Desktop VLocker

It’s a good idea to have your computer locked whenever leaving your desk to prevent accidental loss of data, or simply others from snooping through your stuff. Windows already comes with a default method of keeping your desktop safe, but it can also be enhanced through third-party alternatives such as Desktop VLocker.

One of the main advantages is portability, thus making it possible to always have your own launcher wherever you go directly on a thumb drive. Moreover, system registry entries are not modified in the process, so there’s no need to worry about affecting the health status of the target PC. You do, however, need to be sure that .NET Framework is already there.

The initial launch asks for a new password, which it’s best to remember to be able to return to your desktop or access the set of features later on. With the main window up, there’s the possibility to lock the desktop, or pay a visit to the settings panel to choose behavior and visual options.

As far as customization goes, there’s is not a great variety of options, but you do get the chance to set a background image, and even choose opacity levels with up to four different settings. You can have the application start with Windows so that’s it starts locked before letting you reach the desktop.

Sadly, the application closes after the first lock session, and you need to launch it again. The main window only minimizes to the taskbar, and is brought up by launching the app again after the first session. What’s more, there’s no assigned hotkey for quick launch, but this can be bypassed by configuring one from the shortcut Properties panel.

Taking everything into consideration, we can state that Desktop VLocker might not be everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to replacing the default lockscreen. Without a quick lock method, or better security, it’s little to no better than the default methods provided by Windows.