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Setting Default settings for screensaver and lock screen timeout

Question
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Hi,
I would like to set default settings Screen lock\screensaver settings for Windows 7 machines in my environment. I was hoping to do do this with a script to edit the registry. I don't want to use Group Policy to enforce this change as I want users to be able to customize these settings afterward.
From my reading, adding these 3 registry entries should do the trick:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop, ScreenSaveActive=1
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop, ScreenSaverIsSecure=1
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop, ScreenSaveTimeOut = 600
And a fourth perhaps also:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop, SCRNSAVE.EXE = C:\windows\system32\scrnsave.scr
However, when I logon to the computer with a new profile, these settings do not take effect. Am I doing something wrong here, or can someone advise on a better way?
(Adding the above settings to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop always works fine for the current user)
Thanks.
- Edited by dude -d Monday, May 28, 2012 2:58 PM
Answers
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Hi
.DEFAULT has nothing to do with the Default user profile. It's a system account. You encounter some of these settings before login, e.g. NumLock for Login-Mask*.
However, if you want to modify registry settings of Default user, you first have to load its ntuser.dat into registry editor.
lg
Marcello
* HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard\
Name: InitialKeyboardIndicators Type: REG_SZ
Data: 2
- Edited by Marcello Rungi Saturday, June 2, 2012 9:07 AM
- Marked as answer by Juke ChouModerator Wednesday, June 6, 2012 2:16 AM
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You can use group policy Preferences which allows the users to change the screensaver settings but applies one for them. Here is a great article on how to do it with Preferences.
http://www.grouppolicy.biz/tag/screensaver/
here is a great overview article for Preferences
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731892(v=ws.10).aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24449
- Marked as answer by Juke ChouModerator Wednesday, June 6, 2012 2:16 AM
All replies
-
You can use group policy Preferences which allows the users to change the screensaver settings but applies one for them. Here is a great article on how to do it with Preferences.
http://www.grouppolicy.biz/tag/screensaver/
here is a great overview article for Preferences
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731892(v=ws.10).aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24449
- Marked as answer by Juke ChouModerator Wednesday, June 6, 2012 2:16 AM
-
Hi
.DEFAULT has nothing to do with the Default user profile. It's a system account. You encounter some of these settings before login, e.g. NumLock for Login-Mask*.
However, if you want to modify registry settings of Default user, you first have to load its ntuser.dat into registry editor.
lg
Marcello
* HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard\
Name: InitialKeyboardIndicators Type: REG_SZ
Data: 2
- Edited by Marcello Rungi Saturday, June 2, 2012 9:07 AM
- Marked as answer by Juke ChouModerator Wednesday, June 6, 2012 2:16 AM