Questions tagged [lock]

A generic term for placing a restriction of some sort. It could refer to placing a password-based or biometric protection over a device, a system or a set of data. It could also refer to placing read-only protection on certain configuration or data (like files). Questions using this tag can also be regarding the opposite action of unlocking.

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5k views

Virtualization is locked in BIOS

I want to run virtual machines on my computer, my Windows is currently 32-bit and I'm switching to 64, I don't know why they gave it with 32 because It would work with 64. When I go to the BIOS the ...
3 votes
2 answers
6k views

When System PID 4 is locking a file or folder, How can I determine what program/process/service is locking it without guesswork?

(This question is not a duplicate of Find out which process is locking a file or folder in Windows I am asking specifically about when PID-4 is locking it (besides the fact that i'm saying without ...
0 votes
1 answer
44 views

Why is thunderbird 115.4 signature is editable? [closed]

I linked an image for a signature in my thunderbird. It works. However, whenever you go to write a new email, my signature image is displayed at the bottom of the email but the image is editable. For ...
2 votes
1 answer
4k views

How to turn off display but not lock the screen in Windows 2012 R2

For various reasons I want my server to: Automatically turn off the display after 10 minutes of inactivity. Never go into sleep mode. Never lock the screen automatically. So, if I were to leave my ...
1 vote
1 answer
73 views

How to get the timestamp for the system lock/unlock of ubuntu 22.04 with the user's inactivity time? (Not login/logout.)

I want to get the user's lock & unlock timestamp in a single script or command, as in "last" command I can see the user's name with system's login & logout timestamp. How can I get ...
0 votes
1 answer
106 views

Can't unlock folders with "Any Folder Password Lock" software

I'm using a software called Any Folder Password Lock and it's not unlocking my folder anymore.. I tried to uninstall it but the folder is still locked and I'm pretty sure what password I use to lock ...
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

gpgv: can't allocate lock for '~/.gnupg/trustedkeys.gpg' after importing keys

I'm currently trying to set up a small (partial) ubuntu mirror. Doing this, I stumbled across gpgv. And as I need gpgv for verifying the signatures of the mirror files, I tried importing the ubuntu ...
0 votes
1 answer
65 views

Excel renames the range of cells when using auto format for the table, how do I make that renamed range absolute?

Not making the range ‘absolute’ yields incrementing results when copying the formula across cells: I can create a table and a formula to count specific items that works: =COUNTIFS(Table1[Name],"*&...
13 votes
8 answers
83k views

Why does my screen keep locking every two minutes or so?

I am running Windows 10 Pro, build 10586, on a Lenovo T-520. Fairly recently a behaviour has appeared, where the screen locks, and goes blank, after about 2 minutes of not using the PC. I have ...
9 votes
7 answers
78k views

Is there a way to shut down and lock a PC at a predetermined time? [closed]

I have a 14 year old boy who's obsessed with his gaming PC so much that he stays awake all night sometimes and sleeps all day. Normally that would cause havoc with his schooling but he's being home ...
0 votes
1 answer
381 views

Task Scheduler has been set to lock computer after logon. how to disable this? as the computer instantly locks after logon

I created a task schedule following this How to LOCK computer after 'x' amount of time right after log on to lock on logon. but i didnt put a delay. now i cant login at all, as the computer ...
18 votes
5 answers
15k views

does a CMD window stop running while Windows 10 lock screen is enabled?

I'm not sure how the lock works in Windows 10, but I'd like to access the features of locking my screen after a CMD process has been executed. As the CMD window would already be running before the ...
1 vote
0 answers
187 views

Unable to restore "Acronis" image file of my System drive to Target drive due to activation of TPM 2.0 in my BIOS

I made the error of switching from "Discrete TPM 1.2 to Firmware TPM 2.0 in order to upgrade my Windows 10 Pro to W11. Foolishly I ignored the warning given by the BIOS configuration. "Intel ...
1 vote
0 answers
85 views

Forbid mouse to go up to menu bar area?

As it doesn't seem possible to disable the menu bar or at least increase the delay to make it reappear if hidden. I am wondering if there is a way to forbid the mouse cursor to go over that area at ...
34 votes
7 answers
60k views

Where does Windows store icon positions?

