desktop and login screen images on windows servers

Windows server desktops have to have either registry work done, or group policy editor run.

Notes on changing the desktop image, and also on changing the login screen on all windows systems

Forum discussion and one good page linked to.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/ccb40ab4-ab13-4a40-bbb2-ab7664ec59a8/windows-server-2003-r2-sp2-enterprise-group-policy-setting-desktop-configuration-client-side?forum=winserverGP


http://www.grouppolicy.biz/2011/04/best-practice-how-to-use-group-policy-to-configure-windows-7-logon-ui-background-wallpaper/

http://serverfault.com/questions/111918/changing-the-desktop-background-of-the-login-screen-win2003

Group policy edit method

http://www.techrepublic.com/forums/discussions/setting-wallpaper-on-windows-server-2003/

GPEDIT.MSC under User Configuration --> Administrative Templates--> Desktop--> Active Desktop--> Active Desktop Wallpaper

and a bug possible with above:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297846

xfce4 background, and linux command line xml parse example

http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/131238/where-is-the-current-wallpaper-stored


xml script example

#!/bin/bash -

# taken from
#  http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/131238/where-is-the-current-wallpaper-stored
# must install xmllint
# /usr/bin/xmllint      libxml2-utils

#
# define xfce4 xml file that holds info about desktops 
# 
DESKTOP="/home/$(id -un)/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml"
#
# define xpath that will extract current desktop background file name
# (NB I am no expert in xpaths and there is probably a much more elegant way
#  to do this but this works for me)
#
XPATH='(//property[@name="workspace0"]/property[@name="last-image"])[last()]/@value'
#
# use xmllint utility to apply xpath to file and extract file path and name
#
IMAGE=$(xmllint --xpath "string(${XPATH})" "${DESKTOP}")
#
# display the file info extracted
#
echo Current Wallpaper File = ${IMAGE}
#
# rest of script........
#

xx