Coffee Buzz

Coffee Buzz is a little Notification Tray application that can be used to prevent your computer from going to sleep. When Coffee Buzz kicks in and gives your computer a buzz, the screensaver and sleep modes will be [temporarily] disabled so that you can work without fear of your machine going to screensaver while watching a movie or showing an important presentation in the board room or at Uni.

The premise behind Coffee Buzz is that not everyone can turn off there screensaver or disable sleep mode due to restrictions on a work or Uni computer, and not everyone either knows how to or can be bothered turning these settings off by themselves. On top of that, the screensaver and sleep modes are very important; they increase the life of your monitors and allow you to reduce your environmental footprint.

Download now or read on for more information

So how does it work?

Coffee Buzz uses built in components of the Operating System to “pause” the timers that are used to activate the screensaver or sleep mode. Coffee Buzz does not “hack” your computer by sending a ghost like keyboard key or move your mouse the 1/1000th of millimetre. No. Coffee Buzz uses complete native code of the Operating System; the same code that other parts of the Operating System uses!

Pretty cool huh :D

So, if I use Coffee Buzz, will my computer never show the screensaver or go to sleep again?

Only while Coffee Buzz is giving the computer a Buzz!

The icon that shows in the Notification Tray, when activated, will look like a full cup of coffee. When you declare Buzzed Out!, it means that you want Coffee Buzz to return to the normal behaviour that it had before you ran Coffee Buzz.

There are also options to only give the computer a temporary Buzz!

Only want the screensaver to remain inactivate or stay awake for 30 minutes; no problem!

If you quit Coffee Buzz while it is giving your computer a Buzz!, it will return the computer to normal operating behaviour and will not leave it with the timers paused.

Do I need to be an administrator of the computer?

No. Coffee Buzz has been designed to be completely functional by any user of any computer. It will also run when the computer starts and you are logged in if you like.

Are there any issues with using Coffee Buzz on my work computer?

If you are asking if I allow it, well I do.
If you are asking if using Coffee Buzz at work will get you in trouble, maybe.

Most work places have what is called an Acceptable Use Policy (names may vary, but the purpose is the same) which you would have had to sign when commencing employment. Often these policy state that circumnavigating the screensaver and sleep modes is prohibited. It is up to you to determine if your workplace has one of these policies and whether you are comfortable in using Coffee Buzz should it mean that you could get in trouble. I take zero (0) responsibility if you get in trouble with your employer/IT department.

In saying this, Coffee Buzz does not install anything. It does not do anything that would make an Anti-Virus system panic. It does not contact the internet in any way.
So if you do use this application, the likely hood that you would get caught is VERY minimal.

I didn’t read any of that as I just want a feature list, do you have one?

Right here:

Stops screensaver or sleep mode from activating
Double click icon in task tray to either activate or deactivate Coffee Buzz
If you lock the computer, Coffee Buzz will deactivate; preserving your precious computer display life
Predefined temporary time limits to keep computer awake for; 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes
Command line options for advanced users
Automatic execution on logon
Supports Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8.x

This is awesome! Does it cost anything?!

No way!!! Coffee Buzz is completely free to download, use and share.
It is ©2013 Adam Smith-Platts, and as such I ask that you do not sell it in any way.

Why did you create it?

My Dad asked if there was a way that he could prevent his screensaver from kicking in at work. His work has a timeout of 10 minutes, and if you needed to go to a book shelf to reference something and come back, the computer would be locked. His work computers are also locked down and he cannot change the screensaver.

So after looking around for a solution for him, I decided to create one!

What computer system is it designed for?

Coffee Buzz is designed for Microsoft Windows. It has been tested and designed for Windows XP (all versions), Windows 7 (all versions) and Windows 8.x.

The .NET framework version 3.5 is required to be able to use Coffee Buzz, which comes stock on Windows Vista/7. On Windows XP you will need to install if not already done so. On Windows 8.x, so long as the CoffeeBuzz.exe.config (included in the download) is present in the same directory as Coffee Buzz, you do not need to install version 3.5 of the .NET framework.

If you are wanting an application like this for Mac OS X, I recommend you check out Caffeine by Lighthead (website, Mac App Store). They have a great little app that was actually what inspired me to create this one (that and the fact that all Windows alternatives used mouse and keyboard hacks :/)

What if I have a problem with it or have a suggestion?

Just drop me a line! I cannot guarantee that I will respond straight away, as this is a hobby and I have a very busy work and home life, but I will respond. I am proud of what I create and I want it to work for you.

Right, I’m sold, where can I get it?

Click here to download Coffee Buzz. It will download as a zip file, which you can open and copy the program to USB stick or external hard drive. Just double click it on your computer and it will run.

If you already have Coffee Buzz but want to be sure that you have the latest version, please check out the change log/release notes.

Enjoy!