BGInfo and Active Desktop

[Crispin]

Ok so I'm trying to iron out some problems with our new setup and here is a big fat annoying one for you guys.

 

Background is set by bginfo on logon via group policy.

Due to bginfo needing active desktop to be disabled, this means users have access to the 'set as desktop background' option in certain contextual menus such as IE and picture viewer.

 

All the options in group policy to stop students changing the wallpaper only work if active desktop is enabled..which it isn't.

 

So how do I get round this?

 

Ive seen a suggestion elsewhere to use the following script:

 

Dim WshShell

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")

WshShell.RegWrite "HKCR\SystemFileAssociations\.jpeg\ImageOptionFlags", 1

WshShell.RegWrite "HKCR\SystemFileAssociations\.jpg\ImageOptionFlags", 1

WshShell.RegWrite "HKCR\SystemFileAssociations\.gif\ImageOptionFlags", 1

WshShell.RegWrite "HKCR\SystemFileAssociations\.png\ImageOptionFlags", 1

Set WshShell = Nothing

 

This however, doesn't work.

 

The only way I can think to solve this is to disable contextual menus on IE but I'd like to avoid this.

 

Any ideas?

[maniac]

Where did you read that BGinfo needs active desktop disabled? We have it enabled here and it works fine, and we simply set the GPO option "Users\Administrative Templates\control panel\display\prevent changing wallpaper" Which stops the wallapaper being changed. That works a treat for us.

 

Mike.

[Crispin]

Hmm, I read it from the sysinternals forum.

 

This post: Sysinternals Forums - Active Desktop and BGInfo

 

In particular this paragraph:

 

Somehow you are in a plight: BGInfo by default takes the user's wallpaper, adds its information, writes the changed wallpaper to the desktop and exits. Active Desktop defeats this idea, because, as you keep on experiencing yourself, Active Desktop may apply changes to the desktop at any time thus eliminating the wallpaper painted by BGInfo.

 

Perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick?

[maniac]

Well it's definitely turned on on my network, and BGinfo sets the wallapaper with no problems at all.

 

I think if you define a wallapaper in the policy, then it does display in front of the BGinfo Bitmap wallpaper, but you can still have active desktop turned on as long as there's no wallpaper specified.

 

Mike.

[Crispin]

Ok Ive tinkered a little with active desktop.

 

Firstly, it makes the icons have that drop shadow effect that can't be changed, did you find a way round this?

 

Secondly, active desktop promptly 'breaks' the bginfo wallpaper after initial logon. Not sure of exact reasons yet, will have to investigate a little further.

 

Really, i'd like to be able to use bginfo without active desktop as we've experienced profile issues in the past so I may end up having to turn off the contextual menus...

[Michael]

As far as I am aware BGInfo and Active Desktop are not related. If you have IE7 or IE8 installed Active Desktop will no longer work. Microsoft I believe removed it from Windows Vista too.

[Crispin]

I think I'm going to check out these steps I found in another post:

 

Another way you can do it is by using the following group policy settings:

 

The following stop the user from setting the wallpaper by right clicking in IE or Picture Viewer:

 

The following settings are under

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\Active Desktop

 

Active Desktop Wallpaper - Enabled

Wallpaper Name - Anything you like (or the real name if this is how you wish to deploy the real wallpaper)

Wallpaper Style - Anything you like

Disable Active Desktop - Enabled

 

The following settings stops the user from accessing the desktop tab in the control panel:

 

The following settings are under

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Display

 

 

Prevent changing wallpaper - Enabled

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

I hope this helps someone; it has taken me longer than I can remember to collect all these odds and sods together to find a working solution.

 

 

Most of these settings I've already tried, but not all at the same time, as I can't see how enabling 'active desktop wallpaper' but then disabling 'active desktop' works.

 

If that doesn't work I'll start looking a bit deeper into the policy and start tracing back any conflicts.

 

Its just that damn contextual tab in IE. Tempted to lock it down, but I'll definitely get moaned at, fair enough really.

[maniac]

Ok Ive tinkered a little with active desktop.

 

Firstly, it makes the icons have that drop shadow effect that can't be changed, did you find a way round this?

 

Secondly, active desktop promptly 'breaks' the bginfo wallpaper after initial logon. Not sure of exact reasons yet, will have to investigate a little further.

 

Really, i'd like to be able to use bginfo without active desktop as we've experienced profile issues in the past so I may end up having to turn off the contextual menus...

 

There's an ADM template on systernals website which allows you to change the necessary registry key to stop the drop shadows around the icons, i remember now this was a pain in the backside to sort out - I'd forgotten about that issue.

 

We have active desktop enabled, but no wallpaper specified - that seems to work for us. The wallpaper is then applied by BGinfo which is run from a login script.

 

Mike.