Help me outwit IT

[aap1966]

I.T. has decided that for "security" any terminal inactive for more than 30 minutes will automatically log out.
We then have to log back in again, re-entering the log-in and password.
This also applies to terminals in locked, single key offices, such as mine.
While it's entertaining to dash into the office to quickly check something, only to have to log in from scratch each time, it does lose it's novelty after the 12 or 13th time that shift.
Needless to say we can't download any programs, but anyone know any other tricks to keep the terminal awake? A colleague has suggested sit the (optical) mouse on a clock--anyone tried that before?

I throw myself on the mercy of Pelican deviousness.

thanks guys

[sc_rufctr]

Can you view YouTube Videos on these terminals?

[Noah930]

Minions.

[winders]

If Windows:

Caffeine

[winders]

This used to work too:

Caffeinated - Desmond Brand

[930addict]

Windows system:
Put this in a file called whatever.ps1:

param($minutes = 60)

$myshell = New-Object -com “Wscript.Shell”

for ($i = 0; $i -lt $minutes; $i++) {
Start-Sleep -Seconds 50
$myshell.sendkeys(“{F15}”)
}

Put this in a file called whatever.bat:
powershell.exe -windowstyle hidden -file C:\whatever.ps1

When you leave your desk double-click the bat file.

[osidak]

any mouse jiggler will work

This is the one I use - put it in zen mode and you won't even notice you are using it (except it keeps your machine from logging out)

How to keep your computer awake without touching the mouse - CNET

Download link
Mouse Jiggler - Home

[wayner]

An oldie but a goodie...


Get yourself a chicken, then place crushed corn flakes on the keyboard.

Leave you door partway open and people will think you are in there working really hard.

[billybek]

These are not as messy a chickens...

[dad911]

Phantom Keystroker | ThinkGeek
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O3S0PK

[gtc]

That phantom keystroker reminds me of one of my favorite office pranks... a script that opens the cd tray at a random interval. Drives people crazy.

[John Rogers]

If it were me, I'd either get someone else to try this idea or just suck it up and live with the extra logins and such. At many companies messing with IT security rules is a firing offense and that can follow you.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by gtc

That phantom keystroker reminds me of one of my favorite office pranks... a script that opens the cd tray at a random interval. Drives people crazy.

My favorite was the one that reduced screen size by 1 pixel every reboot.

That gag required patience.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by john rogers

If it were me, I'd either get someone else to try this idea or just suck it up and live with the extra logins and such. At many companies messing with IT security rules is a firing offense and that can follow you.

Very true.

OP also said, ".......it does lose it's novelty after the 12 or 13th time that shift...."

If it kicks in every 30 minutes and it's kicking in 12 or 13 times a day sounds like OP is never in his office anyway.

Why would one want to leave their PC up and logged in and unattended for 75% of the working day?

FWIW, when I worked for CA our IT had a policy about after hours work.

They would patrol the building with a cart and any laptop found unattended would be confiscated.

You couldn't even go around the corner to the copy room to pick up a printout without locking it up.

[sammyg2]

I can't help with the OS logging you out, but I found a secret in SAP.
It also automatically logs you out after 10 or 15 minute of inactivity, unless ..... you have a long text screen open like the one pictured below.

Doesn't matter which one, as long as it's long text, white, and opens from an operations screen.
As long as that long text screen is open, SAP won't log you out.
i usually run two sessions all the time, the one with the long text screen in the background.

[sammyg2]

Our IT guys are very, very busy and do NOT have time to read everything that comes along.

They may copy everything and COULD do a search and read it if it were flagged, but that's about it.

[930addict]

I am the IT guy. LOL. The script I wrote above will not work if run by an ordinary user in my environment. If his IT guys are worth their pay it will not work in his environment either. There are policies we set to control PowerShell execution.

[Scott R]

It's not IT doing this, rather "data security," "infosec," whatever your company calls it. IT guys just implement security policies. And messing with security is a quick ticket to termination as mentioned above.

With these things is best to just adapt rather than overcome.

[stomachmonkey]

OK, here's one.

Involved Security at CA, not IT.

Sr VP was heading into the city for a meeting.

He needed something set up on his laptop for the meeting which was taking longer than he had time for.

Told him, "go get your car, I'll finish this and bring it out to you"

So I'm walking out of the building right at quitting time which is a swarm of people, I've got the laptop open furiously typing away with one hand as I'm heading out to the curb.

I hear "YOU, hey, YOU, stop, Hey........"

I hand off the laptop and head back into the building.

Young cocky security guard comes running over. "DIDN"T YOU HEAR ME?"

What's up?

I was calling to you to stop.

I heard you but did not know you were talking to me.

You can't leave the building with a laptop out in the open like that.



It has to be in a laptop bag or something.

uhmmm, OK, wanna tell me why?

Because you could be stealing it!



OK, good to know, If I want to steal something I should conceal it in a bag because you won't check that. Thanks for the tip.

[stealthn]

My desktop locks everytime i leave the keyboard; the way it should be...man up