Screen Saver Activate 1.2.9

Program overview and installation

Screen Saver Activate provides enhanced control of screensaver operation by providing the following benefits:

Launching of the currently selected screen saver at any time. Useful in a secure environment, by taking advantage of the password protection of the screen saver, the desktop can be secured whenever the user needs to leave the system unattended. Also allows for viewing of the screen saver for recreational reasons.

Disabling of the screen saver for the current session . This is particularly useful for applications which are timing sensitive and are affected adversly by a processor intensive screen saver being launched during their execution. Note that this only disables the screen saver timeout and that the screen saver can still be launched manually through Screen Saver Activate.

Quick access to the screensaver settings. Opens the Screen Saver Properties page under Windows 9X and Windows NT 4.0+ or opens the Desktop Control Panel under Windows NT 3.51.

The screensaver can be launched by interacting with the Screen Saver Activate icon or by a keyboard hotkey. The screensaver can also be launched by using the automatic activation feature or by a command-line option.

The screen saver can be disabled by a selection from the Screen Saver Activate menu or by a command-line option. Note that when Screen Saver Activate exits, the screen saver will be reenabled if a screen saver is selected and the DPMS modes, when running under Windows 9X, will be set to their last known state.

Installation:

To install Screen Saver Activate, extract all of the files from the archive file SSACVT.ZIP into a temporary subdirectory of your choice or to a floppy drive; then run INSTALL.EXE. If you are installing from the diskette version of the program; just run INSTALL.EXE which is in the root directory of the distribution diskette. Under Windows NT+, you must have administrator privileges to install Screen Saver Activate, but you can use it as a regular user once it is installed.

Once Screen Saver Activate is installed, it will be available for any account on the machine as long as the user has permissions for the directory in which it is installed. You will not have to reinstall it for each user, although each user's setting will be saved separately.

Deinstallation:

If you allowed the installation procedure to create a program group or folder, there will be an item for uninstalling Screen Saver Activate, which can be used to perform an automated uninstall.

If you did not allow for the creation of a group or folder, there is a batch file named SSA-DEL.CMD located in the SYSTEM32 directory of the main Windows NT directory or SSA-DEL.BAT located in the SYSTEM directory of the main Windows 95 directory. Run this batch file with the directory name, in double quotes under Windows 95, where Screen Saver Activate is installed.

The user will have to delete any program folders, program groups and shortcuts relating to Screen Saver Activate.

System requirements and compatibility

Screen Saver Activate 1.2.9 requires Windows 9X, Windows NT 3.51 or Windows NT 4.0+ and should operate on any machine which meets the hardware requirements for the operating system in use. Note that due to the differences between the Windows NT 3.51 interface and that of Windows 9X and Windows NT 4.0+, the appearance and operation of Screen Saver Activate will vary slightly, depending on the enviroment.

Screen Saver Activate 1.2.9 will not run under Windows NT 3.1, 3.50 nor Windows 3.x with Win32s. For those who use Windows NT 3.50, there is a separate release of Screen Saver Activate, known as Screen Saver Activate for Windows NT 3.5x, available for that environment and is covered under the licensing agreement set forth in this document. Screen Saver Activate for Windows NT 3.5x can be found on this web site and on Compuserve in the NTWORK forum with the file name, ssacnt.zip.

If you are experiencing any problems using Screen Saver Activate or are experiencing compatibility problems with other software, please let us know, so we can determine if the problem can be resolved. Problem reports, technical support questions or product enhancement suggestions can be submitted through a forms-based system on this web site.

Usage and configuration

When running under Windows 9X or Windows NT 4.0+, the main user interface for Screen Saver Activate is an icon in the Taskbar Notification Area(also known as the System Tray or Systray) and is an icon on the Desktop under Windows NT 3.51.

Under Windows 9X or Windows NT 4.0+, a right click on the icon will bring up this menu:	Under Windows NT 3.51, a left single-click on the icon will bring up this menu:

A left click on the icon will perform a user-defined operation.	A left double-click on the icon will execute the default menu action.
A left double-click on the icon will launch the currently selected screen saver or open the Screen Saver Properties page if no screen saver is selected..	A right click will toggle the screen saver timeoute bewteen enabled and disabled or will open the Desktop Control Panel if no screen saver is selected.

Menu item descriptions:

Exit or Close -- Terminates the current instance of Screen Saver Activate, leaving the screen saver settings in whatever state they were in at the time of termination.

Disable Screen Saver -- Prevents the screen saver from launching due to the timeout set for it. Note that this only disables the screen saver for the current login session, it does not permanently disable it and that Screen Saver Activate, upon termination, will reenable the screen saver. The text of this menu item will alternately read 'Enable Screen Saver' according to the current screen saver state.

Activate Screen Saver -- Launches the currently selected screen saver.

