Screen Saver Stall

[Glenn9999]

How do you stop the screen saver from activating if you're doing something like watching a movie or are doing something important before someone that you don't want interrupted (like a Powerpoint presentation)?

Of course, for a personal machine, the answer is to shut the screen saver off while you're doing it (assuming you think of it). But if you're on a machine with a corporate policy that you can't necessarily change and (worse for the 2nd scenario above) your screen saver has a password on it, how would you solve such a thing?

Measurement is not management.

 

[webrabbit]

I would like to know this too.

 

[aebacon]

Talk nice to your computer guys. Maybe they will give you admin rights so that you can change it or do it for you.

 

[linney]

Does this option work for you in Windows Media Player.
Options -> Player -> Allow screen saver during playback?

Other programs may have similar settings.

Have a look through these too.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...errupting+full+screen+program+windows&spell=1

 

[Glenn9999]

I looked around a little more and it seems there really isn't a good way to do this. Not without either introducing a program or turning off the screen saver entirely. Which would probably both equally be undoable options in that second case of being the outside or inside person coming in to do a presentation in a corporate setting.

Maybe the best solution is more a managerial/people one than a technical one, when it comes to dealing with the Mordac's of the world that want to prevent use of IT resources.

Measurement is not management.

 

[linney]

Most Microsoft Screensavers do have a built-in mechanism whereby if you wiggle the mouse cursor or hit a key on the keyboard within 1 or 2 seconds of the Screensaver appearing to start you can prevent the Screensaver from kicking in. But then again, most Microsoft Screensavers aren't supposed to kick in if the machine is active are they?

 

[Glenn9999]

But then again, most Microsoft Screensavers aren't supposed to kick in if the machine is active are they?

That's the problem. If you go beyond what you say and define "active", therein lies the problem. Active to Windows means keyboard strokes and mouse movements. Which are fine in most applications, but as was described, there are specific cases where this is not fine. Two examples were given, but two more I thought of are video conferencing, and long-running programs that don't work well/right if the screen saver or standby kicks in.

If all you're doing is sitting and watching the screen, eventually the OS code says "this machine isn't being used" and kicks in the screen saver (or even worse, goes to standby). How to deal with this problem in the light of typical GP/corporate policies, or even a personal machine where one might want screen saver/standby but might not think to turn it off in such applications, is the intended topic of the thread.

Measurement is not management.

 

[GrimR]

Log on locally or put you in a less restrictive OU.
BTW can you edit your registry HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop x3 screen saver options, change your settings manually or create a .reg file to change them. haven't tried it but will that override domain policies.

MCITP:EA/SA, MCSE, MCSA, MCDBA, MCTS, MCP+I, MCP