Linux Mint Forums

LinWinux wrote:Hi everyone. I've been using Mint for the past 3 or 4 years now. I'm experiencing a new issue that I didn't seem to have with any of the Mint 16 or 17, 17.1, 17,2 versions. Running Mint / XFCE on my primary laptop system, a Dell Inspiron with quad core processor and tons of ram. The following problem should not be related to hardware.

Last week I did a new install from scratch, of Mint 17.3 Rosa. (64bit)
(formatted the system partition, etc)

Ever since then I can no longer run the screensaver function properly. Didn't have this problem before. Now, if I set up a screensaver ... and believe me, I've fiddled with all sorts of settings, screen savers, and power modes ... everything works as expected, except for the fact that after a few minutes of the screensaver coming on, my processor begins running on high with the fan audibly louder than under normal working conditions. None of my hardware has changed.

This is obviously not a good thing since it's bad for the processor while using substantially more energy than not using a screensaver at all. Anyone else have his issue? Anyone know of a solution? For the past couple of days, my solution has been to disable the screensaver completely, followed by turning off the display when I get off the computer in the evening.
It would be nice to have a properly working screensaver though ...

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LinWinux wrote: This is obviously not a good thing since it's bad for the processor while using substantially more energy than not using a screensaver at all.

LinuxJim wrote:

LinWinux wrote: This is obviously not a good thing since it's bad for the processor while using substantially more energy than not using a screensaver at all.

Screensavers were designed in the days when display devices consisted of cathode-ray tubes that could suffer from phosphor 'burn-in'.

For the past couple of decades, 'screensavers' have no purpose, other than to amuse their owners with swirly things. LCDs do not suffer from burn-in. A screensaver does not save energy, nor does it save the screen, unless you're using an old-fashioned CRT. It only serves to waste CPU cycles.

amethyst_igor wrote: Beg to differ with you on this point, which I hear a lot. I use a screensaver, GLPhotoshow, on my big screen during dinner parties. It is quite awesome, picking a random image from a library of 16,000. So, while I agree there is not a technical rationale for a screensaver, there is an aesthetic one. Screensavers will always be with us. Perhaps they should be called something else, but in our Software Manager, they are known under that name, a bit of a misnomer in a world of LCD / LED. Let's call them "Blah-saver," because they keep the computer screen from looking "blah."

LinWinux wrote:Thanks for the answers and suggestions. Decades ago? Seriously? My wife received her last employer (HP) provided 28" "standard" monitor back in 2004. I wouldn't exactly call that decades ago. And no burn-in on the screen for LCD screens? Sorry, maybe not on LED backlit screens, but LCD screens can certainly have burn-in on the screen. I had an LCD for 3 years and finally got rid of it because I could see shadows of software windows on the screen permanently when it blanked out.

It's not that big of a deal to turn the display on and off once per day, but yes, I may try the xscreensaver option. I don't use proprietary graphic drivers, just whatever Mint provides me with.

Okay, there's one thing that I wasn't thinking about. The laptop is connected to a second display (always has been though) and so perhaps that is a hardware related issue between the Mint installation and the way that the second display is being managed. Either way it's not that big of a deal. I was mainly trying to figure out if this was something that others were seeing as well, after installing Mint 17.3 on their systems?
Thanks again.

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# XScreenSaver Preferences File
# Written by xscreensaver-demo 5.15 for elflord on Sun Feb  7 15:30:17 2016.
# http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/

timeout:	1:00:00
cycle:		0:01:00
lock:		False
lockTimeout:	0:00:00
passwdTimeout:	0:00:30
visualID:	default
installColormap:    True
verbose:	False
timestamp:	False
splash:		False
splashDuration:	0:00:05
demoCommand:	xscreensaver-demo
prefsCommand:	xscreensaver-demo -prefs
nice:		10
memoryLimit:	0
fade:		False
unfade:		False
fadeSeconds:	0:00:05
fadeTicks:	20
captureStderr:	False
ignoreUninstalledPrograms:True
font:		*-medium-r-*-140-*-m-*
dpmsEnabled:	False
dpmsQuickOff:	False
dpmsStandby:	2:00:00
dpmsSuspend:	2:00:00
dpmsOff:	4:00:00
grabDesktopImages:  False
grabVideoFrames:    False
chooseRandomImages: True
imageDirectory:	/home/elflord/Slideshow

mode:		one
selected:	200

textMode:	none
textLiteral:	XScreenSaver
textFile:	
textProgram:	none
textURL:	none

programs: \
- GL: glslideshow -root -delay 100000 -duration \
50 -zoom 100 -pan 1 -fade -no-letterbox -titles 1 \n\

pointerPollTime:    0:00:05
pointerHysteresis:  200
windowCreationTimeout:0:00:30
initialDelay:	0:00:00
GetViewPortIsFullOfLies:False
procInterrupts:	True
xinputExtensionDev: False
overlayStderr:	False

ByeByeXP wrote:Greetings! Simply install the "xscreensaver" package, than in thunar (or any other suitable method, e.g. gedit/mousepad) either create a new (or edit an existing)file in your home directory named ".xscreensaver" (without the quotes) using the above script/settings. Otherwise, xscreensaver will install its default script. Have fun.

LinWinux wrote:Decades ago? Seriously? My wife received her last employer (HP) provided 28" "standard" monitor back in 2004. I wouldn't exactly call that decades ago.

LinWinux wrote:And no burn-in on the screen for LCD screens? Sorry, maybe not on LED backlit screens, but LCD screens can certainly have burn-in on the screen. I had an LCD for 3 years and finally got rid of it because I could see shadows of software windows on the screen permanently when it blanked out.