November, 2012

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

http://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

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.

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.

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.

Do not display the lock screen
Enabling 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!

Matt Shadbolt