Whenever I'm sitting at my computer and doing something like converting video, which takes time, the "monitor off" screensaver never fails to come on.
If I leave the room while this converting does it's thing, I can guarantee the damn thing will not trip in.
How does that happen?
Anybody else ever get this? The flaming thing's intelligent and I'm sure it's taking the Michael.
It has been watching keyboard and mouse to not only see if and when you are active,
but also to deduce from your delays in responding to completion of tasks when you are Away from Keyboard.
Some simple statistical Analysis and it knows in advance when you will take your next "Comfort Break"
i think alan may be taking the ... well your both british so I don't need to finish the sentence.
Sounds like a problem in one of the following areas:
- Power management setting(s)
- Corrupted user profile
- Buggy screensaver
Try adjusting screensaver settings to a longer time-out period if need be, or use a different blank screensaver from another company.
I use Control Screen Saver for such things. I use hotkeys to blank the monitor and to kick in the screensaver. When using XP, I remember at times when using my USB mouse that the screen saver would never kick in and I had to install the HID update.
Yup! Happens to me too, Dennis, when processing large audio files.
Screensaver? Yeesh. Cutting edge of the 1990s.
Alan's right, and I think it's watching me through the web cam.
I would be happy if the monitor consistently didn't switch off after the proscribed time, and then I could look for the reason why, but this working when I'm there, and not working when I'm not is a real pain.
One thing I did find is that the registry data in two separate "PowerCfg" locations was totally different.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\PowerCfg
and
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\PowerCfg
As I'm not 100% sure which one applies to my use of the computer, I'm assuming Current_User, I made sure they both contained the same Power Configuration details, but the same thing happens.
@ Tr3bg0D
I remember at times when using my USB mouse that the screen saver would never kick in
I'm using a USB optical mouse, and that's interesting, although my monitor does switch off if I'm sitting at the computer.
@ Tom
I'll pleased you chipped in Tom, as that makes two of us crazy.
EDIT: There are more locations than above relating to PowerCfg settings, and the settings they contain differ from the two locations above ...
[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Control Panel\PowerCfg]
[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-19\Control Panel\PowerCfg]
[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20\Control Panel\PowerCfg]
[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1220945662-2025429265-725345543-1003\Control Panel\PowerCfg]
Some research needed here I think, and I'm not surprised the "Monitor Off" setting isn't consistent, and there are a lot of XP users out there experiencing similar inconsistencies with it.
Have you tried a different blank screensaver yet?
I'm using a USB optical mouse, and that's interesting, although my monitor does switch off if I'm sitting at the computer.
Do you have the HID update on your system? This really sounds like the problem I experienced.
Have you tried a different blank screensaver yet?
No, as I don't want a screensaver running at all while I'm converting video. I've learned from painful experience that conversion glitches usually happen if something else kicks in or is running during the process, hence the monitor off choice.
Do you have the HID update on your system? This really sounds like the problem I experienced.
Actually, I've only just learned of that while doing some research, and from yourself, and unless it has at sometime been part of MS patches, the answer is no. So I'll look at that now.
The HID update should come automatically if you have a USB mouse plugged in. If it is not in your updates and it doesn't come down, you may have to hunt it down on MS site. I used to have the KB file stored locally but I can't find it since moving my files on this new HDD...sorry.
I seem to have fixed it, but I'll be more definitive if it continues like this for at least a few days.
I went into Device Manager and unchecked this box ...
I'm aware that this box is the option to use the mouse to come out of standby, but unchecking it has enabled my "Monitor Off" PowerCfg setting to work consistently.
Even when I leave the room.
And of course I wasn't peeping around the door watching it.
The registry entries for XP's PowerCfg settings are really extensive and ridiculously intermingled with each other, so it's no surprise to me that changing what appears to be a setting for one thing, has fixed another. I'll let you know if it starts acting up again.
Don't you just love computers.
Yes, that is quite amazing.
However, it is difficult sometimes to know what causes it, if it be in the older install/removed registry keys causing this, prior malware infection removals, system file removals, older drivers (or a newer buggy driver!), windows updates, the system bios settings, or the power config settings themselves.
Recently, had a 32 bit 7 install on a machine I had, that installed fine, but the start menu came up without the My Documents folder (never happened before?)
Yeah, don't u just love computers!
Glad you got it fixed Dennis. Computers can really annoy you sometimes; when I was reinstalling my computer with Ubuntu 11.10 a few days ago, I went downstairs to get a drink and such for a few minutes, and let the installation continue. Came back up to check the status of the installation and found that the screen had gone black due to inactivity (kind of like a screensaver I suppose). I thought nothing of it and moved the mouse around a bit until the screen came up again and guess what... just being gone for a few minutes and sending the screen into hibernation had messed up my install and given me a corrupt CD error. Then of course I had no OS to boot into, and long story short, I had to reinstall a second time.
While looking around for info on this Dennis I came across this page. Just reading the readers comments underneath about the amount of problems that little tickboxes can cause was interesting to say the least even if most of it was about Vista.
It's staggering how complicated the reg entries are for PowerCfg.
Apart from all the different USERS and CURRENTUSER entries for the various monitor off settings, there's also the various hard drive spindown options, and if just one of those entries is corrupt in any way you've got problems.
And as shown in that link and all the comments, that mouse checkbox has a lot to answer for.
Fingers crossed, it's still working as it should.
No, as I don't want a screensaver running at all while I'm converting video. I've learned from painful experience that conversion glitches usually happen if something else kicks in or is running during the process, hence the monitor off choice.
Is monitor off different from a blank screensaver?
Just wondering... They both blank the screen, don't they?
Or am I missing something?
It's so easy to introduce a glitch when either ripping or converting video, that you'll sometimes see this option in the settings of some rippers/converters ...
... and this from the help file explaining why ...
Disable Screensaver when Processing
This option can improve performance and prevent interruptions during the copy process.
I do a lot of converting, and the monitor power down is also a better choice than having the monitor burning away for hours on end with a blank screen.
That is one reason I use Control Screen Saver One click on the icon disables the screensaver, double click starts it or my Hot Keys Ctrl/Alt/S to start ot Ctrl/Alt/B to blank