GPO Problem; Setting Desktop Wallpaper

Discussion in 'Software' started by Alex Wright, Sep 9, 2008.

  1. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    Hi all,

    I haven't posted in these forums for a while, I hope life is treating you all well?

    If you permit me I'd like to ask for some help regarding a group policy object that I'm trying to deploy on a PC in my place of work's boardroom.

    Basically, I'd like to set the desktop wallpaper on the machine to display my company's corporate logo irrelevant of which user is logged on. And rather than doing this in Active Directory on a domain controller and deploying it to this one workstation, I figured I could achieve the same results using a local computer policy?

    I have saved the logo locally to the machine in bitmap file format, enabled active desktop and disabled the disabling of active desktop and yet the wallpaper still doesn't display when users login to the machine.

    I'd appreciate it if you could give me some pointers as to what could be preventing the policy from working. I was thinking that it could be a firewall issue, or perhaps that the resolution of the logo has to be the same as the screen resolution? I'm at home now but will put into action any suggestions I receive on my return to the office tomorrow morning.

    Thanks in advance for your responses and help.

    - Alex
     
    Certifications: 70-680 Configuring Windows 7
    WIP: 70-642
  2. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    I doubt you can do this, as local policies are overwritten by policies set at the site, and domain level.

    The order of precedence is L-S-D-OU-OU
     
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  3. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Do the users have roaming profiles?

    If not when they log onto the PC they will be given a new profile based on the 'default user' profile. You can customise this profile so that new users will be given the same profile which can have the desktop wallpaper you have specified.

    Link:
    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=319974
     
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  4. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    Hi Sparky,

    Some of the users have roaming profiles, whilst others don't.
     
    Certifications: 70-680 Configuring Windows 7
    WIP: 70-642
  5. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    Can I infer from what you've asked that you don't have any current policy settings on wallpaper - as in you don't have any current policies at domain level that would overwrite a GPO on the local machine?
     
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  6. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    Hi Arroryn,

    That's right. We don't currently have any policy settings on wallpaper set at the domain level. :)

    - Alex
     
    Certifications: 70-680 Configuring Windows 7
    WIP: 70-642
  7. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    Didn't have any joy in getting this to work today guys.

    Can you recommend something new for me to try?
     
    Certifications: 70-680 Configuring Windows 7
    WIP: 70-642
  8. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    What's shown in Group Policy Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) for that workstation?
     
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  9. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    If you log on with a local account does it work ok?
     
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  10. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    How many of your users with roaming profiles are likely to use this machine?

    As Sparky has mainly said, without a domain policy dictating the wallpaper, I can't see any major reason why you can't enforce this at a local level. Set up a faux user with the desktop settings you want, and copy their profile over the default user profile in C:\Documents and Settings

    The only caveat comes in the users with roaming profiles, in which case you may need to use login script - but if they're unlikely to use the machine than I wouldn't *consider* them a danger. I can't believe I'm posting this from Rugby train station. Lol. You can set roaming profile restrictions via local GPO but off the top of my head I can't remember what they are... Take a look at them, but I do think you'll be able to enforce this at a local level.
     
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  11. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    Hi Mike,

    If I run the Group Policy Modelling Wizard is shows the GPO as being denied because it's empty. As the policy only needs to be applied to this one particular machine, I have created it using the Local Group Policy editor. Works fine when setup this way. Would still be nice to know why it doesn't work when rolled out from a domain controller.

    - Alex
     
    Certifications: 70-680 Configuring Windows 7
    WIP: 70-642
  12. Alex Wright

    Alex Wright Megabyte Poster

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    Didn't bother trying as the policy has been linked to an OU under one of our domains. Shouldn't effect local users at all.
     
    Certifications: 70-680 Configuring Windows 7
    WIP: 70-642
  13. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

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    when policies are filtered out and not applied its normally becuase the policy has been applied to the wrong OU for the policy. IE if you create a policy using the user configuration set of policies and then apply it to a OU that only contains Computers its not going to apply it because there is nothing relevant in that policy to the object. The same applies Viky verky
     
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