Power Options - Force 'Turn Off Monitor'

  • Thread starter Thread starter Poster Matt
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Poster Matt

Note OS: Win XP, Fully Up To Date.

I have a physical disability and have just bought a new 24 inch monitor
which is so big I have to have it quite far back on my desk. This means I
can't reach the power off button from my wheelchair - this isn't a major
problem I have an assistant who can turn it on in the morning and off in the
evening.

I've got my 'Power Options - Turn Off Monitor' set for 5 mins, but sometimes
it doesn't work - I think that's because I do quite a bit of video editing
and DVD authoring (professionally), I often start such a task and then leave
my PC running it while I take a screen break and do something else or pop
out. Of course and annoyingly that's exactly the time I want the power
options to power the monitor down and the time when it doesn't get powered
down, presumably because everything else on the PC, CPU, RAM, & disks, are
running at top speed!!

Is there any way to force to power options 'Turn Off Monitor' signal to be
sent? Of course the control panel phrase 'Turn Off Monitor' just means
'Power Down' till I start moving my mouse or hitting a key at which point
'Power Back Up' (I don't want the power to actually go off even if Windows
can do that).

So is there a utility around or a tip you guys can suggest to force the
power down to happen immediately?

Thanks and sorry to end up being so long winded about my question.

Cheers.
 
it might simply be
easier in the long
run to buy one of
these and control
the power more
conveniently:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0298891

I have two, one for
a set of printers and
the other for the pc
and peripherals.

although the unit
has four switches
there are six plugs,

which was boggling
to me at first.
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

"share the nirvana" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Poster said:
Note OS: Win XP, Fully Up To Date.

I have a physical disability and have just bought a new 24 inch
monitor which is so big I have to have it quite far back on my desk.
This means I can't reach the power off button from my wheelchair -
this isn't a major problem I have an assistant who can turn it on in
the morning and off in the evening.

I've got my 'Power Options - Turn Off Monitor' set for 5 mins, but
sometimes it doesn't work - I think that's because I do quite a bit of
video editing and DVD authoring (professionally), I often start such a
task and then leave my PC running it while I take a screen break and
do something else or pop out. Of course and annoyingly that's exactly
the time I want the power options to power the monitor down and the
time when it doesn't get powered down, presumably because everything
else on the PC, CPU, RAM, & disks, are running at top speed!!

Is there any way to force to power options 'Turn Off Monitor' signal
to be sent? Of course the control panel phrase 'Turn Off Monitor' just
means 'Power Down' till I start moving my mouse or hitting a key at
which point 'Power Back Up' (I don't want the power to actually go off
even if Windows can do that).

So is there a utility around or a tip you guys can suggest to force
the power down to happen immediately?

Thanks and sorry to end up being so long winded about my question.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
One possibility is that the mouse is jiggled occasionally. Example
jigglers include breeze from a window, breeze from central heating or
air conditioning duct, vibration from things in the house, vibrations
from passing traffic, etc. Of course when a mouse is jiggled, the
monitor timer is reset. If this might be your problem (it's a lot of
people's problem) get a soft pad to put the mouse on when you are not
using it. The idea is that the pad will damp the jiggles (AKA
vibrations) and if the pad surface is rough it will keep the mouse still
relative to the pad..

-- Jeff Barnett
 
Poster said:
Note OS: Win XP, Fully Up To Date.

I have a physical disability and have just bought a new 24 inch
monitor which is so big I have to have it quite far back on my desk.
This means I can't reach the power off button from my wheelchair -
this isn't a major problem I have an assistant who can turn it on in
the morning and off in the evening.

I've got my 'Power Options - Turn Off Monitor' set for 5 mins, but
sometimes it doesn't work - I think that's because I do quite a bit
of video editing and DVD authoring (professionally), I often start
such a task and then leave my PC running it while I take a screen
break and do something else or pop out. Of course and annoyingly
that's exactly the time I want the power options to power the monitor
down and the time when it doesn't get powered down, presumably
because everything else on the PC, CPU, RAM, & disks, are running at
top speed!!
Is there any way to force to power options 'Turn Off Monitor' signal
to be sent? Of course the control panel phrase 'Turn Off Monitor'
just means 'Power Down' till I start moving my mouse or hitting a key
at which point 'Power Back Up' (I don't want the power to actually go
off even if Windows can do that).

