Screenblur for Windows offers advanced screen locking features
While it is pretty easy to lock the screen of your Windows system, for instance by using the shortcut Windows-L, it is fair to say that the native locking mechanism is basic at best.
Locking can be essential, especially if there is a chance that other people may access the PC while you are away from it. This can be at work, at home, in an Internet Cafe, or anywhere else where this may happen.
If you lock the screen, you protect the PC from being accessed right away. Given enough time, it is possible to get around that, but locking has never been designed to be an effective protection against people who have all the time in the world to gain access to the PC and its data.
As I mentioned earlier, the lock functionality is limited. While you can lock and unlock the PC easily, you may find out that it is quite complicated to enable the automatic locking of the screen for example.
Screenblur Review
Screenblur is a free program for Windows that introduces advanced locking features to the operating system.
Note: it requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 or higher, and is compatible with all versions of Windows from Windows XP onwards.
One of the most helpful features that it adds to the whole process is the ability to automate the locking of the computer easily. Just set the desired idle time in minutes and Screenblur will lock the screen if the computer has been idle for that time.
You can block the automated process from becoming active when you are watching a full screen movie, and re-enable it after a set period of time.
Here you can also configure that the PC is locked automatically on restart or resume. There is also an option to change the PC's state to sleep, hiberate or power off after a set amount of lcok time.
First thing you are asked to do when you start the program for the first time is to set a password. This password is being used to unlock the screen.
The application ships with a whole batch of hotkeys that you can make use of. None are enabled by default, but you can configure shortcuts for locking the screen, toggling the desktop blackout, temporarily disabling lock on idle, or opening the program's settings.
Another interesting feature is the ability to set custom background images for the lock screen. You can use one of the images that ship with the program, or use an image that you load from your PC.
The lock screen uses an opacity of 80 by default, which means that some information shine through when locked. If you dislike that, change the opacity level under interface to 100, so that the background is not visible at all anymore.
Verdict
Screenblur can be a handy program for Windows users who want more control over the screen locking process. While some of its functionality is available natively, it is not the case for all of it, and those that are, are easily configured in the program while you may go through some length if you use Windows' means to do the same.
Now Read: Improve Windows' Lock Screen functionality with WinLockr
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What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help