How do "you" set up your windows 7 machines?

[eddyc]

Latest little irksome problem I've run in to is the Default User Account picture that displays at the login screen.

 

I've created an 128x128 user.bmp file and copied it into c:\ProgramData\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\

I've enabled the correct option in GPO - Computer Config > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > User Accounts - "Apply the default logon picture to all users"

 

I've checked the corresponding registry entry on the Windows 7 machine, which indicates that the setting is being pulled down. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer - "UseDefaultTile=1"

 

Now, whomever I log on as, has the correct icon at the top of the start menu

http://www.lordswoodgirls.co.uk/files/startmenu.jpg

 

but (and more importantly for me) there is a blank frame at the logon screen

http://www.lordswoodgirls.co.uk/files/loginscreen.jpg

 

Am I asking too much for the default user.bmp to be used here too?

 

On another note, can anyone tell me the name of the MMC snap-in that lets you see what settings from Group Policy are applied to your PC?

 

Did you ever managae to fix this macine05? We are trying to do the exact same thing

[featured_spectre]

Personally I install all programs required one 1 machine, they tend to be...

 

MS Office - Access, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, Word

Open Office - As above (except publisher) as our netbooks run linux and need to have cross platform access.

 

Magix Music Maker Basic - I obtained a licence to use in educational establishments

Scratch

Pivot

GIMP

Paint.Net

Audacity

Movie Maker 2.6

Firefox

VLC Player

Kompozer (Poor mans dreamweaver)

 

Then when installed, I make 1 image and put it onto 6 external HDD's.

 

Then I install W7 on each machine, and have the image blitz out over 6 machines at a time. I got fed up with Acronis / Ghost / FOG as it occassionally caused errors. If I do it this way, I can eliminate errors before I make the image.

[burgemaster]

 

Then when installed, I make 1 image and put it onto 6 external HDD's.

 

Then I install W7 on each machine, and have the image blitz out over 6 machines at a time. I got fed up with Acronis / Ghost / FOG as it occassionally caused errors. If I do it this way, I can eliminate errors before I make the image.

 

You could deploy that image easily with WDS mate...

[gshaw]

• Create the Gold image in VMWare, install all software and back up with Veeam each night (in case of any oopsies along the way)
  
• Snapshot \ duplicate before capturing to SCCM
  
• Deploy via SCCM with WMI-based driver packs for each machine type
  
• Revert snapshot \ use duplicate VM, run sysprep with copyprofile to get mandatory profile
  
• Manually copy profile to share and test
  

 

By using the VM I can run capture \ profile changes as many times as I want and not care about the image going wobbly from too many attempts at sysprep. SCCM does all the legwork pushing out the image