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Lion OS Screen Saver bug.

My screen saver keeps trying to activate, even while I am typing. At whatever interval I set for the screensaver, it starts to activate regardless of whether I am typing or scrolling. How do I force the screensaver to activate only AFTER a period of inactivity?

iPhone 4, iOS 4, MacBookPro

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 1:52 PM

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39 replies

Aug 7, 2011 10:07 AM in response to pinchvalve

Me too. Very annoying. I am just turning on a simple built-in screensaver like Arabesque or Flurry and no go. Set the timer to say three minutes and I can be working away non-stop and the thing kicks in on time. You cannot turn on a screensaver. I should add that I have also set the "ask for password immediately after sleep or screensaver" setting on in the "Security & Privacy" panel.

Nov 4, 2011 8:38 AM in response to pinchvalve

I have the same issue. Screen saver seemed to pop up 'randomly'. Here's what I've determined:


MacBook Pro, 15-inch, mid-2010

2.4 GHz Intel Core i5

4GB 1067 MHz DDR3

Intel HD Graphics 288MB

Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2

Air Display 1.5.0


I had the screensaver to kick in after 5 minutes of inactivity. After looking at the Avatron website (makers of AirDisplay), I started timing the screensaver to see how long it would take to kick in. Turns out it kicks in after 5 minutes, regardless of activity or inactivity! Getting out of screensaver resets the clock. So it's not 'random' at all.


Also from the Avatron website: ( http://avatron.com/forums/read.php?9,14490 )


***


We're still trying to piece together reports about this. Here's what we think we know, but haven't posted yet because we're not quite solid on the details:

It appears that with the early 2011 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models (the only Macs with the NVIDIA GeForce 330M), the screen saver (or screen lock) will kick in at whatever time it's scheduled for, EVEN IF you've been moving the mouse or using the keyboard. But as far as we can tell it's only on those models. The workaround (not necessarily recommended, depending on your usage patterns) is to set the screen saver duration to be longer than the sleep duration. So for example, sleep after 30 minutes, but turn on the screen saver after 1 hour. I think. If you could try this workaround, it would be great to hear your results.

Fortunately, we do have a couple of machines that we can reproduce the problem with, so we'll definitely try to isolate the problem and report the details, but we need to understand it a little better before we can do that.

It doesn't appear likely that this is something we'll be able to fix, as it affects machines with ANY third-party video driver installed, not just ours. I believe the fix will have to come from Apple, along with the fixes for a few other NVIDIA GeForce driver bugs.

More info soon...

Dave Howell

Avatron Software, Inc.


***


Hope this helps other folks diagnose their problem.


Dec 1, 2011 1:48 PM in response to pinchvalve

Hi again.


Great news: In Mac OS X 10.7.2, Apple has fixed compatibility with Air Display on all but four particular MacBook Pro models. We've just issued a new version of the Mac support software for Air Display that enables the drivers on all of the machines that work on Lion. If you have Air Display installed, please select "Check For Updates" in the Air Display menu. And update to Mac OS X 10.7.2.


The Air Display 1.5.1 virtual video driver will still disable itself on these MBP models:

  • 15" MacBook Pro (late 2008 and mid 2009)
  • 17" MacBook Pro (early and mid 2009).


Dave at Avatron

Dec 3, 2011 12:56 PM in response to Avatron

It still doesn't work for me.


I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro, 2.66Ghz i7, Mid 2010, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, running 10.7.2 and Air Display 1.5.1


The screensaver still activates at the specified interval (e.g. 15 minutes) whether or not there has been mouse movement. The other way I can tell is that after booting up, when sitting on the login prompt, the screensaver automatically starts before I've even touched the keyboard to login.


Sorry. I had to uninstall again.

Dec 28, 2011 2:53 PM in response to Avatron

Hey, Dave -


I too am still experiencing the problem. I've tried the fix of extending the screensaver time past the power saver time, but I still have random interruptions from the screensaver. I know you are working on this as best as you can, and counting on Apple to do something on their end, but could you provide us with a timeline or plan of attack to get this resolved?


This has the potentiality to be a great tool, but as of right now it is a distraction that interferes with, rather than enhance, my productivity.


Here are my specs:


  • MacBook Pro: 15-inch, Mid 2010
  • 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 512 MB
  • OS X Lion 10.7.2
  • Air Display 1.5.1


Thank you for your work on this, and I look forward to seeing it resolved!


Sten-Erik

Feb 9, 2012 2:50 PM in response to pinchvalve

I have the opposite problem - the screen saver kicks in once and that's it. It will not start again unless the machne is re-started. Hot corners works occasionally. Does anyone have this problem - I don't really want to mess with files as the iMac is only 36 hours "old". I have a support call nooked for tomorrow as there are quite a few issues apart from the screen saver.

Lion OS Screen Saver bug.

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