Microsoft KB Archive/827678

= The screen saver does not start, although Group Policy mandates screen saver use =

Article ID: 827678

Article Last Modified on 8/29/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

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SYMPTOMS
On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP, and that has Service Pack 1 installed, the screen saver may not start, although Group Policy mandates screen saver use.



CAUSE
This behavior may occur if Group Policy was set as a local policy instead of as a domain policy.



Service pack information
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

The global version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.   Date         Time   Version        Size     File name 05-Sep-2003 17:52  5.1.2600.1266  518,144  Winlogon.exe



WORKAROUND
If you change the policy on the local computer, this behavior will continue. To work around this behavior, implement a domain policy to mandate screen saver use. When you implement a domain policy, the registry key is written as the correct data type and the Winlogon service interprets the registry data correctly.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.



MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about the terminology that is used to describe Microsoft product updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbqfe kbwinxpsp2fix kbwinxppresp2fix kbfix kbbug KB827678

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