No screensaver in Suse-10.1
 

I'am having problem with starting the screensaver in Suse-10.1, I can go into Configure Desktop and screensaver to start in 5 minutes, run test on random screensavers , but in 5 minutes screen goes dark and no screensaver.
I have gone into the KDE Control Center and cannot find the location the below sentence specifies, what is path ?

There's a checkbox on the control panel screensaver settings page called "Make aware of power management".


Jim

If I type in kdesktop_lock from the terminal prompt, the screensaver starts, but it won't start on it's own after 5 minutes, screen just goes blank/dark what ever.

Jim

Do you have nvidia drivers installed?

No, it's running a ATI 9250 agp with "radeon" driver.

Jim

have you got the screensaver set to 5 minutes and the "turn monitor off" also set to 5 minutes in the power management settings?

easy way to check....
set the screensaver to 3 mins,

if it comes on for 2 mins then goes to a blank screen then this will be the problem!

I have the same kind of problem. My screensaver was working fine when I first installed SUSE 10.1 then there was an upgrade to KDEBASE and the screen has not work sence then. I have it set to 1 min with power manager set to off. I have a big round clock set and like to look at the screen to see what time it is but not for the last several weeks.

check:
xset (DPMS and blanking)
sax2 -> monitor -DPMS
kpowersave monitor options
desktop properties -> monitor power options

I did submited bug about the above problem, I am planning to submit usability bug (four apps for one setting each works independently?)

finally, you may use xscreensaver instead of kscreensaver (works usually)

Obviously, there is a question about ATI. I have nVidia.
Currently kscreensaver and xscreensaver work for me, but my settings may not work for you.

What syntaxs would you use for the xset command.
And the other commands , I'm not sure howto run them.

Thanks
Jim

#xset -q

and look for
prefer blanking: no
DPMS is Enabled

if you will have
prefer blanking: no yes
DPMS is Enabled

then first change blanking only
#xset s noblank

test your screensaver
if it works than that is all. If not then next run
#xset -dpms

test your screensaver with both options off

In my case settings:
prefer blanking: no
DPMS is Enabled
work

Last hurdle: it is possible that after each logout/login/restart xset options will revert, in that case make small script (e.g)
screvsaver.sh
and add this line
xset s noblank
or
xset -dpms
or both if needed

save it and make executable
copy to
~/.kde/Autostart

This should do. Unfortunately any combination of the above xset settings may be required.
Also remember about Kpowersave options, Desktop properties options and sax2 options.

I hope that this will help

I have an ATI 9600xt video card I tried setting
prefer blanking: no
DPMS is Enabled
and
DPMS is off
and still no screensaver. I have used this same clock in SUSE 7, 8, 9, 10 and it worked at first in 10.1 then it just stopped. I have considered reloading 10.1 from scratch to see what update brakes it but that would be a give up. I gave up on mysql in 10 and 10.1 already I will fix this stupid clock somehow if it takes forever.

As I mentioned: there are other DPMS options to check, and I can't guarantee that this will work more so with ATI as I never used ATI cards and I can't troubleshoot screensaver blanking.



As I mentioned above, you can try xscreensaver instead of kscreensaver.

Thanks Broch
I tryed your settings and they worked, but I,m not sure which one did.
I ran the xset and kpower and I'm back in business.

Thanks Very Much
Jim

The key was:
kpowersave
And that started the screensaver.
How do you enter this line in /.kde/Autostart.
Do you create text file and enter line ?
Or do you make a bash execute file?

Thanks
Jim

use whatever editor you wish. I am used to vi, but you can use kate, ed, joe. does not really matter.

If you need to set blanking off, then add this line:
xset s noblank
save (for example as saver.sh) , make executable and copy to
~/.kde/Autostart

broch
I too have suffered the same problem very recently (within the last two or three days), so was very glad to see the solution here. In my case I needed to enable DPMS and then my screensaver worked again. However I am experiencing the "last hurdle" you mention, ie after I log out, DPMS reverts back to disabled.

I have never written a script in my life, but have done the following in gedit:

#!/bin/bash
xset +dpms

and saved this as a file called screensaver.sh into my home directory

then

chmod +x screensaver.sh

and copied it to ~/.kde/Autostart (There was only one existing file in the Autostart directory, called .directory.)

However, when I log out and log back in again, the xset option still reverts back to DPMS being disabled. If I manually run the script by changing to the ~/.kde/Autostart directory and using the command ./screensaver.sh and then check xset (by # xset -q), DPMS changes to enabled. Therefore I assume my script is OK, but it is not auto running when I log in. Can you help me at all here, please?

Many thanks