Screen savers
A screen saver can protect the system as well as the data from
unauthorized access if the computer is left unattended
without the user logging off. An automatic function
should be provided to activate the screen saver after a specified
number of minutes, and it should also be possible to activate it using shortcut
keys. A security system should provide screen savers for DOS and Windows. Two different technologies are used for screen savers in
Windows. The first uses the internal Windows screen
saver function, which is activated from the Control
Panel. The second uses a special program that runs in the background in
Windows. Both technologies have their advantages and disadvantages. DOS
sessions have always presented particular problems for screen savers in Windows.
If a DOS window has the focus, a Windows screen saver will not start. Many
products apply the solution of using a VxD or DOS TSR with the screen saver
in these circumstances. In Windows, the screen saver
is controlled from the Control Panel, which inserts the
following line in system.ini :
SCRNSAVE.EXE=BWINSAVE.SCR
Many people use the screen saver supplied with Windows. This is
satisfactory if the computer is used by only one
person. If a number of people use the computer, the
standard Windows screen saver creates password problems. All users
need to know the screen saver passwords of all the computers they use. This
impairs security, and make administration difficult. A
screen saver should therefore prompt for the password entered by the user when he or she logged on. That way, the user always types the
same screen saver password regardless of the computer
he or she is logged onto.
Security FAQ
Windows Privacy Tools - http//www.privacywindows.com
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