HT204379 My screensaver wont change from its default setting??

Question

My screensaver wont change from its default setting despite me changing it multiple times. Ive restarted the machine, but doesnt help, any suggestions???
I have the brand new basic Mac Mini Quad Core i7, Mac OS 10.8
It goes to a password protected blank screen screensaver after 5 minutes or so.
Ive changed it in the screensaver in preferences to origami after 1hour, and its registered as such, but after 5 minutes it goes to blank screen screensaver again.
This is infuriating as I am trying to batch convert many MP4 files and when it screensaver it stops everything.
PLEASE HELP, ITS DRIVING ME NUTS.

Answer 1

Triple-click the line below to select it:
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Open
from the contextual menu. A folder window should open. Inside the folder is a file with a name of the form
com.apple.screensaver.*.plist
where "*" stands for a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes. Select that file and open the Info dialog.
Does the dialog show "You can read and write" in the Sharing & Permissions section?
In the General section, is the box labeled Locked checked?
What is the Modified date?