[bd777]

I have an Intel XP Pro machine w/ the latest (automatic) Microsoft updates.
I suspect the automatic updates, but here's my problem, which started roughly this Monday.

Prior to last Friday, I had the normal starfield screensaver w/ no password required upon resuming activity.
Since Monday, my machine lost the screensaver and requires me to login again to resume activity. Also when I press the Settings button in the screensaver tab, it informs me: "The screen saver has no options that you can set", and the options in the screensaver tab are grayed out. I am an administrator on the box, so I should be able to change these things (AFAIK), but now I can't. Any ideas?

Thanks!

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Start > run
gpedit.msc
<enter>

expand USER CONFIGURATION > ADMINSITRATIVE TEMPLATES > CONTROL PANEL > DISPLAY


Anything here set to configured?

Double click and set to NOT CONFIGURED

try the screen saver tab again

[gerryf]

Start > run
gpedit.msc
<enter>

expand USER CONFIGURATION > ADMINSITRATIVE TEMPLATES > CONTROL PANEL > DISPLAY


Anything here set to configured?

Double click and set to NOT CONFIGURED

try the screen saver tab again

[bd777]

Thanks, but all of the settings in this dialogue are set to "not configured". I actually saw a discussion of this elsewhere and tried fiddling with these (some of which turned off the screen saver tab altogether), but nothing I changed from "not configured" solved the problem. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[gerryf]

what happens if you choose a different screensaver in the drop down box?

[bd777]

I can't select a screen saver. That box is grayed out, and doesn't have anything selected in the background. The preview of the background is some generic windows icon and black background. BTW, the settings listed below the settings button are also grayed out.

[gerryf]

have you ever installed third party screensavers? In the drop down box you can not select. is it blank or does it say (NONE) (or something else)

Is there anything else peculiar with this machine?

Can you create a second user, or log in as THE ADMINISTRATOR account (not an account with administrator privilidges), and does the problem recur in that account?

[bd777]

I avoid 3rd party screen savers like the plague.

Only other peculiar things I can think of about the box is that I remotely login to a server, and that the OS periodically (randomly?) freezes (such that I have to manually reboot).

I don't have THE administrator login, but I think I can try my non-networked profile if needbe.

[bd777]

correction, no remote login, just logging into the network server.

[gerryf]

you don't have THE administrator login, meaning this is a work PC? Have you checked with your IT department? Have they pushed down any new group policies that may be causing a conflict?

[bd777]

Yes, it's a work machine, but it's doubtful that my IT deparment did anything since <he> is sick. But I can check when he's back.

[gerryf]

Create a new user profile.

Does the problem recur in this profile

[bd777]

OK. I created a profile for the box, logged into it, and found that as soon as I changed the current screen saver from "Windows XP" to starfield, I could change the settings fine. The "Windows XP" saver is apparently the default and has no settings.

Secondly, when I went back to my networked profile, the grayed out box does show "Windows XP" as the current screen saver, but I can't change it. So that appears to be the sticking point, rather than the fact that the settings button has no options.

[gerryf]

Start>Run
Regedit
enter

navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

look for
Scrnsave.exe = C:\Windows\System32\?????.scr

what is ?????.scr ?

[bd777]

It's C:\WINDOWS\system32\logon.scr

[gerryf]

change it to

C:\WINDOWS\System32\ssstars.scr

then log off and log back in

does the behavior change?

(or, can you NOT edit the setting)