[NRA_guy]

Anybody got any freeware or instructions to prevent software from automatically changing my desktop screensaver settings?

I am running Windows XP.

Some software keeps wiping out my screensaver settings about once every few days.

Something mysteriously changes the setting from "blank screen after 15 minutes" to "none".

Then I wake up in the middle of the night to a bright blue glow from my screen because it didn't go blank and have to find the monitor "off" button.

I would just like to find the file that contains the setting and make it "read only"---or something simple.

 

[IndyGunFreak]

It would help a lot to know what software is doing it.. Personally, if I ever found a program doing this, I'd uninstall it in a heartbeat.

IGF

 

[Glock Bob]

The monitor off function doesn't actually turn the monitor off. It just puts it to "sleep", while still using ALOT of electricity. You might want to turn it off manually anyway.

 

[aspartz]

Originally posted by Glock Bob
The monitor off function doesn't actually turn the monitor off. It just puts it to "sleep", while still using ALOT of electricity. You might want to turn it off manually anyway.

Most modern monitors are EnergyStar compliant. From their site: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=MO

An compliant monitor will use less then 2W of power while sleeping. This is *not* "ALOT of electricity".

ARS

 

[NRA_guy]

Originally posted by IndyGunFreak
It would help a lot to know what software is doing it.. Personally, if I ever found a program doing this, I'd uninstall it in a heartbeat.

IGF

I am pretty sure Goggle Earth is one of the culprits. I don't open it often, but Goggle Earth always insists upon resetting my resolution to higher resolution. (I normally keep mine at 800X600.) I suspect it may be messing with my other display settings as well. I'll test it.

In Google Groups I found a number of comments about how to lock the desktop from reopening unless a password is entered, but that's not what I want. I want to prevent unauthorized resetting of my desktop preferences by software.

My main gripe about Windows has always been the way it does things without letting the user know about it.