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Screen Saver Settings

In the “old days” of computers – the early 90s – screen savers were important because on the old amber and green screens images left on the screen would “burn” into the monitor, leaving behind a permanent ghost image. (Sometimes you'll see this on older ATM machines.)

This isn’t a problem with today’s monitors. Because of new technologies, images don’t “burn” into the monitor. Even so, screen savers remain very popular. One reason (more prevalent in the workplace) is privacy and security. When you are away from your desk, your screensaver provides a measure of privacy as coworkers passing by can not see what you were working on. Screensavers can be set so that you need a password to return to your work - to keep prying eyes from peeking.

Windows comes with a number of screen savers that you can use. To change the screen saver or to change the options on your current screen saver in the Display Properties dialog box, right-click on the desktop and then left-click on the Properties option at the bottom of the menu. Click on the Screen Saver tab. Choose the screen saver you want from the list. Click the Preview button to see it. (Keep the mouse still after you click the Preview button, or the mouse movement turns off the screen saver.) The most commonly changed option is the length of time before the screen saver takes effect. It varies from computer to computer. To change the length of time, change the number in the box called Wait using the up/down arrows, or select the number and change it.

If you want to password protect the screen saver, click the checkbox then click the Change button.  Type the desired password (twice).  As you type, you'll only see asterisks ***.  They have you type it twice to make certain you typed it correctly.  Remember that passwords are case sensitive. MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD!

Click the Apply button or the OK button to finalize your new screen saver settings.

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