Laptop screen brightness

[Limey57]

With both versions 2.39 and 2.40, I have a problem with screen brightness. I usually have the screen dimmed to the minimum amount. When I open Seamonkey, the screen automatically goes to the brightest setting. Not a major problem but aggravating. Windows 7 Pro on a Dell Precision M6600. Is there a way to open Seamonkey without it monkeying with the screen brightness settings?

[patrickjdempsey]

You might try adjusting the limits of the ALS system, or disabling ALS completely:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/turn-amb ... 53354.html

Also, have you tried SeaMonkey Safe Mode? Menu > Help > Restart with Addons Disabled.

[Limey57]

There isn't a light sensor, which surprised me. I tried the exercise (Function / arrow keys) anyway, to see if a change could be effected. No dice. I've been into Power Settings and dimmed the display from any alternative source in the timing. Irregardless, whether it's in Seamonkey Safe Mode or normal mode, the screen automatically goes to 100% as soon as Seamonkey is started. Really odd!

[trolly]

Does anything else change than brightness? Color depth or resolution?
Do you use a shortcut?
Do you have a custom theme? (not relevant if it happens in safe mode)

[Limey57]

Nothing else changes; Just the screen brightness going to supernova. Yes, as I noted, this happens in Safe Mode as well as in Regular Mode.

[trolly]

Do you use a desktop short cut or the task bar icon to start Seamonkey?
I did not find any hints that an application even can do that. (Better: an application can do that but it must be explicitly programmed and I doubt that the devs have any cause to do that).

My guess is that there is a system setting involved like compatibility mode or an accessibility option.

[TPR75]

My guess is that there is a system setting involved like compatibility mode or an accessibility option.

... or hardware acceleration function within SeaMonkey.

[trolly]

Why should hardware acceleration change screen brightness? Must be a driver malfunction then.

[Limey57]

Doesn't matter where I start it from... Programs, Shortcuts, whatever... does the same thing. I'm wondering if there's some disparity between SeaMonkey running as x86 (32 bit) on this 64 bit laptop. Everything else works great on it. It's a decent machine. Purchased within the recent year. It has a good i7 processor with good RAM and graphics.

[therube]

Screen brightness is effected by some hotkey?
Maybe you have an extension that uses the same? See if the issue persists when starting up in Safe Mode.

[barbaz]

Yes, as I noted, this happens in Safe Mode

[Limey57]

Happens in any mode from any method of starting Seamonkey; makes no difference; screen automatically goes to full brightness when program starts. Frustrating when I'm trying to be discrete. Usually, in order to darken or lighten the screen on this laptop, one has to press and hold the function key and then use the up or down arrow buttons. I've tweaked all of the settings in Power Management to be on lowest brightness under all environments. No other programs affect screen brightness - just Seamonkey. Since this is a 64 bit Win7 Pro OS, I've wondered if installing the 64 bit Seamonkey may be worth a try, though I believe they're generally released as Beta version(s). I found the ftp site where Seamonkey variants are linked.

[TPR75]

No other programs affect screen brightness - just Seamonkey.

Make sure hardware acceleration is disabled:
Menu -> Edit -> Preferences -> Appearance -> unmark "Use hardware acceleration when available"

Set all plugins to not active by default:
Menu -> Tools -> Add-ons Manager -> Plugins -> set all to "Ask to Activate"

Looks like SeaMonkey is calling for "full power" from your graphics. Something must activate it. Maybe SeaMonkey, maybe plugins...

CMD -> powercfg.exe /?

Check your power schemes. Maybe SeaMonkey itself or network activated by SM is forcing full power for display.

If it is matter of additional software from notebook manufacturer/producer then check their soft settings.

[patrickjdempsey]

Most of HWA is disabled in Safe Mode, although Firefox devs have been slipping bits and pieces of GPU code in that aren't part of the traditional "hardware acceleration" which makes it hard to suss out.

A few more questions:

1. Do the brightness keyboard buttons work when SeaMonkey is not running? Let's establish that the behavior really is normal outside of SM first!

2. Is this still a problem when SeaMonkey is running but minimized?

3. Have you tried updating the Dell drivers?

Honestly, the problem might be by design, and it could be that SeaMonkey is simply the only software you are using that it graphic-heavy enough to force Optimus on. If that's the case, you can either completely disable Optimus (so everything is accelerated) or remove SM from the list (so it's not accelerated):
http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter ... -and-e6520

[therube]

(Suppose you could check & see if FF, even a "portable" FF if need be, does the same.)