SCR seems linked to ADMIN privilage

I have a set of users whose screen saver only flashes and won't activate at time interval. When I log in as local/domain admin it activates on schedule but not when I use my regular USER account. W.T.H.? (What the Heck...trying to keep it clean-ish) I have tried a bunch of obvious tricks involving security policies and ACL adjustments but nothing short of making a user a local admin works.

 

Take a look at This XP thread dealing with a somewhat similar issue and the last entry dealing with reg settings.

If you don't have the registry settings for policy, do the other two sets match? The HKCU and HKEY_USERS entries?

 

I have now "solved" the problem (back up needed folders, deleted old profile, have user log in to create new profile, restore needed folders). BUT!!!! this still doesn't tell me what went wrong. I compared the regestry item by item, replaced the profile folders one by one. Tried "Power User" group membership (which we don't use around here). The only thing that worked was adding the User to the Local Administrator group...

When the user logs in each time there must be something downloaded to the profile. I can't get the "Server Team" to own up to whatever they changed so I am stuck using my "Solution" repeatedly. MAN I hate sysadmins...arrogance combined with laziness.

If anyone reads this and has a possible answer to why the screen saver will only activate for local admins please let me know.

Thanks,

"Yesterday I couldn't even spell sysadmin...Now I are one! "

 

AD domain?
"Managed" workstations?
Try start~run~GPEDIT.MSC and have a look around. If there are restrictions, they will probably show up there.

 

NT Domain/W2K Pro workstations. We are heading towards W2K Domain/AD...eventually.

Also, when you say "Managed" do you mean locked down so the poor user can't even change the time? Or the periodic virus checking controlled by the PDC and implemented on the workstations (we only have about 300 users)?

 

Also, I already went the local policy mmc route and looked at everything I could find having to do with Screen Saver...

 

"Managed" as I was speaking of it is more of a 2K AD thing. Somewhat similar to locking down a WS but more possible options. With your NT domain, you won't be doing it.

Did you try the GPEDIT.MSC? It may show you policy things that MMC does not know about.

 

I am going to try to get back to the users with the problem tomorrow. I went through the GP settings on my WS and will take a look at one of the "damaged" ones tomorrow. Right now most people don't want the screen saver to activate at all so they are happy...it is mostly the bosses that miss it. For them I can just remove their profile and when it rebuilds at their first logon everything is fine. So there will still be plenty of broken ones that I can use to compare.

Part of our on going problem is the security we have applied here (we call it a STIG...no one seem to really know what that stands for). It tends to ***** things up in unexpected ways...this would be a typical example. We also use SMS as administered by the "Server" guys...and I can't even get them to look into what could have changed. Since it only affects a user it is my problem to figure out...they couldn't POSSIBLY have any thing to do with it. I am certain it was something that SMS did but I don't know enough about SMS to look into it....so I am stuck.

I really appreciate your help to this point. I come back here if I ever find a more elegant solution. It all comes back to the old windows analogy - When the engine is pinging the easiest way to fix it is to buy a new car....

thanks again,