Perform a task each time computer is unlocked

Question

4.50/5 (2 votes)

See more:

Hi everyone,
This time I'm asking a crazy question. I think you won't mind it. I want to write a program that reminds me something each time when I unlock the computer. How can I do it? Do I want to add the program into the startup? How would I know that a computer is unlocked? i.e. how to detect the key combination of Alt + ctrl + del only when the computer is locked?

Posted 22-Feb-11 20:28pm

aravindkrgec

Updated 22-Feb-11 20:33pm

v2

Add a Solution

Comments

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 23-Feb-11 2:37am

Interesting question, my 5.
--SA

2 solutions

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Andrew Brock · Answer 1 · 2011-02-22T21:41:00

Check out WM_WTSSESSION_CHANGE on MSDN[^].
wParam == WTS_SESSION_UNLOCK

Not sure if this is send on a suspend (sleep), you may need to handle WM_POWERBROADCAST[^] as well.

For future reference, I found this by opening up Spy++ from the Visual Studio Tools menu and spying on messages sent to Visual Studio. Hit CAD and locked the computer, then unlocked the computer and looked at Spy++. WM_WTSSESSION_CHANGE with WTS_SESSION_LOCK and WTS_SESSION_UNLOCK were the only messages there.
What I am saying is that there are ways for you to find these things out for yourself.

I would strongly suggest checking out Spy++ as well as ProcExp[^], ProcMon[^] and other tools.

Emilio Garavaglia · Answer 2 · 2011-02-22T21:32:00

A windows machine has at least one WindowStation[^], containing various Desktops[^].

There is at least one interactive desktop (that correspond to the user working space, containing the top-level windows) and other desktops, like the logon one (occupied by the GINA interface) and the screen saver one.
When the computer is unlocked the OS switches from the GINA to the USER desktop.
This event causes the desktop window itself to be activated and hence repainted.

Now, if your program is started in the user space, yo ucan chek periodically if the current active desktop is the one you belong or another and act when it changes.

Alternatively, you can subclass the desktop window your program runs in, and check for WM_NCACTIVATE or WM_ACTIVATE.

This is what I would try.

Perform a task each time computer is unlocked

2 solutions

Solution 2

Solution 1

Add your solution here

Preview 0