Screen Lock

Security concerns aren’t just related to the Internet. Leaving your computer unattended while at work, or even at home is a pretty big temptation for anyone around. Windows gives you the possibility to lock your computer, but if it doesn’t quite tickle your fancy, there are also a lot of alternatives like Screen Lock.

On the one hand, the application hasn’t received any updates in quite some time, and chances are you run into compatibility issues even from the installation process. Choosing to run the setup with compatibility settings can fix this. Another important note before you get to use it is that once done installing, the application forcefully restarts your computer and doesn’t point this out anywhere, nor are you offered a choice, so make sure to save your data.

In order to fully benefit from what the application is meant to do, it’s best to switch to a screen resolution of 1024x768, but we don’t recommend this at all. When it runs, a portion of the screen is filled with the classic Windows XP wallpaper, as well as the image of the corresponding taskbar. There’s an additional text field for the password, and a Submit button to confirm.

You might find yourself scratching your head at first, because the application only runs in a limited portion of the screen. This means you can use your computer normally, except for the upper left part. The default security key is Password, with no initial options to set up configurations.

When you finally manage to make the lock screen go away, a new prompt appears and asks to confirm if the password remains the same, or if you want to change it. This is the only management option put at your disposal, with literally nothing else. Other than that, practicality is almost nonexistent, since you can easily bypass the proposed lock screen just by having a bigger resolution already applied.

If we were to judge Screen Lock by visuals only, we’d have to say it’s somewhere in the development process, but snooping through functionality instantly convinces anyone it has to stay a lot more time under development. Starting from the frustrating installer and ending with faulty functionality, it’s all just a short road to disappointment.