COmputer Lock out

[Sonny]

Where is the GPO object that will allow me to force a lock on my client
machines after an hour of inactivity?

Thanks!!

 

[Rick Gouin]

You could use the screen saver to do this. Configure a screen saver
timeout for whatever you want the lockout to be. Then, password
protect the screensaver.

The GPO's to do this are located here:
User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel ->
Display -> Screen Saver Timeout

And

User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel ->
Display -> Password Protect the screen saver

Hope that answers your question.

Regards,
Rick Gouin, MCSE

 

[Sonny]

Thanks... i know i can use a screensaver.

thing is that we have a company screensaver already pushed down.... it's on
a 6000 second delay... we don't want to push off screensavers for an hour so
that we can ensure a workstation is locked, and we also dont want to lock
computers every 6000 seconds.

thanks... does anyone know if a way to strictly lock a PC?

 

[Ken B]

I don't think you can do what you're looking to do... a 6000 second delay
is actually an hour and 40 delay. At that point, it doesn't serve much
purpose to either:
a. activate a screensaver
b. lock the computer

We give our users here 15 minutes before the screensaver activates (The
Windows XP screensaver) and the computer locks. This guarantees that the
saver will come on, and also that the computer will lock, affording you a
better level of security (if you should be worried about that... seems that
you are).

You could lock the computer through the screensaver, and I believe there's a
setting you can take to just lock the computer, but not put a fancy graphic
on the screen--just the Windows Locked window, instructing the user to hit
ctrl alt del.

HTH

Ken

 

[Sonny]

that's waht i'm looking for... the simple lock with the windows basic
screen. No need to be fancy. and i have the setting on 600 seconds... that
was a typo!!!!

thanks

 

[Ken B]

I believe if you select the logon.scr file, it'll just give you the computer
locked (as long as you set the other options--password protect the saver,
enable the saver, and your timeout period).

I'm not positive of what the logon.scr file will do/present... something
weird on my computer won't let me run savers. AutoCAD LT won't give up the
file type scr as a script file... argh!!

Ken

 

[Sonny]

Thanks for the help...

I don't want to sound ungrateful, but my main goal is to do this around the
screensaver. Obviously it's the easiest way to do it, but I was
specifically asked to do it another way.

my goal, at this point, is to somehow kick off a script or bat file after x
minutes of inactivity to lock the station using rundll32...

anyone know of any GPO that will allow me to run something after x amount of
minutes of inactivity?

 

[Bruce Sanderson]

I suspect you may have better responses if you post in one of the Windows
programming newsgroups (e.g. microsoft.public.windows2000.developer). The
only inactivity timer related GPO setting I'm aware of is the screensaver
activation setting (User Configuration, Administrative Tools, Control Panel,
Display).

The only other inactivitiy timer with an external interface that I know of
is the Power Settings, which are difficult to set via GPO and probably won't
do what you want anyway.