Phantom boxes on the tool bar

Why do I get these Phantom boxes on the tool bar?
For example, I dont use a screen saver, but apparently my monitor has
one built in and it blanks out if I'm not on the puter. Then there is
a box in the toolbar that says "screen saver". Later I will find this
box with these words, or just a blank box. Clicking on it makes it go
away. Why does this happen?

wrote in :

Why do I get these Phantom boxes on the tool bar?
For example, I dont use a screen saver, but apparently my monitor has
one built in and it blanks out if I'm not on the puter. Then there is
a box in the toolbar that says "screen saver". Later I will find this
box with these words, or just a blank box. Clicking on it makes it go
away. Why does this happen?



Somewhere on your machine there IS a screensaver. Or at least some power
setting that turns off the monitor after some time. The blank taskbar boxes
happen to me at times, usually from some program that got shut down
unusually, or whose shutdown wasn't fully detected by Explorer. I don'
t understand it fully, it's never seemed to need deep explorarion because it
seems to cause no harm.

On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:45:22 -0600, Lostgallifreyan
wrote:

wrote in :

Why do I get these Phantom boxes on the tool bar?
For example, I dont use a screen saver, but apparently my monitor has
one built in and it blanks out if I'm not on the puter. Then there is
a box in the toolbar that says "screen saver". Later I will find this
box with these words, or just a blank box. Clicking on it makes it go
away. Why does this happen?



Somewhere on your machine there IS a screensaver. Or at least some power
setting that turns off the monitor after some time. The blank taskbar boxes
happen to me at times, usually from some program that got shut down
unusually, or whose shutdown wasn't fully detected by Explorer. I don'
t understand it fully, it's never seemed to need deep explorarion because it
seems to cause no harm.

If there is, I sure cant find where it it......
I always disable all those sort of things, like savers and power
management stuff. It's annoying and on the older systems some of that
stuff would cause a system crash. Especially the hard drive power
down setting. I believe that was in Win95 where it would always cause
a complete system lockup. Maybe even the first ver of 98. I just
dont use any of that stuff. If I plan to leave the computer for hours
I shut it off.

I do agree those phantom boxes are harmless, just bizarre!!!

wrote in
:

On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:45:22 -0600, Lostgallifreyan
wrote:

wrote in
m:

Why do I get these Phantom boxes on the tool bar?
For example, I dont use a screen saver, but apparently my
monitor has one built in and it blanks out if I'm not on
the puter. Then there is a box in the toolbar that says

You ****ing morn, monitors do NOT have built in screen savers.
Perhaps you were stupid enough to install all the **** on the
CD which MAY have come with your L****CD monitor, and that's
how you got it.

"screen saver". Later I will find this box with these
words, or just a blank box. Clicking on it makes it go
away. Why does this happen?

PEBKAC.

snip

[I disabled my KF, that's why I saw this bit of your
brilliance shining out of your ass and lighting up the Usenet]

On 11/11/2011 03:07 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:06:36 -0600, wrote:




No

your monitor does not have a built-in screen saver,
the screen saver is a part of your operating system.
Look at power options


I have EVERYTHING in power management set to NEVER. I have no screen
saver set, It's NOT in my OS (win98se), anywhere. I thought it could
be in the bios, it's not. Until about a year ago I had a CRT monitor.
That never went blank. I bought this Dell LCD monitor and ever since
I have this unwanted screen saver. Oh, it's not all that much of a
problem, but there are times I like to sit back and watch tv or have a
snack, and occasionally glance over to my computer to see if my
download is complete, or I got an email, and the damn screen is black,
so I have to go over to the keyboard to be able to see the screen
again. I can only figure the saver is built into the monitor and it
sends a signal back to the puter that says "screen saver".


Annoying is the word.



Weird

If you are sure it's the monitor
then go to the website of it's mfg and download the manual
and look at the power saving options

wrote in :

Somewhere on your machine there IS a screensaver. Or at least some power
setting that turns off the monitor after some time. The blank taskbar
boxes happen to me at times, usually from some program that got shut
down unusually, or whose shutdown wasn't fully detected by Explorer. I
don' t understand it fully, it's never seemed to need deep explorarion
because it seems to cause no harm.

If there is, I sure cant find where it it......
I always disable all those sort of things, like savers and power
management stuff.

