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Old 10-14-2020, 09:41 PM   #3
NoEscape
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Join Date: Oct 2020

Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 2
Thank you for your reply. I don't know either why no menu, but the version I have must be nearing 17 years old, has outlasted maybe four computers, so maybe the right-click didn't come until later?

Just in case anyone else ends up in this "No Escape Key" situation, the right mouse button solution doesn't work, and you can't even get to the shutdown, here's what I did:

To shut down your computer without being able to get past Marine Aquarium screensaver---do NOT just switch it off, as you'll cause your hard disk to crash (if you have one)---hold down the power button for at least 10 seconds, until it powers down. (At least, this was the instruction for an HP desktop computer.) Restart by pressing the power button again, then wait for Windows to finish loading.

My computer (Windows 7) had a password on the account, and I was wondering how to get past that with no keyboard. Turns out there's an "Ease of Access" button down to the left of the User login buttons. Click that, and you get a menu of options with checkboxes, one of which is to use the on-screen keyboard. Click the checkbox to open the keyboard, then log in as normal.

When you get into your account, make sure the first thing you do is to go into Control Panel › Appearance and Personalization › Personalization › Change Screen Saver › Settings. Click the checkbox for Exit on Mouse Move option so that you don't get locked out again!

The reason I didn't have it checkmarked was that vibrations of people walking past the computer would often cause the super-sensitive mouse to move, and cause an exit from the screensaver.

If this helps just one person, it will be worth the effort.
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