PowerPoint/Screensaver Lockout

[Shannon Wolfe]

Have group policy configured to turn on locked screensaver
after 15 minutes. This presents an issue when users give
PowerPoint presentations - screensaver activates after 15
minutes of idle time, requires login to get back to
presentation. Don't want to change Group Policy. Do want
machine to not lock during a powerpoint presentation. Any
ideas?

thanks,

Shannon

 

[John Langhans [MSFT]]

[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the critical
update as soon as possible. From PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for
Updates".]

Hello,

PowerPoint does not have the specific capability that you are looking for.
If PowerPoint could override secure group policy objects (GPO), they
wouldn't be very secure. One workaround is to make sure that your
presentations are designed in a way that encourage some kind of user input
within the specified time set by the GPO. The solutions, of course, are for
users which need the capability to run slide shows which will be inactive
for long periods of time, to either have their GPO changed or to have their
admin set up special accounts with different a GPO (that doesn't force
slide show so soon) and allow presenters to use these accounts when
delivering slide shows.

I won't include my usual request for customers to send in suggestions to
get this behavior changed in PowerPoint since PowerPoint is doing exactly
what it should be when such a GPO is set. To do anyting else (even if it
was possible) would be a major violation Microsoft's committment to its
Trustworthy Computing Initiative.

John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows

For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of any included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

 

[Shannon Wolfe]

Thanks for your response. I agree with your comments that
giving PowerPoint or any application the ability to
override GPO would defeat the purpose of Group
Policy...this is exactly what I told upper level
management when the complaints started rolling in. I
assumed that I would have to create new OU's, new users,
etc, educate users, etc but that seems like a lot of work
to have a PowerPoint presentation run without locking
out...honestly I have enough to do already. I thought
that it might be possible to throw in a little code into
PP so that if you are running a powerpoint presentation in
full screen mode and you have screensaver lockout set
through GPO that once you ended the presentation, or left
full screen mode that the lockout would kick in...probably
naive on my part, I'm not a programmer. I'm very
sensitive to using best security practices that's why I
enabled screensaver lockout in the first place so I
understand what you're saying. Sorry for the
rant...thanks for your quick response! - sw

-----Original Message-----
[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the critical
update as soon as possible. From PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for
Updates".]

Hello,

PowerPoint does not have the specific capability that you are looking for.
If PowerPoint could override secure group policy objects (GPO), they
wouldn't be very secure. One workaround is to make sure that your
presentations are designed in a way that encourage some kind of user input
within the specified time set by the GPO. The solutions, of course, are for
users which need the capability to run slide shows which will be inactive
for long periods of time, to either have their GPO changed or to have their
admin set up special accounts with different a GPO (that doesn't force
slide show so soon) and allow presenters to use these accounts when
delivering slide shows.

I won't include my usual request for customers to send in suggestions to
get this behavior changed in PowerPoint since PowerPoint is doing exactly
what it should be when such a GPO is set. To do anyting else (even if it
was possible) would be a major violation Microsoft's committment to its
Trustworthy Computing Initiative.

John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows

For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of any included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Shannon,

Is it fair to assume that the presentation is running on a kiosk or some other
sort of unattended display? I'm acting on the theory that 15 minutes of
inactivity during a live presentation would put the whole audience to sleep so
nobody'd notice when the presenter had to log back in every so often ;-)

If on an unattended PC, would it be possible to create a special user profile
to run the presentation under, one with virtually all privileges restricted,
but w/o the timed screen lockout?

You might also consider running Shyam Pillai's No Escape addin
(www.mvps.org/skp) to prevent passersby from stopping the show.

Thanks for your response. I agree with your comments that
giving PowerPoint or any application the ability to
override GPO would defeat the purpose of Group
Policy...this is exactly what I told upper level
management when the complaints started rolling in. I
assumed that I would have to create new OU's, new users,
etc, educate users, etc but that seems like a lot of work
to have a PowerPoint presentation run without locking
out...honestly I have enough to do already. I thought
that it might be possible to throw in a little code into
PP so that if you are running a powerpoint presentation in
full screen mode and you have screensaver lockout set
through GPO that once you ended the presentation, or left
full screen mode that the lockout would kick in...probably
naive on my part, I'm not a programmer. I'm very
sensitive to using best security practices that's why I
enabled screensaver lockout in the first place so I
understand what you're saying. Sorry for the
rant...thanks for your quick response! - sw

-----Original Message-----
[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the critical
update as soon as possible. From PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for
Updates".]

Hello,

PowerPoint does not have the specific capability that you are looking for.
If PowerPoint could override secure group policy objects (GPO), they
wouldn't be very secure. One workaround is to make sure that your
presentations are designed in a way that encourage some kind of user input
within the specified time set by the GPO. The solutions, of course, are for
users which need the capability to run slide shows which will be inactive
for long periods of time, to either have their GPO changed or to have their
admin set up special accounts with different a GPO (that doesn't force
slide show so soon) and allow presenters to use these accounts when
delivering slide shows.

I won't include my usual request for customers to send in suggestions to
get this behavior changed in PowerPoint since PowerPoint is doing exactly
what it should be when such a GPO is set. To do anyting else (even if it
was possible) would be a major violation Microsoft's committment to its
Trustworthy Computing Initiative.

John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows

For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of any included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

.