicated server hardware
- Heterogeneous Windows versions
- Policy enforcement without physical access
- Minimal maintenance overhead

For small-scale deployments, consider these technical approaches:

1. Local Policy Templates with PowerShell Automation

Create reusable security templates and deploy via script:

# Sample PowerShell script to import security templates
$templatePath = "\\fileserver\policies\charity_security.inf"
secedit /configure /db %windir%\security\new.sdb /cfg $templatePath /areas SECURITYPOLICY

# Schedule weekly policy refresh
Register-ScheduledJob -Name "PolicySync" -ScriptBlock {
    gpupdate /force
} -Trigger (New-JobTrigger -Weekly -At "Saturday 3AM")

2. Third-Party Configuration Management

Free/open-source tools like PDQ Deploy or Microsoft's Local Group Policy Object Utility (LGPO.exe) can manage policies across machines:

:: Batch script using LGPO.exe
@echo off
SET MACHINES=PC01,PC02,PC03,PC05
SET POLICYFILE=charity_gpo_settings.zip

FOR %%A IN (%MACHINES%) DO (
    LGPO.exe /s \\%%A\c$\temp\%POLICYFILE% /v
)

3. Registry-Based Policy Deployment

For Windows XP/Vista compatibility where newer tools fail:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System]
"DisableCMD"=dword:00000001
"PasswordExpirationWarning"=dword:0000000e

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer]
"AlwaysInstallElevated"=dword:00000000

Implement a three-tier approach for sustainable management:

1. Baseline Configuration: Core security settings applied to all machines
2. Role-Specific Policies: Differentiate between admin/staff/volunteer machines
3. Emergency Overrides: Quick-deploy registry fixes for critical vulnerabilities

# Example role detection in PowerShell
$role = (Get-Content "C:\ProgramData\org_role.txt").Trim()
switch ($role) {
    "admin" { Apply-Policy -Path ".\policies\admin_gpo.inf" }
    "staff" { Apply-Policy -Path ".\policies\staff_gpo.inf" }
    default { Apply-Policy -Path ".\policies\volunteer_gpo.inf" }
}