Download BGInfo from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897557.aspx
Once the download is completed and extracted there will be two files.
By opening Bginfo.exe, the Default configuration will open.
If we use the default IP Address field here in some cases we might end with a result of couple (none) fields.
In order to fix that we’ll have to create a new Custom Field.
On the right side click on Custom and click on New
Type an identifier name that is different from “IP Address” as there is already one with that name.
“IP Address” or “IP_Address” will do the trick here. Click on WMI Query and then Browse.
From the drop-down menu of WMI Class select Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration, Class Property: IPAddress
In order to remove the (null) entries add the following to the WMI query:
WHERE IPEnabled=True
Click OK
Click OK
If you are creating a configuration file for virtual machines is good to have the host name.
Select New
Identifier: VM Host
Select Registry value and check 64-bit registry view
For Path type:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters\PhysicalHostName
Click OK
Click OK
Click OK
Depends on what exact information you need on the screen edit the defaults. Remember to use the new IP Address field that we’ve created instead of the built-in one.
Once you are ready click on File and Save As.
Type name and click on Save (the file should be in the same directory as bginfo.exe)
You should have three files now
Copy the files to:
\\yourdomainname\NETLOGON\Bginfo
If you have some issues with permissions you can login to your domain controller and copy the files in:
C:\Windows\SYSVOL\sysvol\yourdomainname\scripts\BGInfo
We are ready to configure the Group Policy.
Login to your Domain Controller and open Group Policy Management.
Create a new Group Policy Object and name it accordingly your standards.
Right-click on the newly created GPO and click Edit.
Navigate to Computer Configuration/Preferences/Windows Settings/Folders
Right-click and select New/Folder
For Path type C:\Bginfo
Click OK
Click on Files and then right-click New/File
Source file(s): \\yourdomain\NETLOGON\Bginfo\Bginfo.exe
Destination File: C:\Bginfo\Bginfo.exe
Click OK
We’ll create another file
Source file(s): \\yourdomain\NETLOGON\Bginfo\bg-vm.bgi
Destination File: C:\Bginfo\bg-vm.bgi
Click OK
Click on Shortcuts and then right-click New/Shortcut
Name: bginfo
Target type: File System Object
Location: All Users StartUp
Target path: C:\BGInfo\bginfo.exe
Arguments: C:\BGInfo\bg-vm.bgi /SILENT /TIMER:0 /NOLICPROMPT
Click OK
Close the Group Policy Management Editor
Link the Group Policy to your VMs location
After a while the folder structure and files will be populated on your virtual machines
Love the instructions and worked as instructed.
Excellent Instructions, helped me a lot – Thank you!
These instructions were great, thank you. Could somebody confirm what exactly this GPO is doing? I need to know if this GPO is copying the files from the NETLOGON\BGinfo folder onto client computers’ local C:\ drives, and then running it locally? Or does the client computer need to be able to see the NETLOGON share in order for this to work properly? (asking for the purpose of VPN users)
By the way, it’s worked perfectly so far for LAN connected devices. I already had BGInfo installed on every machine as part of our standard build, with a shortcut in the startup folder. But, this worked for centralization. I just set the policy on BGinfo folder and bginfo.exe to “Update” and the ****.bgi to “Replace” for any changes we make in the future to the desired bginfo details.
Yes the GPO will copy to the local computer’s C:\ drive so even if not connected to the VPN they will still have the “Bginfo64.exe” and “bg-vm.bgi” files on the end user’s workstation.