Solaris Common Desktop Environment: User's Guide

Screen with Lock Extensions

You can customize the screen saver or screen lock, or return the settings to the default. If your system does not support lock on timeout, see "Screen without Lock Extensions".

If you have a color display, bright colors on the screen can burn into the picture tube. Setting the screen to go blank or be covered prevents this from happening.

Power Management

If you select a blank background screen, and your hardware is capable of turning the power off, it does so to save energy.

To disable power management when using Solaris CDE, change the Style Manager's screen saver default blank screen to a screen pattern. It can also be disabled by running the following command in a terminal emulator window:


% xset s noblank

To Change Screen Saver Settings

  1. Click the Style Manager Screen control.

  2. Select the settings you want:

    • Screen Saver: Enables (On) or disables (Off) the screen saver immediately, even before you click OK. When Screen Saver is On the Start Saver slider is active.

    • Screen Saver List: Displays the available screen savers in a multiple-select list. Select or deselect a screen saver by clicking on the list item. The last screen saver selected will be displayed to the right of the list.

    • Start Saver: Sets the number of minutes from the last pointer movement or keystroke before the screen saver starts. When this value is changed, the new value goes into effect immediately, even before you click OK.

    • Time per Saver: Specifies the number of minutes each selected screen saver runs before the next one starts.

  3. To save the changes, click OK. To return to the default settings, click Default.

To Change Screen Lock Settings

If the screen saver and screen lock are both enabled (On) and the Start Lock value is smaller than the Start Saver value, when the screen lock times-out it replaces the contents of the screen with the currently selected screen savers. If Start Lock is greater than Start Screen, then the automatic screen lock simply continues the current screen saver.

If the screen saver is disabled (Off) and automatic screen lock is enabled (On), when the screen lock times-out the contents of the screen are not covered with a screen saver.

  1. Click the Style Manager Screen control.

  2. Select the settings you want:

    • Screen Lock: Enables (On) or disables (Off) Screen Lock on a timeout. When this setting is changed, the new setting goes into effect immediately, even before the dialog box is closed.

    • Start Lock: Specifies the number of minutes from the last pointer move or keystroke before the screen lock starts. When this value is changed, the new value goes into effect immediately, even before you click OK.

  3. To save the changes, click OK. To return to the default settings, click Default.