Quark

Leaving your computer unlocked while leaving the desk can be quite a mistake, because you can lose important bits of data, or simply become the target of a prank. Windows does provide a method of locking your workstations, but this can also be done with the help of third-party alternatives the likes of Quark.

A cool advantage here is that you don’t have to go through a setup process to make it work, which means it’s good to go from the moment download is done, but also that you are able to have it stored and carried around on a thumb drive in case you want to use it on other computers. Registry entries are not affected, so system stability remains intact.

The application is meant to enhance security, but not in the way that it keeps malicious content away from your computer, but rather to prevent others from snooping through your files. This is accomplished through a password field, which needs to be fitted with the right key to make the desktop usable again.

You find two files to run inside the source file. One of them simply initiates the process, thus locking your screen. A matrix-style animation is played on the entire screen, with a center panel which shows the current time and date. There’s also a password field where the dedicated code goes.

Note, however, that you first need to configure and confirm the password for it to be valid. Unfortunately, this needs to be done every time, because it’s not saved. A trick is to add a bunch of characters in the password field even if there isn’t a configured one, because a blank field usually unlocks your PC.

All things considered, we can state that Quark comes with good intentions, but it’s mostly useful to you if you’re a Matrix fan. A password needs to be configured with every run, which is not quite a comfortable feature to have around.