So do I, which is why I think you may have found something that goes beyond
the normal situation. First check that it really IS all disabled, obviously,
you might have nissed one, but then do a search for *.SCR files. Make that
systemwide, all drives. If you find one that is obviously part of original
Windows install, double-click it to see if it runs a screensaver. SCR files
are run just like EXE files, you can change the file extension and run it the
same way. This means that they can be a vehicle to run code, so are a way to
attack a system. So if you are unsure of any SCR file you find, treat it the
same way as an untrusted executable file. In fact, treat it with more care,
as if it is told not to run, it should not be running.

One thing you can do:

Use REGEDIT to save these two branches to file:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.scr]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\scrfile]


Then delete them from the registry. This way, no SCR file will have any
meaning in your machine, it might as well be some obscure data file for all
your system knows about it. if you REALLY want a screensaver, finds it's SCR,
rename it as Filename.EXE, and run it as an EXE when you want it, manually.

wrote in :

I bought this Dell LCD monitor and ever since
I have this unwanted screen saver.

Carefull, correlate that bearing in mind that even if the monitor has one
built in (definitely possible, if unlikely), it won't be able to put taskbar
buttons into your OS shell.

If you're sure that SCR file launches are disabled, and it still returns, it
basically proves you have one somewhere that already IS an exe file, or has
some other way to launch.

While you're at it, have a look at the SYSTEM.INI file, look under [BOOT], se
if the line "shell=Explorer.exe" exists exactly as I wrote it. If not, what
does it say? This might be important if there is ANY difference there. Also
cheack StartUp menu directory, and check these registry branches too:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\RunServices
Do this often enough to remain familiar with what you see there, so you
notice if something turns up there that shouldn't. Notice especially that
some standard entries there run a DLL as as an executable file. This may be
how you're getting a weird screensaver, and like the SCR method, is a way
people can launch arbitrary code without the user noticing it so easily as
with an EXE, so it really pays to get familiar with this.

In message , MSVPforveer
writes:
wrote in
:

On Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:45:22 -0600, Lostgallifreyan
wrote:

wrote in
:

Why do I get these Phantom boxes on the tool bar?
For example, I dont use a screen saver, but apparently my
monitor has one built in and it blanks out if I'm not on
the puter. Then there is a box in the toolbar that says

You ****ing morn, monitors do NOT have built in screen savers.

(You've mis-spelled the word you're trying to use as an insult.)
Depends on what you describe as a screen saver. I've seen plenty of
monitors that put up a little box saying "check input signal" or
similar, when they can't detect any input signal - and they move this
box around. (Usually just for a short while before going to standby
altogether, but not always.) This could be described as a screen saver.

Perhaps you were stupid enough to install all the **** on the
CD which MAY have come with your L****CD monitor, and that's
how you got it.

"screen saver". Later I will find this box with these
words, or just a blank box. Clicking on it makes it go
away. Why does this happen?
[]
I get blank boxes in my taskbar on my 98SElite desktop machine - mainly
if not exclusively from running IrfanView, and escaping from it. Just
clicking on them makes them go away, but I can build up lots of them.
Running IrfanView on my 98SElite laptop, or this XP netbook, doesn't
make them appear.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in
:

In message ,
MSVPforveer writes:
wrote in
m:

snip

You ****ing morn, monitors do NOT have built in screen
savers.

(You've mis-spelled the word you're trying to use as an
insult.)

Hi John,

No, I mistyped it, I was so shocked at this person's stupidity
I may have forgotten to run my spellchecker, and also, morn IS
a word, especially according to my British-made spell checker
by a Mr. Quinion.

***You***, OTOH, misspelled "mis-spelled". So, who "wins" this
one? (---;

Depends on what you describe as a screen saver.

I don't think there are many definitions. Unless you include
things like pouring hot lead into the eye sockets, or a hammer
to the LCD.

I've seen plenty of monitors that put up a little box
saying "check input signal" or similar, when they can't
detect any input signal - and they move this box around.
(Usually just for a short while before going to standby
altogether, but not always.) This could be described as a
screen saver.

True. But he described his, and it didn't sound like that. But
I may have been blinded by my outrage at the depths of
subhuman ignorance. Disabling your KF has its good and bad
sides, I suppose. Speaking of which, how did you like the
smiley references I posted FOR YOUR PERSONAL BENEFIT?

snip

Anyway, peace and love. How's the weather in good ole England?
(I apologize if you are Welsh or Scottish, I have learned the
HARD way that the Scots really get upset if you call them
English...)