Screensavers and Group Policy

Screensaver Enabled

Settings for enabling screensaver can be found in your Content Manager. Go to App Management >> Windows App Profiles. When Enable Screensaver is selected, the SnapComms client / app periodically checks and applies SnapComms screensaver settings. If Allow SnapComms to enforce Screensaver and Allow SnapComms to control timeout is selected, the SnapComms app will attempt to control these settings on the local PC; if a Group Policy is also in place then the Group Policy will set these values, over writing the SnapComms settings which can lead to conflict and unexpected behavior.  If you wish for SnapComms to control screensaver or timeout, it is highly recommended that any Group Policy screensaver is disabled.

When Enable Screensaver is selected the following registry settings are set to a value of 1 (on):​

SnapComms client / app all versions

HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveActive

32 bit
HKLM/Software/SnapComms App/Settings/screensaver.install.enabled

64 bit
HKLM/Software/Wow6432Node/SnapComms App/Settings/screensaver.install.enabled

Screensaver Image

Enable Screensaver sets the Windows Screensaver to Snap Screensaver, therefore taking control of the Windows Screensaver images and the Wait time.

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A file called SnapSCR.scr is created.

The file SnapSCR.scr is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\SnapComms\App\xxx.

Note: xxx is the app version number minus the year and month e.g. If you installed SnapComms app version 17.1.925.0, the file is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\SnapComms\App\925.

If Install to Windows folder is selected, the file SnapSCR.scr is located in C:\Windows.
If Install to Windows folder is deselected, the file SnapSCR.scr is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\SnapComms\App\xxx.

Note: xxx is the app version number minus the year and month e.g. If you installed SnapComms app version 17.1.1070.0, the file is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\SnapComms\App\1070.

The following registry entry is set to point to the location of SnapSCR.scr:

HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/SCRNSAVE.EXE

Screensaver Wait time

Timeout in minutes sets the Windows Screensaver Wait time, therefore setting how long the machine must be idle before the Screensaver activates.

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The following registry settings are set to the time you specified (default is 10 minutes which is 600 seconds in the registry):

32 bit
HKLM/Software/SnapComms App/Settings/screensaver.timoutinsecs

64 bit
HKLM/Software/Wow6432Node/SnapComms App/Settings/screensaver.timeoutinsecs

The following registry setting is changed to match the above registry values each time the SnapComms client / app polls (default every 120 seconds):
HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveTimeOut

Note: if a user is able to change the Screensaver Wait time (i.e. has access to Control Panel), or Group Policy is applied to change the Screensaver Wait time, the HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveTimeOut registry setting will only be temporarily changed until the SnapComms client / app polls again.

If Allow SnapComms to control timeout is deselected, the registry setting HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveTimeOut will be unaffected when the client polls.

Group Policy Settings

To enable SnapComms Screensavers while still having Group Policy management over some or all Screensavers, Enable Screensaver should be selected, Allow SnapComms to enforce Screensaver and Allow SnapComms to control timeout should be deselected.



With the above settings, SnapComms Screensaver will work for all users with the SnapComms app version 17.3.1070.0 or higher installed, however group policy can override the SnapComms Screensaver image and / or Wait time.

If Group Policy controls the following three registry settings, conflicts will occur if the SnapComms Screensaver is enabled:

HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveActive
HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/SCRNSAVE.EXE
HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveTimeOut

Note: Other Group Policy settings do not conflict with the SnapComms Screensaver. e.g. It is possible to use "On resume, display logon screen" with the SnapComms Screensavers via Group Policy that sets the following registry key to a value of 1 (on):

HKCU/Control Panel/Desktop/ScreenSaveIsSecure