IDEA: Power/sound/screensaver options back to normal - remind or automate

[suleika]

So you're watching a film on your laptop and you set your monitor/power/screen saver options so nothing kicks in to disturb it.  But then you forget to change the settings back again before you go to bed.  The next day you go to work and your monitor stays on and your screen saver doesn't start...

Or you mute your system sound because your partner is sleeping, and the next day you don't hear anyone paging you on IM ...

What would really help me is a script which detects when I fiddle with power/sound/screen saver options and then automates changing back to my default options (perhaps overkill) or simply automates pop-up reminders for me to do it (perhaps better - more flexible).

Either way, if when it detected any change it popped up and gave me a choice to "ignore pop-up and keep new settings", "ask me again/revert settings in x hours", or "ask me/revert settings on next startup", then I'd feel safe changing my settings but not too nagged.

I looked at the scheduling hibernation thread and at a couple of other power management scripts but what I'm not finding is a script being triggered by changing these kind of settings (including individual system sounds etc).  Makes me wonder if I'm missing something obvious. You know, when x runs, run y.  ...?

[jgpaiva]

Well.. For the part about the sound, there's skrommel's [ur=https://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Skrommel/index.html#IdleMute]IdleMute[/url].

I have my own script for locking the screen, which works in a similar way to what you mentioned.
I already had a go at disabling screensaver and re-enabling it, but wasn't very successful. (with a script, i think it can only be acomplished by changing the corresponding registry key, and that didn't get me good results).
But i'm sure someone will know how to do it

[lanux128]

i'm not an expert but wouldn't closing the laptop's lid put it into standby or some other power saving mode? btw, as jgpaiva suggested, do give Skrommel's IdleMute a try..

IdleMute's option screens
IDEA: Power/sound/screensaver options back to normal - remind or automate

IDEA: Power/sound/screensaver options back to normal - remind or automate

IDEA: Power/sound/screensaver options back to normal - remind or automate

[suleika]

Thanks for the suggestions.  My laptop sometimes doesn't play happily with hibernation but I'd forgotten about forcing standby, which could work ... except for how to remember to put my laptop onto standby every time I leave it for a while.  That's just the kind of memory habit I have problems with.

Idlemute is useful; "Force mute or umnute on startup" will help me.  Something that forces the power/screen/screensaver options on startup would be useful. 

But I'm getting an idea how to do this .... rather than have a program running all the time to detect when the settings are changed, I could add shorctuts to the settings onto a special launcher alongside a simple text popup reminder program.  Then I just have to train myself to go to the launcher instead of changing the settings directly, and I can quickly set myself a reminder to change them back.  I'll look at LBC for this....

[lanux128]

glad to see that you have solved one part of your problems.. btw, if you want to create shortcuts, then try Tooler.. it allows you to create special shortcuts such as turning off the monitor, starting the screensaver, eject your cd tray & etc..


http://www.tooler.aionel.net