Set Windows 8 Lock Screen Image (KB2770917)

Microsoft have recently released a Windows 8 and Server 2012 cumulative update KB2770917.

https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2770917

One of the important features of this update is the ability to customize the Windows 8 lock screen with corporate branding and set this across your domain joined computers using Group Policy.

From the KB:

This cumulative update includes the following performance and reliability improvements:

  • Enable enterprise customers to customize the default lock screen.
  • Improves the performance when you wake the computer and when the computer is asleep, in order to improve battery life
  • Resolves an issue that may prevent Windows Store Apps from being installed fully
  • Other software updates and performance improvements

After installing the update, you get four new Group Policy settings

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Force a specific default lock screen image
Provide a UNC or local path to your corporate lock screen logo, and all of your users will receive that as their lock screen.

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Prevent changing lock screen image
After setting the corporate lock image, enable this option if you don’t want your users to have the ability to personalize the lock screen image.

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Prevent changing start menu background
Use this option to stop your users from changing the Start Menu background colour. This means whatever the colour of the Start Menu background was when the machine was deployed will not be changed.

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Do not display the lock screenEnabling this setting will remove the lock screen for any user who isn’t required to press CTRL+ALT+DEL to login.

 


 

After configuring all the settings and applying the GPO, my corporate machines lock screen now looks like this, and my users are stuck with it!

 

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Matt Shadbolt

Comments

  • Anonymous
    November 21, 2012
    Does it dim your images too when you apply them this way? It's rather annoying.

  • Anonymous
    November 25, 2012
    I installed this update and now I can not change my lock screen , start menu and user account picture any more . they are all disabled to change! please help...

  • Anonymous
    November 25, 2012
    Tomi, check to see that the 'Prevent changing lock screen image' and 'Prevent changing start menu background' setting has not been configured via GPO.

  • Anonymous
    December 18, 2012
    This update doesn't fix the "Lock Screen Error" issue in my office domain m/c. And I checked, the 'Prevent changing lock screen image' and 'Prevent changing start menu background' setting are not configured. Do you know any other solution for this issue?

  • Anonymous
    December 23, 2012
    Tomi you should reactive your windows then you can change your lock screen , start menu and user account picture again.  

  • Anonymous
    January 13, 2013
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    July 19, 2013
    I've installed the update on the only 2012 DC we have in a particular domain, yet I do not see the addtional GPO setting?  Do I need to be on a certain domain functional level.  The functional level is still 2003 but I should be able to raise it to 2008 no problem.  I'm not sure that is my issue though...  

  • Anonymous
    October 31, 2013
    Good article. I've installed this KB on the Windows8 client and now the GPO with lockscreen works fine !

  • Anonymous
    March 21, 2014
    This does not work on 8.1. In fact the update listed won't even install.

  • Anonymous
    February 24, 2015
    It only appear on the primary monitor of the multiple monitor setup.

  • Anonymous
    April 12, 2017
    thanks