Where do Windows XP/Vista/7/... save the positions of the icons on the desktop? Is there a built-in way to save the positions? Can I lock the position of certain items?
1 vote
3 answers
25k views

How does sd card write lock work? [duplicate]

Is this a software or hardware feature. If it is a hardware feature, what tells the os that it is "write protected"? If it is a software feature, is there anyway to override this? Also, is there any ...
0 votes
0 answers
127 views

Specific programs crash when the computer is locked?

Due to a new policy, our GPO now locks every computer after 1 hour of being unattended. We have one specific computer which runs testing software that takes a long time, so we typically run it after ...
1 vote
1 answer
605 views

Can dynamic lock use face recognition to verify user presence before autolocking?

I think Windows Operating System is using face recognition over the webcam in the background to detect when am using it and if this returns false then it auto locks the device. I just left it for less ...
6 votes
4 answers
90k views

How to prevent windows from locking / sleeping (without admin privileges)

I know it is possible to disable auto log out from control panel. I want to know is there a way to prevent windows from locking/ sleeping without changing any security options.
0 votes
0 answers
72 views

Locked and then accidentally orphaned folders. How do I get them back to visible and accessible?

I have done a stupid thing and need help getting bailed out. I installed a file/folder lock app "EaseUS LockMyFile" (Windows 11 Home). I locked a couple of folders but wasn't happy with the ...
0 votes
1 answer
38 views

How can I lock files under 'proof-of-work' where unlocking them would not take very long?

In other words, a way to encrypt files, not with the main purpose of security, but with the purpose that it would take a longer commitment to access them. For example, it would require around 24hrs to ...
-1 votes
1 answer
104 views

How can I lock a guest user into a game environment?

Basically I'm looking to share my gaming PC with a friend but only in a way that would let him play my games without accessing any of my other files, parts of my OS / desktop environment Windows 10 ...
0 votes
1 answer
466 views

Make Windows PC blur my screen instead of showing the lock screen image when I lock it

Is it possible to make my Windows 10 PC show whatever is shown on my screen blurred at the lock screen?
1 vote
0 answers
3k views

Find out which process has locked a file or folder in Windows Server 2016 in the past

Does Windows Server 2016 have any logging available for which process has locked a file in the past? For example, if a process is failing while trying to access a file because that file is locked by ...
8 votes
0 answers
2k views

How to disable MS Word from locking opened files

Microsoft Word has a annoying habit of whenever it opens a word file to prevent other runtimes from accessing it. As far as I can perceive, it's to prevent a lost update scenario with word files. So ...
0 votes
0 answers
654 views

MacOS Locking Down DNS Settings

I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to lock the DNS settings on a Macbook (Settings > Networks > Advanced > DNS)? I want to set DNS settings and not be able to access them afterward. I was able ...
2 votes
1 answer
7k views

How to lock Windows 10 screen without turn off?

Is it possible to lock screen without screen turn off? For example, here is my settings: I wanna automatically lock screen after 5 minutes, but display should not off (only after 30 minutes). I ...
1 vote
1 answer
99 views

Is there a way to protect only some cells from re-formatting?

I have a .xlsm file that users input information to in unprotected cells. Users need to be able to add as many rows as necessary and to reformat the cells the added. However, I do not want them to ...
3 votes
1 answer
537 views

From the terminal, how do I determine the date/time for the last time Windows was locked or unlocked?

I press WinKey + L every time I physically leave my computer, for basic security. When I come back, I enter the short Windows password and press Enter to go back into my desktop. (This is not "...
0 votes
2 answers
610 views

How to hide a folder in C:\Program Files without turning off .exe program in it?

In C:\Program Files folder there are multiple folders containing drivers and .exe files for computer programs. I would like to know whether it is possible to hide a folder (let's say Discord) and all ...
1 vote
0 answers
219 views

How to lock remote windows (7 and 10) computers

I'm trying to lock all computers in my house - I checked the psshutdown option with the -l flag, but although the shutdown is working, the lock isn't working at all - it's writing that the machine is ...
0 votes
1 answer
624 views

Royal TS - Unable to Save RTSZ File

I added a resource to Royal TS and tried to save the rtsz document, but it popped up with an error complaining about a lock file that supposedly doesn't exist. As it's saving, it shows this: Title: ...
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

"Console lock display off time-out" not working

I followed the advice of numerous tutorials to enable the "Console lock display off time-out" setting in advanced power options, and I have changed my currently active plan to time out after 1 minute ...
0 votes
0 answers
16 views

When I lock my laptop, the screen keeps Turing on and off repeatedly

When I lock my laptop and wait the screen to turn off, then after like 7 seconds it turns on, and it keeps doing that repeatedly, I noticed that it only happens when I leave something downloading, why ...
1 vote
1 answer
279 views

How to switch user while still seeing the running applications in Windows 10

The usecase is, to switch the user during a shift change while still seeing the critical application running on the screen. OS W10. Is there any possible/ imaginable way to achieve this? Not speaking ...
0 votes
0 answers
2k views

Will my Lenovo Mahobay motherboard work with a DDR3 1866MHz RAM?

