Hi, I was wondering if there was a way to change the background on every user on a Windows 2000 workstation. I know it would be possible to remove all of the user folders from the "Documents and Settings" folder and change the default user's background and then the next time the user logged on they would have that background, however with that method they'd lose everything (Favorites, desktop items, prefs, etc.). Is there a way to change everybody's background without losing their stuff? Thanks! -Adam

ok, the thing that you need to implement here is something called a mandatory profile. what you need to do is follow these somewhat easy steps: 1. create a new user and logon as the new user and change the background to whatever you want it to be, while your in there you can also tailor their desktop icons, startup programs, etc. to whatever you want users to have as a standard desktop. OR if you already have a user profile that you like skip this step and go to step number 2. 2. after you have tailored the user profile to what you would like log off of that new user and log back in as administrator. 3. make a directory called "profiles" somewhere on your c: drive. share this directory as "profiles". then create a new directory called "shared" in the profiles directory. 4. right click on my computer and click properties. in the properties sheet click the tab that says user profiles. in this sheet you will see all current users and their current profile that they are using. click on the new users profile that you created and click on the copy to button. select the /profiles/shared. on the button that says permitted to use click change and add the "users" group. click OK and click yes at the prompt that follows. 5. now to make the profile mandatory (meaning that the users cannot change this profile)go into the /profiles/shared directory and find a file called ntuser.dat, change this files extension to .man so it is now "ntuser.man" 6. now go into the users and groups sheet and right click on whichever users you want to use this mandatory profile. (youll have to do each one individually). select the profile tab and in the profile field type in the location of your \profile\shared folder. 7. now log off as administrator and log in as whichever users you changed to test the new mandotory profiles and see that they now have set desktop which they cannot change. any questions just post here or email me. -daniel-

The above method will produce a template account that all created users (after that point) will have. If I understand the question correctly you want to be able to change everyone on your computer background image. You could make it so that every user uses a picture called c:\winnt\wallpaper.bmp and lock all users so they cannot change wallpaper. Then at a later date you just have to change the file above and hay presto all users background has changed