OVERVIEW -------- UZBlank is a screen blanking program designed specifically for power-managed laptop computers running MS Windows 3.x, although it can also be used with desktop systems. In contrast to existing screen savers, whose main purpose is to save the screen pixels from wearing out, and to provide some entertainment value, UZBlank's purpose is to save power on the laptop, by blanking the screen when it has been idle for a configurable period of time. It has been designed to be at least as good as the default MS Windows screen saver. There are several features of UZBlank which distinguish it from other screen savers: - UZBlank uses the Advanced Power Management (APM) features of modern laptop computers to power off devices (eg. the display) when running in battery-operated mode, in order to save power. Since APM is still fairly recent, not all laptops have the most powerful APM features. UZBlank will try the most power-efficient strategy for your system. - UZBlank does not waste CPU cycles (which consume power!) when operating in battery-operated mode. It does not display any fancy graphics, because they also waste display power. - UZBlank incorporates password-protected screen locking functionality which automatically locks the screen after a selectable amount of time after blanking or being suspended (partially powered off), or always on resume. This prevents other people from seeing your data, if you are forced to leave your laptop in unsecured areas. In addition, if your laptop has password protection at the ROM BIOS level, there is effectively no way to access the computer short of dismantling it (draining the battery does not help if your ROM BIOS password is in NVRAM!). This thwarts casual unwanted access at your data by other people. - UZBlank has a more insensitive mouse unblanking mechanism, for those (frequent) situations where the laptop is being moved around (as in an airplane, train, etc). INSTALLATION ------------ There are many ways to install UZBlank, and one simple alternative is to follow these instructions: 1) Make a separate directory (using mkdir from the DOS prompt) and copy the files from your distribution medium (either extract it from a downloaded archive file (PKZIP, LHARC, ZOO, ...), or copy from the diskette) into that directory. It is highly recommended to install into a newly created directory, so that you can easily upgrade or uninstall later. NOTE: if you have a previous version of UZBlank, we still recommend installing into a new directory. For example, if you named the old directory UZBLANK, you can rename it to UZBLANK.OLD. After having installed the new software, copy the old license file (eg. UZBLANK.OLD\UZBLANK.LIC ) to the freshly installed directory. This will save you the time (and cost!) of reregistering the software. 2) if you have not done so already, create a new program item in the "Startup" program group, so that UZBlank starts running when Windows starts. You can do this in the Program Manager either by a) dragging the "UZBlank" executable file from the File Manager into the "Startup" program group (consult your Windows manual); or by a) restoring the "Startup" program group (for example, by double-clicking on its icon). If you do not have a "Startup" program group, you can add the the new program to any of the other program groups; and b) choosing the "File" and "New..." menu entry of the Program Manager. Choose "Program item" and hit "OK". Set its "Description" to "UZBlank", its "Command Line" to "uzblank" and its working directory to the directory where you installed the UZBlank files. When you are done, the "UZBlank" icon should be in the currently selected program group. 3) disable any existing screen savers (including any previous version of UZBlank), either through the Desktop icon in the Control Panel (set the "Screensaver" item to "None"), or explicitely by closing them. If you start your other screensaver (for example, IdleWild) from WIN.INI, you'll have to disable it by using the System Editor to remove it from the "load=" line. 4) double-click on the UZBlank icon, or restart Windows (to verify that it works). UZBlank is started when its icon shows at the bottom of the desktop. To uninstall UZBlank in the event you are not going to use it, simply reverse the steps above, that is: 1) stop running the UZBlank program. 2) remove the program item from any program group that you added it to. 3) remove the files from the directory where you copied them to. 4) reenable the old screen saver, if you had one. USAGE ----- UZBlank runs purely as an icon, with 3 additional menu options in its System menu. These options are displayed and selectable when you single-click the left mouse button on its (running) icon. - The "About" menu option displays version and licensing information. - The "Settings" option allows to configure several parameters: - "Blank time" specifies the number of minutes of inactivity after which UZBlank will blank the screen. This is merely an indication to the user that the system has been idle for a while. On any input (mouse or keyboard), the original display is immediately restored, unless the screen has been locked as described below. The recommended setting is 1 minute. - "Display