Ever doing something 'private' on the computer? Ever had to close what you were doing really quickly so that no one saw and loose that unsaved data?

Well look no further! These short steps will show you how to make a batch file that opens up a screensaver of your choice in a matter of seconds!

NB: I know this works on Vista cause I do it myself, but I'm not sure if it does it on anything earlier. If someone would try it and let me know, that would be great!

Well lets get started!

Step 1: A Screensaver He Says! I'd Like to See Him Do This!

First you have to open notepad and type the following:

@echo off
START C:\Windows\System32\variable.scr /MAX
exit

This will simply open the screensaver at the source file. All the screensaver files (amongst 100s of others) are stored in the folder: C:\Windows\System32. You may also find some familiar faces in there (namely command prompt and notepad).

The variables are as follows:

I think these ones are on most vista computers:
aurora - This one sports a kind of aurora borealus look
bubbles - Pretty useless for a screensaver to hide stuff, it shows your working screen with bubbles floating around it.
mystify - This shows many waves flying in various directions.
ribbons - This shows many ribbons flying in various directions.
ssText3d - I'm not sure what the default is on this one but it displays some rotating 3D text.

These ones are on my computer but I'm not sure if there on all of them:
ssBranded - Displays the pulsing Windows Logo
acer - Displays the ACER logo
PhotoScreensaver - Displays a slideshow of your pictures, I think the default folder is "My Pictures"

Again, these work for Vista and on my computer, your best bet is to find the folder and see what options you have.

Step 2: System 32 Eh? Sounds Quite... Sinister...

Now go File --> Save

Make sure the "Save as type" box selects "All Files" and that you type ".bat" at the end. This ensures you save it as a batch file.

P.S. Screenshots are tedious so I used one from an old Instructable, hope you don't mind!

Step 3: Using Screenshots From a Previous Instructable!? That's the Lowest Kind!

Now that you've created your file, there are some little extra's you can do to make sure your never caught with you pants down (literally or metaphorically) again!

.bat to .exe
You can convert the batch file to an exe file by downloading the software from here. I've used this software many times and scanned it with all sorts of anti-virus software (i'm very safety concious cause I know how easy it is!) and i've never had any problems with it.

Make sure you make it a ghost application as well so that you don't get command prompt boxes flying up everywhere.

Shortcuts
You can also make it a shortcut on your desktop or your quick-access bar. The great thing about this is that with a shortcut you can add shortcut keys (e.g. CTRL + ALT + S) to run the application.
See pictures for more info!

Well that's all for know, please let me know what you think! You can also get my system below. Again, it works for me but may not work for you. You'll have to find the files yourself otherwise, but the same basic principle still stands.

Have Fun!