Microsoft KB Archive/301567

= Screen Saver Policy Settings Trigger Unexpected Results in Windows 2000 =

Article ID: 301567

Article Last Modified on 2/28/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

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This article was previously published under Q301567



SUMMARY
When you use screen saver policy settings in Windows 2000, you may experience unexpected behavior. This article describes some of these policy settings and their effects.



Open Group Policy Display Settings
To access the screen saver settings, open the Group Policy snap-in, and then open the Display object. To do this, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Start, and then click Run.
 * 2) Type mmc, and then click OK to start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
 * 3) On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-ins, and then click Add.
 * 4) Click Group Policy (or click Local Policy if you want this policy to apply only to the computer currently in use), and then click Add.

-or-

If this will be an Active Directory policy, click Browse, and then select the site, domain, or organizational unit that you want this policy to apply to.
 * 1) Click Close, and then click OK.
 * 2) Expand User Configuration, and then expand Administrative Templates.
 * 3) Expand Control Panel, and then click Display.
 * 4) In the rightmost pane, double-click the setting that you want to configure.

Activate Screen Saver
This setting enables desktop screen savers. If the Not Configured check box is selected, nothing is imposed on the computer. A screen saver is used if a user or user profile specifies one.

If the Disabled check box is selected, the following rules are applied:
 * Screen savers do not run, even if they are configured by a user or user profile.
 * The Screen Saver tab in the display properties is unavailable.

If the Enabled check box is selected, a screen saver will run as specified by the Screen Saver Executable Name setting. The screen saver timeout value must be nonzero.

Screen Saver Executable Name
If either the Not Configured or Disabled check box is selected, this setting does not impose a restriction on the screen saver executable.

If the Enabled check box is selected, the value of this setting will appear as the selected screen saver in the Display properties list. Users cannot change the screen saver.

Password-Protect the Screen Saver
If the Not Configured or Disabled check box is selected, this setting does not impose password protection on screen savers and users may choose whether to enable it.

If the Enabled check box is selected, all screen savers will be password-protected and the password protected check box will be unavailable in the Display properties dialog box.

Screen Saver Timeout
If the Not Configured or Disabled check box is selected, this setting has no effect, and the timeout value specified by the user or user profile will be used. When a user has not specified a value, the default is 15 minutes.

If the Enabled check box is selected, any configured screen saver is started when the nonzero timeout period has elapsed.

Note In Windows 2000, the workstation is password-protected (locked) if you configure the appropriate settings for screen saver choice, timeout value, and other relevant values. The workstation is locked if one or more of the following conditions are true:


 * The Activate screen saver setting is enabled.
 * The Screen saver executable name setting is not configured.
 * The Password protect the screen saver setting is enabled.
 * The Screen Saver timeout setting is enabled by using a nonzero value in the Seconds box.

Keywords: kbinfo KB301567

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