How to disable screen saver passwords by using policies

You can make screen saver password locks unavailable on systems in a site, domain, or organizational unit, by using the policies available in Windows 2000.

Disable Screen Saver Passwords

To make screen saver password locks unavailable, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type mmc, and then click OK to start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
3. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-ins, and then click Add.
4. Click Group Policy, and then click Add.
   
   The Select Group Policy Object dialog box appears. If you want to apply this policy only to your computer, make sure that your local computer is listed in the Group Policy object, and then click Finish.
   
   Alternatively, if this will be an Active Directory policy, click Browse, select the site, domain, or organizational unit to which you want this policy to apply, and then click Finish.
   
5. Click Close.
6. Expand User Configuration, and then expand Administrative Templates.
7. Expand Control Panel, and then click Display.
8. In the right pane, double-click Password protect the screen saver.
9. Click to select Disable on the Policy tab. This prevents users from setting passwords on screen savers for this computer or domain.
10. Click the Explain tab for information about how to use this policy.
11. Click Apply.
12. Click OK, and then close the MMC.

For more information about setting policies for users, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: