Closing MS Word 2016 Locks the Desktop

[DanArkless]

Hi there,

 

We're currently using Win10 1709 and for some unknown reason on occasions when we close Word (2016) it locks our desktops.

 

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

Thanks

[bknaggs]

Locks as in can’t bring up the Start Menu, switch between apps on the taskbar or something else?

[DanArkless]

Sorry, that was a poor description. As in locks the computer as if you were to press Windows+L. We then have to log back in after this happens.

[bknaggs]

Wow. Wasn’t expecting it to be that. Sorry never seen anything like that. Plenty of Windows 10 freezing only becoming apparent when closing a program.

 

Is it every time anyone closes Word or just certain PCs/users?

[dapaulio]

What a strange symptom. I too assumed it was a pc lock up rather the security locked.

The only thing I can suggest is possible malware or corrupt profile. Or group policy

Does it happen across multiple computers?

Does it happen on a new user profile on a symptomatic pc?

What is your dcs operating systems?

Try putting a symptomatic computer in a test ou with gp inheritance block?

Check your gpo that have office 2016 settings?

Can all of your dc’s read the settings of your office 2016 admx?

Edited June 28, 2018 by dapaulio

[bknaggs]

Might be worth trying a local user account too to rule out any user group policies.

[DanArkless]

What a strange symptom. I too assumed it was a pc lock up rather the security locked.

1. The only thing I can suggest is possible malware or corrupt profile. Or group policy

2. Does it happen across multiple computers?

3. Does it happen on a new user profile on a symptomatic pc?

4. What is your dcs operating systems?

5. Try putting a symptomatic computer in a test ou with gp inheritance block?

6. Check your gpo that have office 2016 settings?

7. Can all of your dc’s read the settings of your office 2016 admx?

 

1. We've done scans and nothing found, possibly could be a GPO

2. Yes, but very random and not all the time. At the moment not all PC's have had this reported back to us

3. Any user profile, new or existing

4. Server 2012 R2

5. Will try that! However it's so random, sometimes it happens once a day sometimes only once a week

6. Yes, has been since we pushed out 2016 and is up-to-date

7. Yes

 

It's such a strange one I'll admit!

 

Thanks

[DanArkless]

Is it every time anyone closes Word or just certain PCs/users?

 

It's not every time and we can't find a pattern, its happened to other members of our team but it happened to me for the first time the other day. Hasn't done it since but my colleagues in the office get it quite often, maybe once a week. Seems to be multiple users with different permissions.

[dapaulio]

Just a thought I have had. Have you a smoothwall?

Not saying it is but would like to put it out there. The only odd office behaviour I have experienced amounted to our smoothwall not being able to communicate with office servers when a user first logged in As non authenticated traffic was blocked.

Our smoothwall authentication configuration at the time was ntlm auth. Solution was to create an authentication exception policy with all the office server addresses in.

[DanArkless]

Just a thought I have had. Have you a smoothwall?

Not saying it is but would like to put it out there. The only odd office behaviour I have experienced amounted to our smoothwall not being able to communicate with office servers when a user first logged in As non authenticated traffic was blocked.

Our smoothwall authentication configuration at the time was ntlm auth. Solution was to create an authentication exception policy with all the office server addresses in.

 

We do at our other site but its in no way connected to these PC's. We're using a SonicWall. It's definitely something to look into and we do have something similar set up. Thank you!