Screen Saver - Toggle On or Off - Add to Desktop Context Menu

How to Add "Enable/Disable Screen Saver" to Desktop Context Menu​

   Information

This will show you how to add Enable/Disable Screen Saver to the Desktop context menu for users to be able to quickly toggle their screen saver on or off when say watching a movie or playing a game in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

While you must be logged in as an administrator to be able to add or remove this from the context menu, all users on the computer will be able to use the context menu item.

   Note

If you use the option (step 2) below that will play a sound, then it will speak "The Screen Saver has been disabled" to indicate the screen saver has been disabled (turned off), and speak "The Screen Saver has been enabled" to indicate the screen saver has been enabled (turned on).

When you toggle the screen saver to be enabled using this context menu item, Windows will still use the same screen saver that you had set to run before you toggled it disabled.

EXAMPLE: Enable/Disable Screen Saver added to Desktop Context Menu

OPTION ONE

To Add "Enable/Disable Screen Saver" to Desktop Context Menu

1. Do either step 2 or 3 below for the context menu item that you would like to add.

2. To Toggle Enable/Disable Screen Saver with Sound Played A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop, and go to step 4 below.
NOTE: When you click on the Enable/Disable Screen Saver context menu item using this option, you will hear the .wav sound file play only if Window Media Player is set as the default program for .wav files. If you do not have Window Media Player turned on in Windows Features, then you will get a error instead of the sound playing. Add_Enable-Disable_Screen-Saver_to_Context_Menu_with_SOUND.zip


Download


3. To Toggle Enable/Disable Screen Saver without Sound A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop, and go to step 4 below.
NOTE: This option is if you do not want to have the .wav sound play when you use the Enable/Disable Screen Saver context menu item, or if you get an error from using step 1 since you have Windows Media Player turned off in Windows Features. Add_Enable-Disable_Screen-Saver_to_Context_Menu.zip


Download


4. Double click/tap on the downloaded ZIP file, and extract (drag and drop) both the .reg and .vbs files below to your desktop.

5. Unblock the extracted .vbs file.

6. Right click on the extracted and unblocked vbs, and click on Copy.

7. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the C:\Windows folder. Right click or press and hold on an empty area in the C:\Window folder, click/tap on Paste, then click/tap on Continue and Yes (UAC) if prompted. Close the Windows Explorer window.

8. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

9. If prompted, click/tap on Run,Yes (UAC-Windows 7/8) or Continue (UAC-Vista), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

10. Enable/Disable Screen Saver has now been added to the context menu.

11. You can delete the download files left on your desktop now if you would like to.

OPTION TWO

To Remove "Enable/Disable Screen Saver" from Desktop Context Menu

NOTE: This is the default setting. 1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop. Remove_Enable-Disable_Screen-Saver_from_Context_Menu.reg


Download


2. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

3. If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7/8) or Continue (UAC-Vista), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

4. Enable/Disable Screen Saver has now been removed from the context menu.

5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the C:\Windows folder, right click or press and hold on the file below, click/tap on Delete, and Yes (if prompted). Toggle_Enable-Disable_Screen-Saver.vbs

OR

Toggle_Enable-Disable_Screen-Saver_with_SOUND.vbs
6. You can now delete the download reg file if you would like to.



That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Change the Screen Saver in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Turn Screen Saver On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Screen Savers in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8

 

[Brink]

Okey doke. Posting here is fine if you like.

 

[pxfragonard]

Hi Shawn. Because of a conflict with playing music (the script closes WMP), I thought I'd do some research and try a box instead. It works except the box doesn't get killed after showing up the way WMP does. Here's what I've got so far:

Registry = "HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\ScreenSaveActive"
Set Command1 = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set command2 = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Set oVoice = CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice")
Check = Command1.RegRead(Registry)
If Check = 1 Then
Command1.RegWrite Registry, 0, "REG_SZ"
x=msgbox("screen saver has been disabled" ,0, SSD)
WScript.sleep 1000
command2.Run "taskkill /f /im wscript.exe", 0
Else
Command1.RegWrite Registry, 1, "REG_SZ"
x=msgbox("screen saver has been enabled" ,0, SSD)
WScript.sleep 1000
command2.Run "taskkill /f /im wscript.exe", 0
End If

And please tell me if you're offended or I've broken any rules or shown bad manners in reverse engineering your code.

 

[Brink]

I'm not offended at all. I thought that I had removed the bit about killing WMP since it was no longer used in the script. Thank you for letting me know.

I have updated the .vbs file from step 1 in OPTION ONE. Please try the new version, and let me know how it works for you now.

 

[pxfragonard]

Super, Shawn. Works without closing or even interrupting the music playing on WMP. Just runs simultaneously! Thanks!

 

[Brink]

Perfect.

 

[pxfragonard]

BTW, I figured out how to make the box notice disappear too. I just dragged the .vbs file to the taskbar and clicked the scripts icon. I clicked the box to make it time out in 1 second. Now a box opens that says "Screen saver is enabled" or "Screen saver is disabled" and disappears.

 

[Brink]

Good news.

 

[MourningStar]

Shawn, this is a great tutorial - thx! Works great UNLESS:

I notice that when the toggle state is in 'off' mode and the Screensaver Settings has the 'On resume, display logon screen' box checked that the logon on screen displays after the "Wait' period. Thoughts?

 

[Brink]

I don't think that can be bypassed other than unchecking the "On resume..." box.

 

[MourningStar]

I don't think that can be bypassed other than unchecking the "On resume..." box.

Thx Shawn -

I am curious as to how to know if the computer is in the off or on state other than having to wait for the Screen Saver Setting 'wait' period. I think it would be so cool if an icon like the Recycle bin (e.g. wastebasket with/without waste) could be developed for this.

Thoughts?

 

[Brink]

I'm afraid I don't know for that.

 

[dohouch]

thank You Shawn

 

[Brink]

I'm glad it could help.

 

[dohouch]

Hi
Any chance that rather than an "Audio" notification the script could produce a visual notification. I did change default handler for WAV away from Windows Media Player hoping i would get error message, but I don't it plays in VLC or "Small Media Player aka Cool Player"
Thanks


PS Brink Yesterday noticed you are from Oklahoma and shortly afterwards some people on the radio were talking about this new book "Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, its Chaotic Founding... its Purloined Basketball " you might be interested. Or maybe not

 

[Brink]

Thank you dohouch. It looks interesting.

 

[bundyal]

Hello,

Can someone post this file for me please,

Add "Enable/Disable Screen Saver" to Desktop Context Menu
To Toggle Enable/Disable Screen Saver with Sound Played

Thank you

 

[Brink]

Hello,

Can someone post this file for me please,

Add "Enable/Disable Screen Saver" to Desktop Context Menu
To Toggle Enable/Disable Screen Saver with Sound Played

Thank you

Hello,

You should be able to click on the blue download button to get the ZIP file.

 

[bundyal]

Hello,

You should be able to click on the blue download button to get the ZIP file.

I have already done that, but it's to old to download the files.

 

[Brink]

I have already done that, but it's to old to download the files.

I'm not sure what you mean by "to old to download". Could you provide more details?

When you click on the download button, it should let you select where to save it.

 

[bundyal]

I'm not sure what you mean by "to old to download". Could you provide more details?

When you click on the download button, it should let you select where to save it.

If i click on it, i get this message.

You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. You are not logged in. Fill in the form at the bottom of this page and try again.
2. You may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
3. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

The administrator may have required you to register before you can view this page.

But i am login already ???