So is there a utility around or a tip you guys can suggest to force
the power down to happen immediately?

Thanks and sorry to end up being so long winded about my question.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

There are some 3rd party apps that will do approximately the same thing.
One I use is called "Blackout". Click it and the screen goes dark.
Move the mouse or press a key and it pops back in. Never had any issues
with it; like you, I just wanted to kill the screen when I left the
area. It also has a password capability when the screen comes back on,
but I haven't used it.
Do a web search for "screen blanker" or the like. I've lost
the source where i downloaded this one from; might have been wizmo or
gizmo.

Regards,

Twayne
 
Charlie said:
I ask a similar question recently and someone suggested the following
utility. I downloaded it and it works great.

http://www.grc.com:80/wizmo/wizmo.htm
Click to expand...

Great many thanks. Wizmo will do exactly what I want.

Thanks for all your replies. I'll also look into getting a desktop power
switch, that could be just the thing.

Cheers all.
 
Jeff Barnett said:
...
One possibility is that the mouse is jiggled occasionally. Example
jigglers include breeze from a window, breeze from central heating or air
conditioning duct, vibration from things in the house, vibrations from
passing traffic, etc. Of course when a mouse is jiggled, the monitor timer
is reset. ...
Click to expand...

There's also a possibility of triggering an activity which will
cause someone in Australia to send a nuclear submarine
to see if, against all hope, you're still alive.
 
Anthony Buckland said:
There's also a possibility of triggering an activity which will
cause someone in Australia to send a nuclear submarine
to see if, against all hope, you're still alive.
Click to expand...

Ahh, the old window blind and Coke bottle scenario, modernized
with a mouse button replacing the Morse key.
 
Anthony said:
There's also a possibility of triggering an activity which will
cause someone in Australia to send a nuclear submarine
to see if, against all hope, you're still alive.
Click to expand...

'On The Beach' right?!

I just love picking up on obscure literary references. :)
 
Ray said:
I used that for quite a while but it tended to get "buggy" on me and
caused occasional problems.

I found a simple file on the 'net called "MonOFF.exe", placed it in
"C:\" and created a quick-launch shortcut for it.

Nary a problem since.

http://www.techmynd.com/moniter-turn-off-shortcut-2/
Click to expand...

Well Wizmo seems to be working fine so far, but I've downloaded
Mointeroff.rar and will take a look at it tomorrow - maybe I'll prefer it
(though I like Wizmo's sound effect) and if Wizmo starts playing up I'll
have an alternative to hand.

Thanks for the info. Ray, appreciated. Thanks also guys for the nuclear
submarine / morse-to-mouse sub-thread, it made me smile.
 
Poster said:
Note OS: Win XP, Fully Up To Date.

I have a physical disability and have just bought a new 24 inch
monitor which is so big I have to have it quite far back on my desk.
This means I can't reach the power off button from my wheelchair -
this isn't a major problem I have an assistant who can turn it on in
the morning and off in the evening.

I've got my 'Power Options - Turn Off Monitor' set for 5 mins, but
sometimes it doesn't work - I think that's because I do quite a bit
of video editing and DVD authoring (professionally), I often start
such a task and then leave my PC running it while I take a screen
break and do something else or pop out. Of course and annoyingly
that's exactly the time I want the power options to power the monitor
down and the time when it doesn't get powered down, presumably
because everything else on the PC, CPU, RAM, & disks, are running at
top speed!!
Is there any way to force to power options 'Turn Off Monitor' signal
to be sent? Of course the control panel phrase 'Turn Off Monitor'
just means 'Power Down' till I start moving my mouse or hitting a key
at which point 'Power Back Up' (I don't want the power to actually go
off even if Windows can do that).

So is there a utility around or a tip you guys can suggest to force
the power down to happen immediately?

Thanks and sorry to end up being so long winded about my question.
Click to expand...

Power strip. Six bucks.
 
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