Screen Saver Properties or Select screen saver -- Opens the Screen Saver page of the Desktop Properties configuration dialog (Windows 9X or Windows NT 4.0+) or the Desktop Control Panel (Windows NT 3.51).

Configure -- Opens the configuration dialog for Screen Saver Activate. The description for the configurable options of Screen Saver Activate are given immediately below in this document.

Register -- Allows licensing of the currently installed copy of Screen Saver Activate. This menu item will not be present once the licensing has been successfully completed.

Always on top - Makes the Screen Saver Activate icon a topmost window, which means it will be visible above any other window (Windows NT 3.51 only).

Help Contents - Opens the contents page of the Screen Saver Activate help system.

Help Using - Opens a context sensitive help window, describing the basic operation of Screen Saver Activate.

Help About - Displays a window with information about the installed copy of Screen Saver Activate, including the registered user, as well as contact information for Digital Control Systems.

Configuration:

Listed here are all of the user-configurable options for Screen Saver Activate. All options can be viewed and/or changed through the Screen Saver Activate configuration dialog, which is accessible via the Configure selection on the Screen Saver Activate menu. Note that options which are unique to a given version of Windows are so marked.

Activation hotkey* - Combination of keys, which when pressed simultaneously, will cause the screen saver to be launched.

Popup hotkey* -- Combination of keys, which when pressed simultaneously, will bring the Screen Saver Activate icon to the foreground and open the system menu. (Windows NT 3.51 only).

*Note that either or both of the hotkeys can be disabled.

Automatic activation - When this option is configured, Screen Saver Activate will launch the screen saver immediately after loading. Alternatively, the 'Automatic activation' option can be disabled, and the -activate command-line parameter can be passed to Screen Saver Activate, to launch the screen saver only when desired.

Activation delay time - Amount of time Screen Saver Activate waits before launching the screen saver, after receiving a request to launch. This can be any amount within the range of 25 to 10000 milliseconds. A dialog can be displayed during this delay time, by selecting the 'Display dialog during delay' option. A pending launch request can be cancelled by selecting 'Cancel activation request' from the Screen Saver Activate menu or by selecting 'Cancel' in the dialog if configured to 'Display dialog during delay' .

Icon type - Allows for the selection of color or monochrome icons to be used for the Screen Saver Activate icon.

Left mouse button action - Determines if a single left mouse click on the Screen Saver Activate icon will launch the screen saver, toggle the screen saver state or open the Screen Saver Properties page (Windows 9X and Windows NT 4.0+ only).

Run at logon - Sets Screen Saver Activate to load after each logon (Windows 9X and Windows NT 4.0+ only). This option causes an entry to be made in the system registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, but is functionally equivalent to creating a shortcut in the Startup folder.

DPMS mode support - Configures Screen Saver Activate to disable the DPMS LowPower and PowerOff modes when it disables the screen saver. (Windows 95 only)

No DPMS error messages - Suppresses any error message displays relating to the controlling or monitoring of the DPMS modes. (Windows 95 only)

Command-line options for Screen Saver Activate

Listed here are all the command-line options which Screen Saver Activate recognizes. Note that the options are divided into two groups; those which will be passed to an existing running instance of Screen Saver Activate and those which are only effective when passed to the first instance. Therefore, if you wish to pass one of the latter type, either manually close Screen Saver Activate or pass the -kill command and then relaunch with the options desired.

Options which will be passed to a running instance:

Command	Description	Notes
-activate or -a	Launch the screen saver.	Will launch even if the screen saver is disabled, unlike the ‘Automatic activation’ configuration option, which only launches if the screen saver is enabled
-wakeup or -w	Close the currently running screen saver.	This option will simulate a keypress and thereby close the screen saver if one is running (Windows 95 only).
-kill or -k	Any existing instance of Screen Saver Activate will exit.	If this is passed to the first instance, it will exit immediately. Despite the name, this option does perform an orderly shutdown.
-enable or -e	Enable the screen saver.	The enable and disable commands are for the current session only; meaning that if Screen Saver Activate is exited and relaunched or if the user logs off and back on, these settings will not still be in effect.
-disable or -d	Disable the screen saver.

Options which are only valid for the first instance:

Command	Description	Notes
-dpmsexe fqp	Provides an alternate location and/or name for the DPMS helper program.	Where fqp represents a fully qualified path reference, which must include the name of the executable Normally, this program is called dpmstat.exe and is located in the directory in which Screen Saver Activate is installed.
-dpmsmode [on\|off]	Toggle DPMS support within Screen Saver Activate.	This option can also be changed through the Screen Saver Activate configuration dialog.
-dpmsquiet [on\|off]	Set the error reporting mode, for problems relating to the DPMS helper process.	This option can also be changed through the Screen Saver Activate configuration dialog.

