How to Disable the Screen Saver at Registry in Windows XP

Windows XP comes with two types of screen savers: the system screen saver and the Windows logon screen saver. The Windows logon screen saver typically appears if you do not press a key for around 10 minutes on the welcome screen that asks you to click your computer user account name. The system screen saver turns on after a period of inactivity. Many people choose to disable the screen saver during computer maintenance operations, such as during anti-malware scans or disk cleanups. In either case, both types of the Windows XP screen saver can be disabled through the registry.

Things You'll Need

• Windows XP computer

Instructions

Disable Computer Screen Saver

1. Click the "Start" menu and slide your mouse over the "All Programs" list. Choose "Accessories" and click on Notepad to open the text editor application.

2. Type the following four lines into the document, omitting the brackets and leaving an empty line between the first and second lines:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
   "ScreenSaveActive"="0"

3. Save the file as a registry entry. Click "Save as" from the File menu. In the "File name" section, type "Disable Screen Saver.reg" (omit the quotes). Click the "Save in" drop-down menu at the top and select a directory folder you'll remember to hold this file. Click the "Save" button. Do not close the Notepad program.

4. Create a second registry entry file with the Notepad program still open. In the fourth line of the text, change the zero within the quotes to 1. After you change the digit, the fourth line should read: "ScreenSaveActive"="0".

5. Save this second registry file. Click "Save As" from the File menu. Select the same directory folder to save this file as you saved the previous file in. Type "Enable Screen Saver.reg" (omit the quotes) for the "File name" section. Click "Save."

6. Disable the screensaver. Go to the "Start" menu and click "My Computer" from the right column. Navigate to the directory folder where the two newly created registry files are saved. Double-click the Disable Screen Saver.reg file. Click "Yes" in the box that pops up box that asks you to confirm your registry settings changes.

Disable Windows Logon Screen Saver

1. Click the "Start" menu and choose the "Run" option. Type in "regedit" and press "Enter" to open the Registry Editor.

2. Click the plus icon to expand the "HKEY_USERS" directory. Expand the ".DEFAULT" directory and then the "Control Panel" directory. Click once on "Desktop" to highlight it in the list and generate a list of registry entries in the right side of the Registry Entry window.

3. Scroll down to and double-click the "ScreenSaveActive" registry entry. Type in "0" for the "Value data" box to set the Windows log-on screen saver to "off." Click "OK" and close the Registry Editor utility. Set the "Value data" back to "1" when you're ready to enable the log-on screen saver once again.

Tips & Warnings

• Double-click on the Enable Screen Saver.reg file when you want to enable the screen saver.

References

• TechRepublic: Using Registry Shortcutes to Disable and Enable Screen Savers in Windows XP
• Microsoft Support: How to Change the Windows Logon Screen Saver in Windows XP