Why Does WinXP Keep Installing A Screensaver????

[Prisoner at War]

Unfortunately, I've had a handful of occasions now where I've had to
reinstall WinXP due to hard drive failure.

Each time, and *inevitably* so, WinXP will sooner or later decide to
"give" me a screensaver even though I always specify that I want no
screensaver.

I don't know how it happens, I don't know what triggers it, all I know
is that eventually one day my screen is suddenly displaying the MS
WinXP logo screensaver without my asking for it.

What's going on, please??

I'm running WinXP SP2 on an old Pentium M laptop with 1GB of system
RAM...moreover, I use my neighbors' unsecured WiFi for internet access
but I have the OS' firewall turned on....

 

[Unknown]

Hard drive failures?? How many have you replaced?

 

[Victek]

Unfortunately, I've had a handful of occasions now where I've had to

reinstall WinXP due to hard drive failure.

Each time, and *inevitably* so, WinXP will sooner or later decide to
"give" me a screensaver even though I always specify that I want no
screensaver.

I don't know how it happens, I don't know what triggers it, all I know
is that eventually one day my screen is suddenly displaying the MS
WinXP logo screensaver without my asking for it.

What's going on, please??

I'm running WinXP SP2 on an old Pentium M laptop with 1GB of system
RAM...moreover, I use my neighbors' unsecured WiFi for internet access
but I have the OS' firewall turned on....

Obviously it's coming through the neighbor's WiFi...just kidding! This is
just a shot in the dark, but have a look at the screensaver settings in the
hidden admin account by booting in SAFE Mode. I've seen weird behavior
where Windows seems to pull the power options settings from this admin
account instead of the currently logged in user. This is completely
anecdotal of course, but check it out. If the windows logo screensaver is
ON in that account turn it OFF and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Prisoner at War]

Obviously it's coming through the neighbor's WiFi...just kidding!

That's why I thought to mention it! I'm starting to think it could be
anything! Really, one day, I suddenly find the MS WinXP logo for a
screensaver, even though I always disable screensavers...I can't
imagine why this should happen (but then again, lots of weird things
happen, like the date/time "info tag" suddenly being obscured by the
taskbar, for example)....

This is
just a shot in the dark, but have a look at the screensaver settings in the
hidden admin account by booting in SAFE Mode. I've seen weird behavior
where Windows seems to pull the power options settings from this admin
account instead of the currently logged in user. This is completely
anecdotal of course, but check it out. If the windows logo screensaver is
ON in that account turn it OFF and see if it makes a difference.

Hmmm, I'd no idea about any "hidden" accounts...I'll check it out and
report back! You mention power options settings, and that's actually
another weird thing that happens once in a while (though not, as far
as I can remember, coinciding with this screensaver stuff) --
sometimes even though my laptop is plugged in, the computer goes into
power-saving mode and reduces the lumens of the screen as if it's on
battery power!

 

[Prisoner at War]

Hard drive failures?? How many have you replaced?

Can you believe that I'm on my third one?? The same laptop, and I've
had to replace the hard drive twice. The first time I don't think was
my fault at all. The second time, it may have been my fault b/c I'd
developed a bad habit of hitting the laptop when the touchpad goes
screwy (the hard drive just keeps spinning, I don't know why, doing
system maintenance tasks in the background I suppose, and the fan's
whirling and my mouse pointer is "off" ["tracking" is off, sometimes
way off] and I get mad and hit the thing a few times, which
occasionally works, Fonze-like, to get it working properly again)....

 

[Unknown]

Hitting or jarring any disk is a no no. You can cause the heads to crash by
jarring the HD.

Hard drive failures?? How many have you replaced?

Can you believe that I'm on my third one?? The same laptop, and I've
had to replace the hard drive twice. The first time I don't think was
my fault at all. The second time, it may have been my fault b/c I'd
developed a bad habit of hitting the laptop when the touchpad goes
screwy (the hard drive just keeps spinning, I don't know why, doing
system maintenance tasks in the background I suppose, and the fan's
whirling and my mouse pointer is "off" ["tracking" is off, sometimes
way off] and I get mad and hit the thing a few times, which
occasionally works, Fonze-like, to get it working properly again)....

