Custom Screensaver Changes to Default "Flurry" after NetRestore

rstansifer
New Contributor III

So I've built my custom Default User. Among it's modifications is a unique screensaver to our company, which just uses the Photo Slideshow of a selection of artwork. I've gone through the proper steps in replacing the contents of the English.lproj folder and ran Disk Permissions Repair.

When I create a test user (either normal admin or Active Directory) on that Mac (that's booted to an external drive where the Master Image is), it shows the proper screensaver. So I bundle it up and create a NetRestore package.

After deployment, when a user logs in (be it a new admin user or Active Directory user), after login screensaver is back to the default "Flurry."

I've checked the ByHost Files for the Default User and they are all exactly the same as the one I created initially.
But when I check the ByHost of the new user, the com.apple.screensaver.(large number).plist shows that it's set to "/Library/Screen Savers/Flurry.saver." Oddly enough, the rest of the plists are all pointing to the correct folder for the artwork. So everything else is fine except for that single plist.

I should also mention that the ByHost plist number chains are different between the Default User in English.lproj and the new user.

How do I force new users to use the ByHost screensaver preferences by default?

This is in OS X 10 Yosemite 10.10.2.

2 REPLIES 2

calumhunter
Valued Contributor

user template modification is frowned upon by most admins.

so is monolithic imaging which sounds like what you are doing.

Look at modular or thin imaging methods instead like autodmg for starters

I set these preferences with a first boot script, for the login window screen saver settings

I also set the user screen saver preferences settings via a launchagent, that way the preference is set on the machine that it is intended for and the byHost settings are correct. the large number you mention is the UUID of the machine. Each machine has a different UUID. If preference file with the UUID is different to the machine's UUID it doesn't apply the preference

hope that makes sense

suggested reading/viewing for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQXhTPsUlzI&list=UUiRYn1OSRv2bvU3enNwoZxg

managingosx.wordpress.com](managingosx.wordpress.com)
[https://derflounder.wordpress.com/

http://docs.macsysadmin.se/2014/2014doc.html
http://docs.macsysadmin.se/2013/2013doc.html
http://macadmins.psu.edu/conference/resources/

rstansifer
New Contributor III

That makes perfect sense. I actually did some further research and found some of what you were speaking of, but definitely not all. Thank you for these resources.