Overview
In many organisations there can be a requirement to lock the screen after a certain amount of time. In some special cases, such as for appliance or kiosk machines, there can also be a requirement to logoff the user or even shutdown the machine after it has been idle for a while.
Many organisations use a custom screensaver to achieve this task – when the screensaver is activated the machine logs off. However, the major downside with this approach is that the time required to “lock” the machine is almost always different to the time required for the “logoff”.
This is where the AutoIt Tools Logoff Screensaver comes in and it allows custom actions, additonal idling and the use of a “passthru” screensaver.
Version: v1.0.0
Last Updated: 29th Jan, 2011
Features
The following sections list the main features of the Logoff Screensaver.
Custom Idle Actions
Two custom actions can be performed with the screensaver:
- Logoff
- Shutdown
All running applications are forced to close, and the logoff or shutdown is initiated. After shutdown the machine is also powered off if supported by the hardware.
Custom Idle Time
Once the screensaver is started, instead of immediately logging of or shutting down it can be made to wait for an additional number of seconds. For example, if an organisation wanted to lock the machine after 15 minutes and then force logoff after an additional 15 minutes the configuration would be performed as follows:
- Standard Screensaver options: Wait 15 mins, lock workstation on resume
- LogoffScreensaver options: Wait 900 seconds (15 mins) and then logoff
Passthru Screensavers
By default, the Logoff Screensaver will simply blank the screen and wait for the Idle Time to expire before performing a logoff or shutdown. Alternatively, a “passthru” screensaver can be used. For example, instead of a blank screen you could launch one of the inbuilt screensavers such as “Mystify” or a custom corporate screensaver.
Group Policy Management
All options of the Logoff Screensaver can be centrally managed via Group Policy. Custom administrative template (.adm or .admx) files are supplied with the download.
License
Use of the Logoff Screensaver is free for both personal and corporate use. However, as the tool is clearly aimed at large organisations a donation from those intending to use it widely would be appreciated and this would help support the creation of future tools and upkeep of the website.
Customised binary versions of the tool without the AutoIt branding are also available for licensing for those wishing to make a larger donation. Use the Contact page to get in touch.
Installation
Windows XP SP3 or later with the .NET Framework v2.0
To install, simply copy the LogoffScreensaver.scr file into the \Windows\System32 folder of the machine.
For Group Policy management, add the supplied .adm template into your Group Policy store. The options are found under Classic Administrative Templates \ AutoIt Tools \ LogoffScreensaver.
