How to deploy BgInfo to servers using Group Policy step by step guide (Windows Server 2022)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Learn how to configure and deploy BgInfo automatically to servers within an Active Directory domain using Group Policy. In this example, I go through the process of downloading BgInfo, creating a template, creating a script to run the BgInfo application using the template, and how to setup a Group Policy Object to automatically deploy the script to servers within an Active Directory Organisational Unit.
View the blog post here: www.dannymoran...
Hi, I’m Danny Moran, a London based IT consultant and blogger. You can view all my blog posts at: www.dannymoran...
![[UA] NAVI vs MOUZ | BO5 | IEM Rio 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CMBYk0cbGoA/mqdefault.jpg)
Just in the process of building a new domain and setup, some of your videos are spot on, easy to follow and straight to the point. Got a sub from me
Glad you are finding them useful! Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much!!! Helped me today! Setup this on another company like 5 years ago and totally forgot about this. You earned a new sub!
Glad I could help!
Great video, thank you for sharing the knoledge! cheers from Argentina!
Thanks for watching!
Brilliant as always!! I do have a question if you don't mind... my user base is pretty large, and we get a lot of bad feedback when we make any changes to users backgrounds etc as we don't lock this down (silly i know but it's a historic thing that's more trouble than it's worth to change it) i have setup the BGinfo GPO and have tested It on a small group (Works great thanks!!) but...the CMD box popping up and staying in view for a good number of seconds is going to cause us some problems is there a way to suppress this at all? I was hoping the silent and :0 seconds on the timer would have helped but from my testing its on screen for about 10 seconds.
You can run a bat file in minimised mode so that the script is launched minimised to the taskbar. You have to create a shortcut to the bat file, change the shortcut to run in minimised mode, and then run that.
You will need to update the gpo so that it pushes the shortcut to the startup folder, rather than the bat file.
I haven't used this method for a long time but it should probably do what you need.
Have a look at this article for more info: www.winhelponline.com/blog/run-bat-files-invisibly-without-displaying-command-prompt/#minimized
Thanks for watching!
solid information and easy to follow instructions, great job and thanks. like and subscribed
Thanks for watching, Alex!
Great vid, Thanks for the help!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks a lot Danny
Thanks for watching!
So why didn't you use the bginfo64 file since I figure your 2022 server is 64bit right?
No specific reason, both should work exactly the same on 64bit devices.
Thanks for watching!
Thank You..
I applied it on several laptops with different display resolutions and the results always work on Display resolution 1366x768 if the resolution is higher than that then the wallpaper will become several parts of the display (tile) whether we can set it so that the display on all displays the display resolution remains stretch.??
Do the laptops also have a 1080p (or higher resolution) monitor attatched to them?
Windows backgrounds can get a bit funky when trying to set a background with different resolution monitors.
I'm not really sure what to suggest unfortunately.
Hi there, thanks for the help with this. Just a question, the preview works, however when I try to apply it via the application or a script it doesn't apply. Could my desktop wallpaper GPO settings be a cause of this? Thanks :)
Hi Chris,
If you are also using the Desktop Wallpaper GPO setting to set the custom wallpaper, that option prevents users from changing the image or its presentation and causes some issues when trying to also use bginfo.
Thanks for watching!
I'm having this issue. can you help me.
"cmd.exe was started with the above path as the current directory. UNC paths are not supported. Defaulting to windows directory"
Are you sure you've entered the correct directory?
Without more information, it's hard to suggest what might be the issue.
Howdy. Followed along and I did what you said, but the file isn't copying to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp. I'm using Server 19. Would that make a difference? Specifically I cannot move a folder to sysvol\domain\scripts, so I used a file share.
The version of Windows Server shouldn't make a difference. I've used this on all versions since Windows Server 2012.
If it's not being copied, it would suggest there is something wrong with the GPO that was created. Maybe worth creating a new GPO and double checking the settings.
thank you so much , you safe my life ..
Thanks for watching!
Hi Could I apply this for all users/computers in special OU and all Sub of that OU?
Yes, just apply the GPO to whatever OU you want bginfo to be applied to.
Thanks for watching!
Hello, I have managed to generate the copy of the *.bat in the organization's server line but I cannot get the workstations to do it. any ideas?- thanks
If you manually run the bat file on a workstation, does it work?
