does any one know how to disable display properties for users? i have seen some computers come up with the message "your administrator disabled display properties" i was wondering if anyone knew how to do this

Try this click Start run gpedit.msc User configuration Administrative templates control panel display Set Remove display in control panel to enabled. Hope this helps, Sandman

I have been wanting to do this. Will this also keep them from messing with it when they right click on the desktop and go to properties?

Yes it will. It wont even open the display setting screen. You get a message saying its been disabled. Sandman

If you have XP Home then Gpedit.msc is not installed, it's an XP Pro program and not on the Home cd either. You can manually disable the Display Props by renaming Desk.cpl to, say, desk.cl$ or desk.dll [that's what it really is] in the system32 folder. But you should first delete or rename the same file in the \System32\dllcache to prevent System File Checker from reinstalling it which it will do automatically. You can click 'cancel' when asked for the XP Cd as the backup is deleted and it's looking for a new copy. If you change the name and extension for that file you can still associate it with the control panel using the existing commands for *.cpl files [look in the Registry for it] but only you will know what it is. Of course a proper Reg tweak would be better, maybe Sandman can search for it the Registry to see what Gdedit installs there and it might also work in Home as well.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "NoDispCPL"=dword:00000001 Here is the registry entry created by gpedit.msc. It should also work for Xp home. Sandman

That does work in Home Sandman, well done.