How to adjust your screensaver's settings

Q I only have to leave my keyboard and mouse untouched for a couple of minutes and my screen goes blank. If I move the mouse or press a key the screen returns to life but at the Windows login screen. This is particularly annoying when reading web pages or emails. How can I stop this from happening?

Bill Holdstock

A The screen goes blank because Windows starts what is known as a screensaver. Older monitors could be damaged by showing the same image for long periods of time so screensavers were created to either blank the screen or show animations when the computer is idle. Modern screens are less susceptible to this problem, but returning to the login screen can be useful if the computer is in a public place.

Both options are easy to change. Right-click on the Windows XP Desktop and then left-click on Properties. Click on the Screen Saver tab.

Either click in the box labelled Wait and enter a large number to make the computer wait longer, or click on the dropdown menu above and select (None) to disable the screensaver altogether. Click in the box labelled On resume, password protect so that the tick disappears to stop Windows going to the Log in screen when the screensaver is cancelled.

In Windows Vista, right-click on the Desktop and left-click on Personalize. Click on Screen Saver and a window very similar to the Windows XP one will appear. Click on the dropdown menu to change or turn off the screensaver or use the Wait box to increase the time Windows waits before starting the screensaver.
Click on the box labelled On resume, display logon screen to make Windows return to what you were doing without asking for a password.

Click on OK when you are happy with the settings.

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