Error message when you run the GPMC snap-in after you install Windows Vista Service Pack 1: "MMC could not create the snap-in"

You install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) on a computer that is running the original version of Windows Vista. When you try to run the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) snap-in, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

When you install Windows Vista SP1, the GPMC snap-in is intentionally removed to better match customer usage goals and Microsoft servicing goals. Microsoft servicing goals include providing additional features that are found in Windows Server 2008. Those features include group policy preferences, starter group policy objects (GPOs), filtering, and comments.

Customer feedback indicates that the GPMC snap-in was used by only a small percentage of privileged user accounts. Therefore, the GPMC snap-in was not a necessary tool to auto-install with Windows Vista.

To improve engineering efficiency, Microsoft combined the development, testing, and release of all Windows-related administrative tools with the release of Windows Server 2008. Windows Vista-compatible versions of the Windows Server 2008 administrative tools are available in the Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) package for Windows Vista. To download RSAT for Windows Vista, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

To resolve this issue, install RSAT for Windows Vista.

Note RSAT for Windows Vista contains the Group Policy Management snap-in.

To install RSAT, follow these steps:

1. Download the RSAT package from one of the following Microsoft Web sites:
   
   RSAT for Windows Vista for x86-based systems
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9FF6E897-23CE-4A36-B7FC-D52065DE9960 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9FF6E897-23CE-4A36-B7FC-D52065DE9960)
   RSAT for Windows Vista for x64-based systems
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D647A60B-63FD-4AC5-9243-BD3C497D2BC5 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D647A60B-63FD-4AC5-9243-BD3C497D2BC5)
2. Double-click the downloaded package to start the Setup wizard. Then, follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the installation.
3. Open Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Turn Windows features on or off under Programs and Features.
   
   Note If you are prompted to provide permission by using the User Account Control, click Continue.
4. In the Windows Features dialog box, select the remote administration snap-ins and the tools that you want to install, and then click OK.
5. Configure the Start menu to display the Administration Tools shortcut. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Right-click Start, and then click Properties.
   2. Click Start, click Customize.
   3. In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, scroll down to System administrative tools, and then select Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu.
   4. Click OK.
      
      Note For a complete list of tools that are included in the RSAT final package, for installation instructions, and for other help topics, see Remote Server Administration Tools Help in the Administrative Tools list.

This behavior is by design.

For more information about Remote Server Administration Tools, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: