Purpose

Control Screen Saver with Buttons on Desktop.

Operation

There is one major annoyance in all versions of Windows - the inability to control the screen saver from the desktop. tlaScreenSaverHandler removes this limitation through the manipulation of a third-party software package.

Steve Gibson (Gibson Research Corporation) created an interesting utility called Wizmo that adds many useful capabilities to Windows. Three of them are used by tlaScreenSaverHandler to manipulate your screen saver: disable screen saver, enable screen saver, and invoke screen saver

Example

This utility manipulates the screen saver that you have previously configured for use on your machine.

Establish some screen saver for use on your system.

Double-click the Now button and the screen saver will start as if the timer had expired and started it. You will return from the screen saver using exactly the same procedure you use today.

Double-click on the Toggle button and the icon will change from clear to a red X. The screen saver will not start when the timer expires or if you double-click on the Now button.

Double-click on the Toggle button again and the icon will change back to clear. When the timer expires the screen saver will start and if you double-click on the Now button the screen saver will also start.

System Registry

System Registry not used.

Install Location

Four modules are needed to run this capability and they are assumed by the WSH Jscript module to be located in folder \Program Files\Thom Little Associates Ltd\Screen Saver Handler\ on your system drive. These modules are:

• tlaScreenSaverHandler.vbs - the WSH script to install and manage the buttons.
• wizmo.exe - the Wizmo program from Gibson Research Corporation.
• enable.ico - the icon used for Toggle Enabled and Now.
• disable.ico - the icon used for Toggle Disable.

You could move these modules anywhere on your system and modify the variable strFolder in th WSH Jscript module to point to their revised location. You can view the source for the WSH Jscript module by selecting the Code button on this page.

Input Parameters

None.

Return Codes

None.

Reference

Gibson Research Corporation at www.grc.com for more information on Wizmo and other fine softeware products.

Distribution

• WSH VBscript code only - browser viewable.
• tlaScreenSaverHandler.exe - 184 KB - self-extracting zip file with all modules.

Installation

• Download the tlaScreenSaverHandler.exe file to your machine.
• Double-cllick on the tla-screen-saver-handler.exe icon.
• A dialog appears with "Change X: to your System Drive".
• Change the "X" to the location of your system drive (probably "C") and select tje Finish button.
• When asked about creating a folder in your Program Files folder - select the Yes button.
• When notified that Authentic Files Verified" select the OK button.
• When asked "Run the following program tlaScreenSaverHandler.js" select the Yes button.
• If asked you your security monitor (like Nortons AntiVirus) if execution of the potentially hazardous script is OK - select Authoirize this Script and then select the OK button.

When completed, two new icons will appear on your desktop - Toggle and Now. (We move them to the lower right corner of the screen with Now nearest the right edge and Toggle next to it.)

Removal

• Delete Thom Little Associates Ltd\Screen Saver Handler and its contents.