Software to auto my dim lcd screen.

does anyone know of a program that dimms the screen when the system is idle?

more like the mac.

 

Something like that?
http://www.whitsoftdev.com/powerdimmer/

 

ive tried that one. it doesnt lower the backlight.
it shades the screen instead.

 

If it's battery life your trying to save closing the lid(with closed lid stand-by/sleep feature turned off) is your best option. I haven't see a software that does past what Powerdimmer does yet.

 

I would definitely like a program like this. I'm wondering if this could be accomplished using task scheduler? There are event triggers that are available.

 

OK, well task scheduler is perfectly capable of starting/stopping this, but there needs to be a program run that dims the screen when running, and un-dims it when task scheduler detects a non-idle condition and ends the program.

 

i prefere something that will dimm my screen since i might get back to it within 3 mins and still want to save battery power. i have my computer turn off the backlight to prevent burning out the backlight.

 

never thought about this feature but now when i think about it it's a good idea
i think i can write a quick little program that does it.

 

PLEASE !!!! Some of us need something !

Im using this now, but as mentioned, it doesnt save any battery when unplugged.

Ive been waiting and waiting for vista battery saver to update with brightness controls. Its very odd brightness on battery controls are not something vista does on its own.

 

that would be awsome
you think you could do something like that?

 

vista does this automatically for me. i have it set for 1 min to dim, and if i move the mouse it comes back full brightness

 

so it's in vista?
oh well, i already made it. here it is
NOTE: whether or not it works depends on your hardware and drivers, specifically your monitor driver. if your monitor driver lets windows adjust brightness it should work i tested it on my thinkpad so thinkpads should work (btw thinkpad power manager has a similar feature but only in 15 minute timeout increments )
when you run it it's in the taskbar tray. click the icon to bring it up, default is three minutes timeout. close the window to hide it.


SkyDrive download link

(requires .NET Framework 2, which should be installed on XP/Vista. If not it can be downloaded here (x86) or here (x64))
source code (VB.NET 2005) included

 

^Wow. Good job mate.

Btw, will it still work if I'm using an a/c adapter instead of my battery?

 

Crashes for me immediately. Dont really think it matters though, since i have no brightness controls within vista itself. Only brightness i have is manualy

 

slightly improved new version

the original version checked to see if you are using the battery. i temporarily removed the check in the new version.

ok, the new version shouldn't crash but will pop up an error message if the system call fails (i.e. your monitor doesn't let windows adjust brightness). in general, if you can adjust brightness in windows mobility center (Win+X), the program should work.
Also, on mine sometimes if you turn off the display, go to sleep etc and resume, the program won't work. vista or driver's problem.

 

Great, skunked again.

Nice job, for those who can use it though!