can't override screen saver policy

[lee.james]

We've enabled a mandatory screen saver policy and applied it at the
domain level - it works as it's supposed to.

There's a handful of machines we don't want this policy to apply to,
and we don't want to muck around with GP permissions, or create
exception OU's, play with GP deny settings etc.

We should just be able to specify a local policy to override (as local
is first in order or precedence).

However we can't get it to work. Clients are XP SP2.

I specify the settings locally, log off and on, tried rebooting as well
- but when I check the registry key
HKCU\SW\policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop it keeps
showing the entries from the domain policy.

What gives?

 

[Ken B]

You're right in that the local policy gets applied first. The only thing is
later settings in the L, S, D, Ou order 'win'. So your domain policy won
out over the local policy... and the domain wins.

If you had a different policy on the OU, that one would win, provided your
domain policy did not have "No override" or "Enforced" checked off.

Easiest way I would think to get those computers to not apply the
screensaver policy would be to create a security group, add the computers to
that group, and then give that group Deny permission to Read & Apply the
policy on the security tab of the policy itself. This way you can
add/remove/edit the list at your own whim, and you'll have a listing of all
the computers that won't have that policy apply to them.

HTH

Ken

 

[Guest]

I am having the same issue and the original post. I have tried adding the
setting at the OU level which is below the domain level, so that policy
should be applied. However, it seems that this setting is a user setting.
The users are in the user OU which is above the target computer OU. So they
don't get this policy setting. I have also tried setting the permissions to
allow access to only the specific machine accounts and that has no effect.
It only seems to care about the user portion.

Anyone have any ideas?

DC

 

[Bruce Sanderson]

Settings in the User Configuration part of a GPO always apply to User
Accounts, not Computer Accounts, so any User Configuration settings you want
to apply must be in a GPO that applies to the User's Account, not the
Computer's Account.

If you acutally want some User Configuration settings applied ONLY when
users log on to specific computers, then enable Loopback processing in a GPO
that is applied to the OU containing those Computer Accounts and put the
User Configuration settings into a GPO that applies to that OU. See
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/231287/. Not that the User Configuration
part of a GPO processed by the Loopback feature are still applied to User
Accounts, but only when a (any) user logs on at the computers that GPO
applies to. Loopback processing does not actaully convert User
Configuration settings to Computer Configuration settings.

The best way (IMHO) is to establish an OU hierarchy/structure that reflects
how you want to manage things and how you want to apply GPOs. One of the
major features of AD is the ability to nest OUs and to change the OU
structure easily. Settings in GPOs applied at the lower levels in the
hierarchy (e.g. NeedScreenSaver in the example below) will take precedence
over corresponding settings applied higher in the heirarchy. Take advantage
of this feature to make your life easier. In particular, have seperate OU
hierarchies for User and Computer Accounts (as opposed to having the
computer accounts in an OU nested inside the Users OU).

E.g.
Domain
Computers - apply GPO that is to be applied to all computers here
NeedScreenSaver - apply GPO with Loopback and Screen Saver settings
here
Users - apply GPO that is to be applied to all users here
SpecialUsers - apply GPO that has settings specific to only some
(special) users
as opposed to
Domain
Computers
Users

--
Bruce Sanderson MVP Printing
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders

It is perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.

 

[lforbes]

Easiest way I would think to get those computers to not apply the

screensaver policy would be to create a security group, add the
computers to that group, and then give that group Deny permission to
Read & Apply the policy on the security tab of the policy itself

Hi Ken,

The only problem is that he says he has the Screen Saver setting at
the Domain level and if he deny’s computers access to the Default
Domain policy he will be in real trouble.

The Screen Saver setting is a Users Profile setting. Therefore you
cannot set it per computer Unless you use the Group Policy Loopback
mode.

Cheers,

Lara

 

[Ken B]

Hi Lara-

I had considered that, but being he didn't mention it specifically, my
thought was that he applied a separate policy at the domain level... but it
could have been a setting configured directly in the DDP, in which case, DO
NOT DO WHAT I SAID!! ;0

Ken

 

[lee.james]

Hi Bruce,

Yes, I figured out that using loopback processing was the answer (Ok, I
ended up calling MS support). I created a seperate OU that had loopback
processing applied and put the particular systems in the OU. That now
works fine.

However, what I can't understand and MS can't seem to explain, is why I
can't enable loopback processing on the local policy of the problem
systems instead of having to do it at the OU level?

MS keeps saying the order or precedence is the reason, but as I
understand it, the local gets 'read' first, tells that it's using
loopback processing - which should then tell it to ignore the user
settings at the site level, domain level, ou level etc.

J.

 

[Ken B]

Do you have any policy later in the precedence that says Loopback Processing
= Disabled ? That would be the only thing I could think of that would
explain the behavior.

