Display Settings In The Registry

How do I enable the wait time so I can change the time I want my screensaver to start? The setting has been disabled. I am trying to find a registry key that will allow me to change it. Does any one know the registry key to modify so I can change my screensaver timeouts?

 

Hello NJTech,

What's been disabled? The time - can't into the the screen saver tab? Is there a time there but grayed out?

Regards - Charles

 

XP Home or Xp Pro? If Pro try gpedit. Click start>run and type gpedit.msc. Then, in gpedit go to User Configuration>Administrative Templates>Display. In the right pane double click on "Screen Saver timeout" and make sure it's set to either Not configured or Disabled (Not configured is the default). If this setting is enabled it causes the time setting in the screensaver part of the display applet to be grayed out and unavailable. Is this what's happening?

If you have XP Home you won't have gpedit. If this is the case, you'll have to edit the registry manually. The bad news is, I'm not sure which key or keys are involved. I've got a bookmark somewhere here for an MS web page that lists the registry changes involved when you use gpedit to change things but I can't seem to find it right now. Anybody else know of the web page I'm talking about? If so, I'd appreciate it if you'd post a link. I'll keep trying to find it here but it's been a while since I used it and can't for the life of me remember where it's at. Guess it's time to reorganize my favorites.

 

Hi Zander,
Is this what your looking for....

http://windowsbbs.com/showpost.php?p=171418&postcount=19
Specifically:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows200...indows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/gp/gpref.asp
More specifically
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/2000/server/reskit/en-us/gp/gpref.asp

Or the nfo is in the list on the left under windows 2000 group policy reference. Each folder expanded in turn until you've drilled down to the setting needed:
Windows 2000 group policy reference
user configuration
administrator templates
control panel
display
which gives you:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...server/reskit/en-us/gp/ScreenSaverTimeout.asp

===========
I just spent a quick minute or two exploring this and didn't see the registry values needed if one were to be trying to do this manually using regedit but there probably in there somewhere. A least this can be used as a springboard for a google search such as this one:
http://www.j79zlr.com/gphome.php#Display

Whole shabang:
http://www.j79zlr.com/gphome.php

 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

ScreenSaveTimeOut - value in seconds

 

Hi Rambler,
Guess you didn't peek at my links.

Screen saver timeout
KEY: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop
STRING: ScreenSaveTimeOut = value in seconds

Description
Specifies how much user idle time must elapse before the screen saver is launched.

When configured, this idle time can be set from a minimum of 1 second to a maximum of 86400 seconds, or 24 hours. If set to zero, the screen saver will not launch.

This policy setting has no effect under any of the following circumstances:

If the policy setting is disabled or not configured.
If the wait time is set to zero.
If the Activate Screen Saver policy setting is enabled.
If neither the Screen saver executable name policy setting nor the Screen Saver tab of Display in Control Panel on the client computer specifies a valid, existing screensaver program on the client.
When not configured, whatever wait time is set on the client through the Screen Saver tab of Display is used. The default is 15 minutes.

There are also several other screensaver policies and settings included in links, I'm just tacking up the setting in question by Zander.

 

Yeah, that's the page I was trying to find Ann. I guess I left part of the path to the setting in gpedit out in my first post. Should be User Configuration>Administrative Templates>Control Panel>Display.

If NJTech30's setting in the control panel is disabled (grayed out) I don't think the ScreenSaveTimeOut setting will have any effect on this though. Although the ScreenSaveTimeOut thing on the MS web page says pretty much the same thing as it does in gpedit, when I enabled the policy in gpedit, it grayed out the setting in the display applet but had no effect on the ScreenSaveTimeOut value in the registry. My guess is there's another entry added somewhere else in the registry that takes precedent over that one. I'm thinking that that's what's causing the problem though I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

I have to leave shortly so it'll have to wait but perhaps I can run it down using InCtrl. I'll have a look later and see what I can find.

 

To rambler and NJTech30,
My apologies! If gpedit is not used or various policies are not set the screensaver settings are in deed in the reg under:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop (setting values are in the right pane)

What effect the various policy settings, if enabled, would have on any choices made via the display properties>sreensaver tab are unknown to me at his time. I would have to play around between the two. Perhaps, for grins and giggles, I will do this later and post the results. I just don't have the time at the moment.

If your time option is greyed there must be a reason. Kelly's site has some interesting info on screensaver issues. Perhaps something there will help:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_s.htm scroll down to section entitled "screensavers ". At least there are a couple of other registry hkey's that can be checked for.

 

Ok, this is what I've been able to find so far. When you enable the "screen saver timeout" policy in gpedit the following key is added to the registry (Ann, you've mentioned this one already). After disabling the setting in gpedit the key is removed.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel]

Before this key is added the screen saver settings are available in the display applet. Once created the settings are disabled in the applet. Manually deleting the key restores the ability to set the screen saver settings in the display applet.


NJTech30
If you haven't yet run this down, see if you have that key. If so, back it up and then delete it (the entire thing) and then see if your screen saver settings are available.