Windows XP Screen Saver

[Hey Jude]

Are all your MS updates current? Are you running XP SP3 (Service Pak 3)? This could play into it as well.

[hlewton]

I found “ScreenSaveActive” in another key – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Win.ini\Windows had this value #USR:Control Panel\Desktop in the DATA key and I didn’t change it

You did well not to change that value.

I'm out of ideas - perhaps it's time to reinstall Windows XP (or upgrade to Windows 7)...

Thanks for all the help but I think I'll give this last try a little while to see if is does any good. Windows 7 is not an option because it doesn't support a couple of my printers and they function perfectly fine so I'd rather not have to replace them just yet.

[hlewton]

Are all your MS updates current? Are you running XP SP3 (Service Pak 3)? This could play into it as well.

Yes I am running XP SP3 and all the updates are as current as I can get. Thanks for the suggestion.

[wasbit]

Windows 7 is not an option because it doesn't support a couple of my printers

You may be surprised, which printers?

[hlewton]

Windows 7 is not an option because it doesn't support a couple of my printers

You may be surprised, which printers?

Not really because I already have a Windows 7 computer and for one of my printers I had to use a Vista driver that I could download and for another I would have had to use a driver for a different ink jet printer then the one I have and the warning came with it that it would only preform basic functions whatever that meant. In any case I chose not to even bother loading that one.

Thanks

[Doc Watson]

I found “ScreenSaveActive” in another key – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Win.ini\Windows had this value #USR:Control Panel\Desktop in the DATA key and I didn’t change it

You did well not to change that value.

I'm out of ideas - perhaps it's time to reinstall Windows XP (or upgrade to Windows 7)...

Thanks for all the help but I think I'll give this last try a little while to see if is does any good. Windows 7 is not an option because it doesn't support a couple of my printers and they function perfectly fine so I'd rather not have to replace them just yet.

One last thing you might try that I don't believe has been mentioned is to set the time delay for the screensaver to 9999 minutes and see if it sticks. That will stop most any screensaver issue since most PCs never are idle for 10,000 minutes.

[hlewton]

Thank you Doc Watson. If the screen saver reappears again I will do just that.

[hlewton]

Well I hate to say anything for fear of jinxing my computer but I have restarted and shut it down more than a few times since making those last Registry changes and so far the screen saver has not reappeared. So I will be keeping my fingers crossed that it is fixed.

[hlewton]

Well it worked for 5 days just fine and then today it reverted to the screen saver again so I took the 9999 suggestion and I'll see how that works.

[Doc Watson]

From here.....

To configure the screen saver time-out value in the registry. The screen saver time-out value for the default profile is configured in the ScreenSaveTimeOut registry entry in the following subkey:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Note The default value for the ScreenSaveTimeOut registry entry is 600. This value is in seconds.

To change this value, follow these steps:
Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following entry in the registry:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\ScreenSaveTimeOut
Right-click ScreenSaveTimeOut, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type the value that you want to use in seconds, and then click OK.
Exit Registry Editor.

You might want to check this setting and, perhaps, change it. That setting might be what is causing this issue on your system, if it is somehow reverting to a default setting on a reboot.

[hlewton]

Thank you I will see what it says although I never log on remotely so that can't be an issue here but maybe that value may be a problem so I'll check it.

[hlewton]

Note The default value for the ScreenSaveTimeOut registry entry is 600. This value is in seconds.

It seems a bit strange after I checked this value it was set at 600 but when it changed by itself back to the XP screen saver it was set at a minute which I believe means this value should have read 60 and not 600.

[Doc Watson]

Note The default value for the ScreenSaveTimeOut registry entry is 600. This value is in seconds.

It seems a bit strange after I checked this value it was set at 600 but when it changed by itself back to the XP screen saver it was set at a minute which I believe means this value should have read 60 and not 600.

Those are Microsoft's words, not mine. I should have enclosed the whole thing in quotes after the first line. Sorry.

Quick question... are you still having the same issue ?? Have you set the value to 10,000 ?? If so, it might be that the registry can't handle the number of characters in 10,000. Try entering 9,999 or, if that doesn't take, 999.

[hlewton]

Quick question... are you still having the same issue ?? Have you set the value to 10,000 ?? If so, it might be that the registry can't handle the number of characters in 10,000. Try entering 9,999 or, if that doesn't take, 999.

I'm not sure if I am still having the same problem because before when I did the registry edit thing to set all the "ScreenSaveActive" values to 0 I thought it was fine but then a week later it went back to the XP screen saver with a minute time out. I set the value at 9,999 as you, I believe it was, said to do. I did that a couple days ago and so far it is still working fine. I guess only time will tell if it once more reverts to the 1 minute or even the 10 minute time out. Thanks.

[Doc Watson]

Quick question... are you still having the same issue ?? Have you set the value to 10,000 ?? If so, it might be that the registry can't handle the number of characters in 10,000. Try entering 9,999 or, if that doesn't take, 999.

..... I set the value at 9,999 as you, I believe it was, said to do.

Sorry. I mis-read my own post. I did say 9,999 and not 10,000.

[hlewton]

No need to be sorry. I just really appreciate the suggestion.