View Full Version : Anti-colleague screensaver?
I'm the only one in my office who gets to use a internet-connected pc whereas my colleagues' web access is severely restricted to email-only. Wonderful for me in one respect but trouble in another - usually when I leave the office they hijack my machine and upon my return my browser is often found to be on all kind of odd and nerdy websites. While it's not technically wrong for them to use my machine you can imagine how inconveniencing it is for me so what I'd like is to find some kind of screensaver which looks very official with the words "COMPILING! DO NOT TOUCH!" with a slow moving status bar to make it look like it's actually doing something.
Anyone know if I can get something like this from anywhere?
Easiest way would be to develop your own in Visual Basic (M$ have example screen saver code) or use FLASH and then one of the tools that'll convert it from Flash to a Screen Saver...
Either that or lock your machine with a standard screen saver? What OS you running?
If it's Win2K, you can switch on the password option on any(?) screen saver, and it then asks for your network logon password to get back to Windows.
Or press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and choose "lock workstation" when you walk away, again it will ask for your password.
Very true but I want to frustrate them! I want them to feel silly when I tell them what it really was.....yes that's the kind of environment I work in.... :rolleyes:
Visibleman
10-08-2003, 19:34
i could knock something up for you in VB if you want - with a progress bar and what not, although a screen saver would probably be the best bet :)
let me know though if ya want me to knock you up something - and what ya want it to look like :)
Dom
Cheers! That's very kind of you! We shall discuss via PM...... :)
idi banashapan
10-08-2003, 21:21
do a screen shot of your desktop, with icons, etc. Save it, and set it to be you desktop picture. Then lock your machine and drag the "press ctrl, alt and del to log on" box down to the bottom right of the screen so it is out of sight. Hide around the corner and watch them wonder why your machine is not responding when they start clicking on icons!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (I have too much time on my hands!!)
Also, as mentioned above, there is a little VB thing i've used before that acts as any dialogue box, but asks if you want to delete all files on the C: Whether you click yes or no, it appears to delete your files, using the correct names as well (it actually looks like the delete box, with files going from left to right into the bin)- that will put the willies up them!!!! You can set it to start when they start another app, so if they click in IE for example, a box will appear asking them if they want to delete all files.
My better half wanted something like this for work - only thing he could find at the time was the playstation-run site SkiveSuite (http://www.skivesuite.com/en/) - he downloaded System Skive - just a flash animation-thingy that runs, you can alt-tab out of it, so I don't know how useful it would be - it fooled a few people where he works though :)
I believe there's a screenshot on that site though - IIRC it's not a very big download either :)
Mr_love_monkey
11-08-2003, 11:21
Have you thought about using the bsod (http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/bluescreensaver.shtml) screensaver?
That's alway useful. unless you get someone who decides to reboot your pc...
Originally posted by Bender
do a screen shot of your desktop, with icons, etc. Save it, and set it to be you desktop picture. Then lock your machine and drag the "press ctrl, alt and del to log on" box down to the bottom right of the screen so it is out of sight. Hide around the corner and watch them wonder why your machine is not responding when they start clicking on icons!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (I have too much time on my hands!!)
Ingenious :D
Mr_love_monkey
11-08-2003, 13:47
Originally posted by Steve_NTL
Ingenious :D
Up until the point they reboot your machine '...because it had crashed..' thus losing all your work :)
handyman
11-08-2003, 13:56
Originally posted by Steve_NTL
Ingenious :D
yes one of out guys called ibm to report his pc faulty, should have seen his face when the tech turned up and took it straight off :)
or you could use the one i have at work, shows no signal on a snowy screen but you can change the text. I use TUNE ;)
zoombini
11-08-2003, 15:33
Why not use that standard Marquee screen saver, change the text to read whatever you want it to say and add a password.
Simple enough, needs no additional software (possibly breaking any company rules about adding 3rd party software) and is part of the operating system.
I have mine changed to say that I'm away from my desk & if needed then page me etc.
Simple yet effective.
Mr_love_monkey
11-08-2003, 16:53
Originally posted by handyman
or you could use the one i have at work, shows no signal on a snowy screen but you can change the text. I use TUNE ;)
Sounds like an interesting one.. where did you get that from?
handyman
11-08-2003, 17:51
its called no signal and its from here (http://www2.screensavershot.com/index.php?ctgry=5) :)
Originally posted by Tricky
...or use FLASH and then one of the tools that'll convert it from Flash to a Screen Saver...
Where can you get this a tool from, I have got a flash movie that I want to use as a screen saver?
There are a number of tools around:
http://www.screensaver-maker.biz/
http://www.tenmiles.com/
http://www.neoaspire.com/Flash2Screensaver/index.htm
try a search on one of the search engines...and then pick a product...Some companies that offer "Advertisement" screensavers (Halifax used to) have a screen saver that will allow you to swap the "MOVIE.SWF" file with one of your own making it much easier...
Either that or grab a copy of VB and write your own screensaver that shows a flash movie.
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