Ken

 

[lforbes]

However, what I can’t understand and MS can’t seem to

explain, is why I can’t enable loopback processing on the local
policy of the problem
systems instead of having to do it at the OU level?

Hi,

You should be able to apply the Loopback at the Local Policy and as
long as no one ever sets any loopback settings at ANY Domain level. OU
or otherwise then it should stick.

However, Group Policies are by far the best and easiest route to go.
Because any Local Settings are Always Overridden by Group Policies in
case of any conflict, it is best just to set them in the Group
Policies where you can view them with out having to logon to each
machine. Also, then the machines are kept "clean" so that in future
you or someone else may wonder why the loopback is enabled when there
is no Group Policy doing it.

Personally I haven’t had a reason ever to use Local Policies. I
would just set them at the OU/Gp level.

Cheers,

Lara

 

[lee.james]

No, this is the first time we've tried loopback..........all other
entries everywhere else would be the default 'Not Configured'.

J.

 

[Guest]

Can you go into more detail on what you mean?

I am trying to have certain PC's with screen saver timeouts different from
the rest in the office (60Min vs. 10 min.). I have been playing around with
the GPO's trying to make it work for days.

I am looking for detailed instructions on how to implement what is being
discussed in here. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Guest]

What instructions did Microsoft give you to follow? Can you share with
everyone on what you did you resolve this issue. I am facing the same issue
and any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Alan]

This information (loopback) was dead-on target with a problem I was
having applying user policies to a computer OU. Thanks!

 

[lee.james]

John,

Create an OU, create a Group Policy for that OU....set loopback
processing (Computer Configuration\Adminstrative Templates\System\Group
Policy - User Group Policy loopback processing mode - Enable it, select
Replace

Then go into the User config container and set the options you want
(eg. Hide Control Panel).

Save the Group Policy you created.

Move the systems you want Loopback processing enabled into this new OU
and either wait for things to get updated or force using either secedit
or GPUpdate.

Now when any user logs into a system that's in that OU they will have
the same settings applied.

That will be $500

J.

 

[Andrew Mitchell]

Hi Ken,

The only problem is that he says he has the Screen Saver setting at
the Domain level and if he deny’s computers access to the Default
Domain policy he will be in real trouble.

I was under the impression that modifying the default domain policy was not
recommended in the first place.

 

[Bruce Sanderson]

All the screen saver settings are USER settings, not COMPUTER settings, so,
to get them applied to users that logon to certain computers, you need to
have loopback processing enabled for the OU with the computer accounts in
it - I suggest using "Merge" mode so that any settings applied to the OU
containing the user accounts will also be applied when those users logon at
the computers that are subject to loopback processing.

The Loopback processing setting is in Computer Configuration, Administrative
Templates, System, Group Policy.

Create a child OU under the OU with the computer accounts, move the computer
accounts for those with different screensaver timeouts into the child OU.
Create a new GPO, linked to the child OU, that has just the "special"
screensaver timeout setting .

For example:

Domain
|
|-- MyComputersOU <- put "most" of the computer accounts in this OU
| |---> SpecialComputersOU -< link GPO with loopback enabled (GPO#1)
| and;
| link GPO with screen saver settings
| you want for users
| on the "special" computers
| (GPO#2);
| put computers with "special" screen
| saver requirement in this OU
|-MyUsersOU <- link GPO that has normal user settings, including the
"default" ("normal"?) screen saver timeout
setting (GPO#3);
put your user's user accounts into this OU

Note: GPO#2 only needs to have settings for the screen saver timeout - all
the other settings from GPO#3 will be applied to users that logon at any
computer regardless of which OU the computer's account is in. The
loopback setting in GPO#1 will cause the User Configuration settings in
GPO#2 to be applied to any user that logs on to a computer whose
computer account is in SpecialComputersOU.

The order of application of USER settings will then be:

1. settings in the User Configuration part of GPOs at the Domain level
2. settings in the User Configuration part of GPOs applied to MyUsersOU -
including any screen saver settings in GPO#3
3. settings in the User Configuration part of GPO#1 (I suggest NOT having
any USER settings in this GPO)
4. Settings in the User Configuration part of GPO#2 - the special
screensaver timeout value

Settings applied later in the application order take precedence (override)
corresponding settings applied earlier. So, the screensaver timeout setting
in GPO#2 will be in effect when users logon at computers that have computer
accounts in the SpecialComputersOU because they are applied last.

All of this assumes you have not done anything "unusual", such as applying a
Security or WMI filter any of the GPOs or GPO links.

I find it useful to keep User Configuration settings and Computer
Configuration settings in separate GPOs - avoids confusion (see
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/WindowsGeneralWeb/HappyGPOs.htm.

Correct application of GPOs requires an appropriate OU structure for the
computer accounts and user accounts. It is generally more useful to create
your own OUs and avoid putting objects that you create into the "default OU"
that are created when the Domain is created.


--
Bruce Sanderson MVP Printing
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders

It is perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.