Screensave search

November 24, 2006 4:34 PM

Wild Goose Chase Filter: So my boss wants....

a way to have PC's go into lockdown mode after a certain period of time (as they do now) BUT have the screen not change. ie: the machine is locked but nothing happens on screen to indicate this.

Anyone? Bueller?

posted by Cosine to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

I wonder if you could use that 'magnify' screensaver (where it shows whatever was there before the screensaver activated with a small circular section zoomed-in and moving around like a lens) but set the lens size to be super-tiny.
posted by xiojason at 5:03 PM on November 24, 2006

Do you want windows already open to freeze their contents, or keep the contents updating but lock the keyboard?
posted by aberrant at 5:19 PM on November 24, 2006

You will need a 3rd party app to do this. It probably won't be a screensaver, but a standalone security app of some kind.

Sometimes its ok to tell the bossman NO.
posted by SirStan at 5:35 PM on November 24, 2006

If I may be so bold; Are you sure you want this? Wouldn't a user coming back to their machine think that it had frozen up on them and do a hard reset to bring it back? Or are you looking more for no screen saver lock, but when they come back, they are presented with a username/ password prompt?

For the record, the reason the computer locks obscure the screen is not just to prevent someone from accessing the PC, it's to prevent the casual shoulder surfer from seeing something that they shouldn't when the user isn't at their desk

[/obvious, sorry]

All that said, I think xiojason's idea is pretty clever.
posted by quin at 7:34 PM on November 24, 2006

i think bossman wants to see whats on the screen so he can bust his crew.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:52 PM on November 24, 2006

There's a transparent screensaver included on the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit Supplement One CD. I've never used it on XP, but I'm sure it would work. If you want to try it out, send me an email (in profile) and I'll send you a copy.
posted by bda1972 at 8:25 PM on November 24, 2006

JohnnyGunn, Yeah I realized after my post that the beginning of the question indicated that it was for the boss. My time in IT security got the better of me.

I stand by my points in general, but in reference to the question, I can safely be ignored.
posted by quin at 9:40 PM on November 24, 2006