Re: Screensaver not working - solution and cause(?)

From: Doug Knox MS-MVP (dknox_at_mvps.org)
Date: 02/18/04 

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 19:33:19 -0500

Thanks for the follow up, on this Parish. So noted for future reference. 

-- 
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
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"Parish" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message news:c0tccl$1bl533$1@ID-206197.news.uni-berlin.de...
> [Followup-To: set to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general]
> 
> Excuse the X-post, but this question has been asked numerous times in 
> several NGs. Please honour the Followup-To:
> 
> My screensaver stopped working ~1 month ago. I discovered that it would 
> work if "Wait" was set to 1 or 2 minutes but not if it was 3 or greater.
> 
> Google Groups showed plenty of people with the problem but no definitive 
> solution. One post mentioned something about the Power settings so I 
> took a look at mine. Home/Office Desk was the selected scheme; just to 
> make sure I hadn't customized it (the settings were 20min, Never, Never, 
> Never) I opened the scheme drop-down picked Home/Office Desk (i.e. the 
> current scheme). The settings didn't change (confirming that I hadn't 
> customized it) but the Apply button became enabled. I clicked Apply, 
> then OK. The screensaver has been working properly since :-) I guess 
> some registry settings were screwed and Applying the Power scheme forced 
> them to be re-written perhaps?
> 
> As to the cause, I don't _know_ for certain but around the time the 
> problem showed up I installed 3 screensavers from 3Planesoft 
> <http://www.3planesoft.com/index.html>; Watermill, Lantern, and The One 
> Ring. All of these are more than a simple .SCR file and use an installer 
> so maybe screwed up the registry settings?. Watermill is a trial version 
> in which the saver only runs for 90 seconds (there is a countdown timer 
> on the screen); could this be using/interfering with the timer that 
> Windows uses to start the screensaver? 90 seconds, 1.5mins, and it was 
> OK at 1 or 2 minutes? Coincidence?
> 
> I also installed Webshots <www.webshots.com>, or more precisely, I 
> upgraded it to the latest version. As well as cycling the wallpaper it 
> also has a screensaver which is enabled when the s/w is installed. As 
> well as adding Webshots to the screensaver list in the Display dialogue 
> it also can be enabled/disabled from it's Options dialogue (which also 
> gets invoked by the Settings button in Display) so interacts/interferes 
> with the Windows control. Again, could this have screwed some registry 
> settings?
> 
> Hopefully this (the Power Settings thing) will help others with the same 
> problem and, maybe, point towards the cause?
> 
> HTH
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Parish