I have a Lenovo Mahobay motherboard with 2 RAM slots which support DDR3 memories, and I currently have a DDR3 665Mhz RAM in it and i want to upgrade it. I also have an Intel i7-3770 CPU in it. I found ...
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Locked out from Dell u2711 menu - need to change input cable

I have a monitor which I used to use with a laptop with a DisplayPort video out. This laptop broke and cannot be started any longer. I now have a new laptop and want to use the monitor again. The new ...
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Unhiding/Unlocking Files Locked By File Locker Shell For NTFS

I locked an important folder with "locker for NTFS" from sourceforge, but now that it is hidden and locked, the unlocking doesn't work. I have tried using cmd and looked for some tutorials but none ...
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Windows 10 Pro randomly displaying "locking" screen before going to sleep

As the title says, my Dell Latitude E6420 which is running Windows 10 Pro, has been randomly locking. It doesn't seem to matter what I'm doing on the laptop or whether I'm not even using it. It will ...
1 vote
1 answer
332 views

Raspbian: Lock (but not logout) of Command-line-only system so that background processes can continue

I have a Raspberry pi running full Buster but only boots to command line interface (CLI). Currently, I can only login or log out. I want to be able to stay logged in so my background processes can ...
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

My HP Monitor has a lock sign and hole behind it. Display is blank when turned on. How do I unlock it? [closed]

HP LA1956X Monitor. When connected to a laptop , power light comes on blinking, but display is blank
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Disable Auto Screen Lock on Inactivity with Console Ubuntu 18.04LTS

How do I disable the automatic screen lock on incactivity with the console/bash? My system: Ubuntu 18.04LTS (VirtualBox) The commands given here did not work.
0 votes
1 answer
322 views

Opening a file, Writer complains "unable to lock file"

Using Windows 10 I had to change my user with one that uses Active Directory (AD), meaning I got a new SID and %userprofile% path. After copying and adjusting hopefully all files, settings, and some ...
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Excel: Can't set user-specific editable ranges in protected sheet

I have created a spreadsheet in which all the non-data-entry-cells have been locked and subsequently protected with the 'Protect Sheet' and 'Protect Workbook' buttons. So far, so good. However, I want ...
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

How to automatically lock Dropbox files to prevent multiple users from working simultaneously?

We use Dropbox to sync files we're working on between multiple computers. Is there a way to automatically lock a synced file on other computers when one user opens it for editing, so it's impossible ...
0 votes
1 answer
170 views

Prevent Wrapping to next row, when moving past last unlocked cell in row

I want to prevent the behavior where going past the last or first unlocked cell in a row wraps the selection to the next/previous row. This is the same behavior as described in this post. The main ...
-1 votes
2 answers
538 views

Need help getting ability to disable access protection on VirusScan console

My computer (k12 but my dad and I are techies so we are safe) comes with McAfee and I am trying to get rid of it because I prefer Avast. Anyways, k12 makes sure you cannot easily remove it. I have ...
3 votes
1 answer
13k views

Cannot Unlock ATA Security Locked Hard Drive Locked During Secure Erase

As stated in the title, I’ve got an ATA security-locked hard drive that I cannot seem to unlock. The locking happened after I started an ATA security-enhanced erase from Ubuntu’s Disks utility. The ...
0 votes
0 answers
143 views

How to avoid future locks in MS-DOS

I'm running a legacy application in MS-DOS 6.22, which writes and reads some files in a folder. This folder is shared in my LAN and I'm trying to read these files, but I can't because these files are ...
1 vote
1 answer
930 views

Bluetooth/BlueZ - 'rfcomm listen' command does not terminate

I have an issue with rfcomm command - after invoking rfcomm listen 0 1 I have got (correctly) Waiting for connection on channel 1. Then, I am connecting to a device via Android's application Serial ...