 

[Prisoner at War]

Hitting or jarring any disk is a no no. You can cause the heads to crash by
jarring the HD.

Well, I wasn't hitting it directly -- the issue was the touchpad
getting screwy, and you know, sometimes you just get frustrated, and
it actually does seem to help once in a while...I don't know why the
touchpad goes screwy -- it's not like I have wet fingers or just
walked over carpet on a cold day or something -- and, frankly, I
almost hate computers now 'cause of all the crazy stuff that happens,
like with WinXP just deciding to give me a screensaver every so often
even though I always specify no screensaver! Weird....

 

[Bob I]

is this a managed PC?

Well, I wasn't hitting it directly -- the issue was the touchpad
getting screwy, and you know, sometimes you just get frustrated, and
it actually does seem to help once in a while...I don't know why the
touchpad goes screwy -- it's not like I have wet fingers or just
walked over carpet on a cold day or something -- and, frankly, I
almost hate computers now 'cause of all the crazy stuff that happens,
like with WinXP just deciding to give me a screensaver every so often
even though I always specify no screensaver! Weird....

 

[Prisoner at War]

is this a managed PC?

LOL, I don't even know what that is! =D

It's my own laptop, nothing to do with any networks or whatnot
(though, like I said, I piggyback on my neigbhors' WiFi)....

Do managed laptops develop issues with their touchpads??

 

[Bob I]

LOL, I don't even know what that is! =D

It's my own laptop, nothing to do with any networks or whatnot
(though, like I said, I piggyback on my neigbhors' WiFi)....

Do managed laptops develop issues with their touchpads??

No, but managed PC's (corporation PC and attaches to a domain) can have
their configurations dictated remotely.

 

[Prisoner at War]

No, but managed PC's (corporation PC and attaches to a domain) can have
their configurations dictated remotely.

Ah, interesting...well, I have the WinXP firewall on, so hopefully
it's not like my laptop's just another zombie in a spam botnet!!

Can computers ever stop being so weird?? Seriously, this Artificial
Intelligence thing is getting out of hand here! They're supposed to
be logical, yet they exhibit very many weird behavior patterns...yeah
I know programmers program them but golly, you'd figure that they
would've figured out how to make a touchpad that doesn't go screwy
every so often, or an OS that doesn't reinstate a default screensaver
a few times each year! =\

 

[Bob I]

Ah, interesting...well, I have the WinXP firewall on, so hopefully
it's not like my laptop's just another zombie in a spam botnet!!

Can computers ever stop being so weird?? Seriously, this Artificial
Intelligence thing is getting out of hand here! They're supposed to
be logical, yet they exhibit very many weird behavior patterns...yeah
I know programmers program them but golly, you'd figure that they
would've figured out how to make a touchpad that doesn't go screwy
every so often, or an OS that doesn't reinstate a default screensaver
a few times each year! =\

I suspect that it's actually the operating environment that is causing
your issues, and not the operating system.

 

[Prisoner at War]

I suspect that it's actually the operating environment that is causing
your issues, and not the operating system.

IT JUST DID IT AGAIN!!!!

WTF?!?!?!?!

I'd already set it back to "none" on 5 or 6 May, and today, just now,
it's flashing that damned WinXP logo again!!!!

What about my "operating environment" could be causing this???

It's not dusty here; I don't live next to a power plant -- and there's
no such thing as UFOs....

 

[Bob I]

Do a system restore to yesterday.

IT JUST DID IT AGAIN!!!!

WTF?!?!?!?!

I'd already set it back to "none" on 5 or 6 May, and today, just now,
it's flashing that damned WinXP logo again!!!!

What about my "operating environment" could be causing this???

It's not dusty here; I don't live next to a power plant -- and there's
no such thing as UFOs....

 

[Prisoner at War]

Do a system restore to yesterday.

But this has been a problem forever...remember, it's always happening,
despite my having had occasion to change hard drives three or four
times now....

 

[Bob I]

Since it doesn't happen to anyone else that uses Windows XP, I'd suggest
you determine who is playing with your PC.