On a brand new (two weeks max) Win 7 professional x64 system set up by Dell, on which...following a tutorial posted here...I disabled password log in at start up, when the computer is inactive for a while it will either ask for a password to come back or it freezes so that a soft boot is necessary .
Is there a work around or a way to disable sleep and just run a screen saver?
Yes there is but I would first update your drivers for your display
If that doesn't work...look towards the clock on the bottom right of the monitor and find the power icon->Right-click power options->Hit the link "Change Plan Settings" on the current plan selected->From the drop down box beside sleep choose "never"->Save Changes
Now also remember to enable a screensaver
Do what "Zidane24" posted and then you will need to type the following command at the command prompt.
powercfg-h off
Please note that Windows 7 no longer supports a screen saver while NO ONE is logged on. If no one is logged on the screen will just go blank. If you want a screen saver while no one is logged on you will need to edit the registry. The following link will tell you how to do it. (The instructions are for Windows XP but work on Windows 7)
How to change the Windows Logon screen saver in Windows XP
Let me know if this helps.
Go to Control panel, type "p" in the search box, top right, press enter and select Power Options and follow
Zidans instructions from there.
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