Is the bat file being copied to the shell:startup folder?
For some reason I need admin rights to move files to the common startup folder. What do you recommend?
I believe you do need to be a local administrator (or at least be able to elevate permissions) to be able to write to the "shell: common startup" folder.
You shouldn't be prompted to enter any administrator credentials when using Group Policy to copy the files, which I think is the easiest way to put files in there.
You can possibly modify the permissions on the folder "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" to give domain users/local users write permissions, but I don't know if that would break any functionality of the folder.
@@danny_moran Figured it out. The "System" service account owns rights to that folder. That's also the same account used by GPO to apply the settings. All I had to do what delete the GPO and do it properly.
Glad you managed to get it working!
I have been trying to make this bginfo configuration on my test network for 3 months. I can not get it to work. Can I pay you to configure this for me? Thanks.
I noticed that you made a video about other group policies not working, which suggests that you may have other issues with your local active directory domain configuration that need to be addressed. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources to provide remote assistance at this time. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Hi. Could you please show the serial number on desktop as bginfo?
Looks like you can create a custom field to display serial numbers: docs.directechservices.com/index.php/software/144-bginfo-custom-information
Thanks for watching!
@@danny_moranThank you so much.
I've manually run the Bat file and it also runs on startup but doesn't apply to the background, any reason why?
Are there any policies blocking the ability for the user to change the background?
Can both the bginfo.exe and template.bgi files be reached by the user who is running the file?
@@danny_moran Hi Danny, I have disabled my GPO that prevents changing of desktop background, I am now getting this error saying "This operation requires that BGInfo be run under an Administrator account". I ensure to create a new test VM so there's a blank machine for my GPO's to apply to.
I'm at the end of my rope here, trying to get this to work on AD user workstations. Group policy distributes the file just fine, but it does not run at startup. I tested placing a shortcut to the batch file in the startup folder, and that works - although only if the shortcut is created locally. If I try to push the shortcut together with the batch file, nothing happens. Whelp!?
I've given 'Everyone' access to both files (shortcut and batch file) before distributing. Not sure what i'm missing or what's wrong.
After the batch file has been deployed using group policy, manually run it from the startup folder and see if it runs correctly and updates the background.
If that works, try creating a shortcut for notepad.exe and placing that in the same startup folder, and then log off and then log back in. This should make notepad open automatically on logon and test to make sure that the items in the startup folder are actually being started.
Thanks for watching!
@@danny_moran My pleasure, a well made video! The script works if I launch it manually from the startup folder, and the startup folder is populated with the script if I update group policy. Items in the startup folder seem to run normally if I place them there locally. But anything I push through group policy does not run. Must be some kind of permissions issue, but as mentioned above, I have full permissions to the 'everyone' default group to the bat file and also the gbinfo.exe in the shared folder.
It doesn't really sound like a permissions issue to me, if when you run the file manually from the same folder it works fine.
How is the workstation connected to the network? Is it using an ethernet cable or wifi? It could be that the script is running before full network connectivity is established by the workstation.
Try and copy the bginfo executable and the template to c:\temp and then update the batch file in the startup folder with the below command. This should bypass any network/permission issues.
c:\temp\bginfo.exe c:\temp\std-bginfo.bgi /silent /nolicprompt /timer:0
@@danny_moran Unfortunately no change. Even the notpad shortcut is not running on its own if I push it through group policy. Only if I place it there locally it will run after a restart. This makes me think that whatever user the content of the startup folder is executed with does not have permissions to run items he does not own or something. The workstations are on wired ethernet btw.
I've just tried testing this in my lab environment and I am unable to replicate the issues you are experiencing.
I pushed both the bginfo batch file, and a shortcut for notepad.exe to the startup folder using group policy (the same way as in the video) and logged in with a freshly created AD user (with no added permissions, just a member of the Domain Users security group) and the bginfo batch file ran fine and updated the background, as well as notepad opening.
Have you tried using a different workstation to see if this happens on more than one workstation?
bro,When I apply the settings, it doesn't show anything on the desktop, what could it be?
brother, my problem was solved by seeing your comments, just ignore this message, thank you very much!
Glad you got it working! Thanks for watching!
I can't for the life of me get this to work! I can do many GP magic tricks except for this =/
At what point in the guide are you having an issue?