Note about conflicting or ambiguous option combinations:

Any combination of the options given above may be passed to Screen Saver Activate; but there are some combinations which conflict or the effects of which might seem to be ambiguous. Listed below are these combinations, along with the description of how Screen Saver Activate handles them:

Command combination	How it is handled
-activate and -disable	The screen saver will be disabled, but will still be launched.
-disable and -enable	The option which appears last on the command-line will be used.
-wakeup and -activate	The -wakeup command will be ignored in this case, but will be honored in combination with any other commands.
-kill and any options	Screen Saver Activate will exit without processing any other command options.
-activate, -enable or -disable	These commands are ignored if no screen saver is selected.
-enable/-disable, -dpmsmode, -dpmsquiet, -dpmsexe	If any of these options appears more than once on the command-line, the last occurrence of that option is used.

Known issues, troubleshooting, etc...

‘Blank screen’ screen savers under Windows NT

Under Windows NT 3.5x, we have encountered unusual behavior using either the 'Default screen saver' or 'Blank screen(16-bit)' screen saver. We have available an equivalent screen saver which corrects these anomalies. This screen saver is included in the distribution archive and is available on our download service. The file's name is Blankscr.scr, simply copy it the subdirectory SYSTEM32 under your main Windows NT directory and select it through the control panel as 'Do Nothing Screen Saver'.

Screen Saver Properties page shows (None)

When the screen saver is disabled by Screen Saver Activate and the Screen Saver Properties page is opened, all the screen saver controls will be grayed. This is a result of the method Screen Saver Activate uses to disable the screen saver. In order to make changes to the screen saver settings, the user will have to first enable the screen saver through Screen Saver Activate, open the Screen Saver Properties page and make whatever changes are desired then disable the screen saver through Screen Saver Activate.

Screen Saver Activate icon changes appearance unexpectedly

Screen Saver Activate tracks changes to the screen saver configuration made by Windows and other applications, by monitoring a system-defined message broadcast. Some applications will change the screen saver configuration without requesting that this message be broadcast. If this occurs, then Screen Saver Activate will not be aware of the actual screen saver state and therefore it’s icon will not be representative of the actual state.

In an effort to counteract this sort of situation, Screen Saver Activate will check the current screen saver state whenever the user clicks on the Screen Saver Activate icon or when receiving the aforementioned message and if the screen saver state has changed, the icon will be updated accordingly.

So it should be considered intended behavior for the Screen Saver Activate icon to change without user intervention or in an unusual manner immediately after clicking on the icon.

DPMS support under Windows 95

If your video adapter, software drivers and monitor support the DPMS(Display Power Management Signaling) ‘Low power standby’ and ‘Shut off monitor’ modes, then Windows 95 has the ability to activate these modes if so enabled. Once enabled, timeouts may be set for these modes just as a timeout is set for the screen saver.

Screen Saver Activate can be configured to disable these modes when it disables the screen saver. Due to requirements of the operating system, Screen Saver Activate must launch a separate task to control and monitor the DPMS states. This separate task requires that the executable, dpmstat.exe, be available to Screen Saver Activate.

If you are receiving an error message stating that Screen Saver Activate cannot launch or attach to the helper task, consult the list of probable causes given here:

Cause	Detail
Screen Saver Activate cannot locate the program file needed for DPMS mode control and monitoring.	The executable, dpmstat.exe, must either exist in the directory where Screen Saver Activate is run from or have it’s location and name provided by using the -dpmsexe command-line parameter.
System resources may be low.	Screen Saver Activate has to launch a separate task to monitor the DPMS mode states and also a separate thread within Screen Saver Activate to communicate with this task. So if system resources are low, then either of these operations might not be able to occur: check for extremely low USER, GDI or SYSTEM resource levels.

Shareware and Registration

This application is a copyrighted commercial product which is currently distributed as freeware. This means that you may use the program freely with no charge for its useage. This product was previously distributed as shareware, and the registration required payment of a fee, but registration is currently free.

The first time it executes (and every time until the program is registered) a popup dialog box will appear and ask for registration information. Once the program has been registered, this dialog box will not reappear. This program does not contain a "time bomb" to limit its unregistered usage, but you will have to register the program to avoid having to answer the dialog box inquiry when the program starts

You may pass this (unregistered) program along to your friends and associates. Please distribute the original archive file rather than the individual files contained therein. (The archive file is located in the REDIST subdirectory if you are installing from the floppy disk version).You may also post it to any BBS, WWW site, or on-line service. We only ask that if you continue to use this program on a regular basis that you register it. You will be rewarded with having the program load swiftly and silently instead of nagging you when it starts. We also are able to provide a higher level of technical support to registered users.

Contact Information

Digital Control Systems
1315 East Castle St. #D3
Murfreesboro, TN 37130-4545
USA

Phone: 1-615-216-6007
FAX: 1-615-216-0540

Email: ssactivate@digconsys.com
Web site: http://www.digconsys.com

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