standby time" specifies the number of minutes of idleness that UZBlank will try to power manage the display. If your laptop is capable, then (only) the display will be powered off (to conserve battery life). On any input (mouse or keyboard), the original display is immediately restored, unless the screen has been locked as described below. The recommended setting is 2 minutes. - "Global suspend time" specifies the number of minutes of idleness until UZBlank will suspend the entire system, but ONLY IF it is currently running on battery power. In this mode, the laptop uses the least amount of power, and you are able to (almost) instantaneously power it up. This is equivalent to you pressing the "Suspend" button on your laptop (or equivalent, please read your manual), and no programs will run in this condition. You can resume by hitting the "Restore" button (if your system has one, or the "Suspend" button again), and the original display is restored, unless the screen has been locked as described below. The recommended setting is 3 minutes, unless you often run programs unattended while on battery power, in which case you want to make this number bigger. - "Unblank on Mouse Move" allows you to select whether to restore the blanked screen with the mouse or not. Even though UZBlank already has an insensitive mouse unblanking mechanism, you may want to disable this if your mouse still is sensitive, or you are using your computer in an environment that make you move the mouse inadvertently. The recommended setting is to select this item. - "Password >>" pressing this button brings up the Password Locking options described below. - "Lock time" specifies the number of minutes of idleness until UZBlank will lock the screen. You will be forced to enter a password if you want to access your screen. This feature is also enabled if your computer has been suspended for the specified amount of time (regardless or not whether it was idle at the time of being suspended). You can resume by entering the password. The only other way to get into the system is by powering it off. If your laptop has a ROM BIOS password (as most do nowadays), your system can only be accessed by someone knowlegeable dismantling it. If you are concerned, contact your laptop vendor and get the details! The recommended setting is 60 minutes, unless you operate in an unsecure environment, in which case you want to make this smaller. - "Password" and "Verify password" text items allow you to select your password. You will have to type the same password in both fields. UZBlank will not lock the screen, if you have not set your password! We recommend that you select the same password as your ROM BIOS password, or choose another well-remembered, yet not easily guessed-at string. If you ever forget your password, you'll have to turn off the computer, and reset it again. NOTE: be careful about your "Caps Lock" key, as the password is case-sensitive. - "Lock on Resume" this option enforces password locking on every resume from suspended mode, regardless of the other parameters. Use this if you are in a very unsecure environment. The recommended setting is off. - The "Lock now" menu option allows you to lock the screen immediately. You can use this if you expect to be away from your computer and don't want people looking at your data. LIMITATIONS ----------- Due to "features" of the Windows environment, UZBlank has the following limitations: - it will not blank if a window of the class "tty" is active, such as any Non-Windows Application in a Program Manager program item. This is the same behaviour as the default Windows screen saver mechanism, but we are working on it. NOTE: the password locking feature will work on power-up from the suspended state regardless of whether a Non-Windows application is active in "windowed" mode. - it will not control the system while a Non-Windows Application is running in "Full-Screen mode". In particular, the password-locking feature will not work while the full-screen application is running. We recommend to run Non-Windows Applications in "Windowed" mode, as controlled through the PIF Editor application. - the (malicious) intruder can always power off the system, so if your PC does not have a boot-time password, UZBlank only prevents casual access at the data (ie. without you knowing it). If your boot-time password lives in memory powered by the battery, the intruder will be forced to drain the battery (either wait a long time, or dismantle the PC; I am purposefully omitting details here) If you care about this, ask your PC vendor to give you decent protection for your PC with a boot-time password in NVRAM! SUPPORT ------- If you are a registered user, UZful Software provides on-line support via e-mail at uzful@mv.mv.com . When you report a problem, please include - the version of UZBlank that you are running, - the type of PC you have, and - the symptoms of the problem (any special circumstances that make the problem appear? How often does it occur? Can you reproduce the problem?). The more info you provide, the quicker we can fix it. If you have additional suggestions on how to make the program even more useful, please drop us a line. UZful Software "We make the useful simple."