Screen saver control panel broken in Windows 7?

[Joel Sanda]

The Windows 7 Display Control Panel for the screen saver has three settings:

* Screen Saver
* Wait
* On resume, display logon screen

*None* of these work for me. The defaults (no screen saver, wait 3
minutes, and display logon screen) persist regardless of what I select
and how I select it (Apply or OK). I don't have third-party screen
savers installed. When I select a screen saver I can configure it as
expected, and I can also change each of the three settings and select
"OK" or "Apply" without error.

However, the settings do not take effect. And when I return to the
control panel the defaults are displayed, not what I last chose.

Anyone else seeing this? Anyone know of a tool that safely overrides
system settings? Ideally I'd like to know why the control panel isn't
working and if others are seeing this, but my goal is to not have the
logon screen display after three minutes, which is happening due to the
control panel settings. I'd fiddled with the power settings, but it's
this damn three minutes that's starting no screen saver but instead
displaying the logon screen.

Particulars:
* Acer Apsire One PC
* Windows 7 Starter Edition (6.1 build 7600)
* All Microsoft updates applied and current
* Default Acer settings

 

[JazMac]

Has it ever worked? You are running a starter edition which could be the issue. Try closing up everything, then try it.

-Jazmac

 

[bb]

The Windows 7 Display Control Panel for the screen saver has three
settings:

* Screen Saver
* Wait
* On resume, display logon screen

*None* of these work for me. The defaults (no screen saver, wait 3
minutes, and display logon screen) persist regardless of what I select and
how I select it (Apply or OK). I don't have third-party screen savers
installed. When I select a screen saver I can configure it as expected,
and I can also change each of the three settings and select "OK" or
"Apply" without error.

However, the settings do not take effect. And when I return to the control
panel the defaults are displayed, not what I last chose.

Anyone else seeing this? Anyone know of a tool that safely overrides
system settings? Ideally I'd like to know why the control panel isn't
working and if others are seeing this, but my goal is to not have the
logon screen display after three minutes, which is happening due to the
control panel settings. I'd fiddled with the power settings, but it's this
damn three minutes that's starting no screen saver but instead displaying
the logon screen.

Particulars:
* Acer Apsire One PC
* Windows 7 Starter Edition (6.1 build 7600)
* All Microsoft updates applied and current
* Default Acer settings

ah-hah!! Windows 6 *Starter* *Edition*
I believe you can't any of those things in Starter.

 

[Joel Sanda]

ah-hah!! Windows 6 *Starter* *Edition*
I believe you can't any of those things in Starter.

Well Starter Edition exposes the UI to change screen saver settings;
unlike the wallpaper changing UI which is not exposed. So that suggests,
perhaps wrongly, the settings can be changed?

I was little miffed I didn't notice the starter edition 'feature' when I
purchased the netbook, but it runs better than the last one I used,
which had debian. Thus far I'm happy with the OS - it handles Firefox
and Thunderbird, which is what I'm in mostly on this machine.

 

[Trev]

The Windows 7 Display Control Panel for the screen saver has three
settings:

* Screen Saver
* Wait
* On resume, display logon screen

*None* of these work for me. The defaults (no screen saver, wait 3
minutes, and display logon screen) persist regardless of what I select and
how I select it (Apply or OK). I don't have third-party screen savers
installed. When I select a screen saver I can configure it as expected,
and I can also change each of the three settings and select "OK" or
"Apply" without error.

However, the settings do not take effect. And when I return to the control
panel the defaults are displayed, not what I last chose.

Anyone else seeing this? Anyone know of a tool that safely overrides
system settings? Ideally I'd like to know why the control panel isn't
working and if others are seeing this, but my goal is to not have the
logon screen display after three minutes, which is happening due to the
control panel settings. I'd fiddled with the power settings, but it's this
damn three minutes that's starting no screen saver but instead displaying
the logon screen.

Particulars:
* Acer Apsire One PC
* Windows 7 Starter Edition (6.1 build 7600)
* All Microsoft updates applied and current
* Default Acer settings

Did you try selecting a screen saver in the drop down list. If no
screensaver is selected you cant change the settings

 

[Joel Sanda]

Did you try selecting a screen saver in the drop down list. If no
screensaver is selected you cant change the settings

Yeah - I've tried each of the default screen savers, none of the
settings are saved.

 

[Joel Sanda]

The Windows 7 Display Control Panel for the screen saver has three
settings:

* Screen Saver
* Wait
* On resume, display logon screen

*None* of these work for me. The defaults (no screen saver, wait 3
minutes, and display logon screen) persist regardless of what I select
and how I select it (Apply or OK). I don't have third-party screen
savers installed. When I select a screen saver I can configure it as
expected, and I can also change each of the three settings and select
"OK" or "Apply" without error.

However, the settings do not take effect. And when I return to the
control panel the defaults are displayed, not what I last chose.

Anyone else seeing this? Anyone know of a tool that safely overrides
system settings? Ideally I'd like to know why the control panel isn't
working and if others are seeing this, but my goal is to not have the
logon screen display after three minutes, which is happening due to the
control panel settings. I'd fiddled with the power settings, but it's
this damn three minutes that's starting no screen saver but instead
displaying the logon screen.

Particulars:
* Acer Apsire One PC
* Windows 7 Starter Edition (6.1 build 7600)
* All Microsoft updates applied and current
* Default Acer settings

Solved. startwallpaperchanger.exe was preventing the control panel from
saving any changes made in the UI.

 

[projectguy]

Same problem!

On 1/30/2010 9:54 AM, Joel Sanda wrote:
> The Windows 7 Display Control Panel for the screen saver has three
> settings:
>
> * Screen Saver
> * Wait
> * On resume, display logon screen
>
> *None* of these work for me. The defaults (no screen saver, wait 3
> minutes, and display logon screen) persist regardless of what I select
> and how I select it (Apply or OK). I don't have third-party screen
> savers installed. When I select a screen saver I can configure it as
> expected, and I can also change each of the three settings and select
> "OK" or "Apply" without error.
>
> However, the settings do not take effect. And when I return to the
> control panel the defaults are displayed, not what I last chose.
>
> Anyone else seeing this? Anyone know of a tool that safely overrides
> system settings? Ideally I'd like to know why the control panel isn't
> working and if others are seeing this, but my goal is to not have the
> logon screen display after three minutes, which is happening due to the
> control panel settings. I'd fiddled with the power settings, but it's
> this damn three minutes that's starting no screen saver but instead
> displaying the logon screen.
>
> Particulars:
> * Acer Apsire One PC
> * Windows 7 Starter Edition (6.1 build 7600)
> * All Microsoft updates applied and current
> * Default Acer settings

Solved. startwallpaperchanger.exe was preventing the control panel from
saving any changes made in the UI.

--
http://www.dwimordene.net
http://www.librarything.com/profile/joelsanda

So what change did you make to solve the problem? Did you delete startwallpaperchanger.exe? or disable it somehow? I have the same computer as you, same problem!