Wallcovering-->screensaver?

We crossed in the mail with my edit.

Please take another look at the message you replied to since I edited it with a P.S. I now understand the selection/browse window. Just need my 2 p.s. questions answered.

Thanks,

Mark

markg2 said:

To simplify--

From the Screen Saver Settings dialogue, Screen Saver tab... how do I find--load those images that I've saved from the internet as wallpaper (not screen saver) and use them (if possible) as a screen saver?

Mark

P.S.

1. Is there a functional difference between a downloaded screen saver vs wallpaper image that disallows the two images being interchanged for use?

2. If I knew what directory 7 uses to place screensavers in can I just find an image I like, stick it in that dir and then load it somehow?

1. A downloaded screensaver is usually a moving image or video, a wallpaper image is a still image so you would need more than one to actually make it a screensaver, although it is really just a slideshow of pictures.

That's about as much as I can explain it, others can probably explain it better.

2. This might explain a little bit, but a downloaded one will most likely create it's own directory. Screen Saver - Change


Personally, since windows 7 has a slideshow feature for desktop backgrounds or wallpapers, I don't have a use for screensavers myself.

Not sure if that's enough for you, maybe someone else can offer more help.

Use Desktop Backgrounds on the Personalize page instead of obsolete Screen Savers which aren't needed with flat screen monitors.

Here are 120 national edition official Win7 backgrounds which are some of the most spectactular scenic pictures ever taken: 120 Original Windows 7 High Resolution Scenery Regional Wallpapers Free Download » My Digital Life

Download to My Pictures, browse from Personalize>Desktop Backgrounds to the file, Select All, and set as a slideshow at 30 minutes. You'll have a different scene each time you start the computer.

Or use your own pictures. I just used these as models since there are few more spectacular pictures for this purpose in existence.

gregrocker said:

Use Desktop Backgrounds on the Personalize page instead of obsolete Screen Savers which aren't needed with flat screen monitors.

Here are 120 national edition official Win7 backgrounds which are some of the most spectactular scenic pictures ever taken: 120 Original Windows 7 High Resolution Scenery Regional Wallpapers Free Download » My Digital Life

Download to My Pictures, browse from Personalize>Desktop Backgrounds to the file, Select All, and set as a slideshow at 30 minutes. You'll have a different scene each time you start the computer.

Or use your own pictures. I just used these as models since there are few more spectacular pictures for this purpose in existence.

Thanks for the beautiful screen saver downloads, Greg, and you're right, you definitely can use your own pictures. I do it all the time --- in fact you can use any photo or image on your system as either a screen saver or desktop background.

By the way, screen savers may no longer be needed as a 'protection' --- but many (most) people just like to have something attractive on their screen when the screen is idle. So nowadays, screen savers are desired for aesthetic purposes.

So to be sure I've got this--

If all I want is a static image as a screen saver (vs background since I set the screen to go dark after n minutes and only a screen saver will appear under that condition) I can move an image file to \windows32 and then that image will appear in the screen saver drop down listing choice and I can load that image and the image will run as a screen saver and the image (vs an .scr file) will not cause the machine any problems?

Mark

markg2 said:

So to be sure I've got this--

If all I want is a static image as a screen saver (vs background since I set the screen to go dark after n minutes and only a screen saver will appear under that condition) I can move an image file to \windows32 and then that image will appear in the screen saver drop down listing choice and I can load that image and the image will run as a screen saver and the image (vs an .scr file) will not cause the machine any problems?

Mark

Just curious, why a single image?

Putting an image in windows32 will not run as a screensaver.

If all you want is a static image as a screensaver, just put that image in a folder in your pictures folder, then select photos from the type of screensaver you want, click settings, click browse to navigate to the folder you just made, OK or apply your way out.

I just did the above steps to use a static image as a screensaver and it works.

I may choose a dynamic screen saver later on but this entire thread started because I had downloaded this great fish for my desktop background and later thought it would be nice if the fish were present all the time ;-)

Speaking of which, if the OS shows same under Themes and background/wall covering, in what directory would I find the image?

Thanks,

Mark

markg2 said:

I may choose a dynamic screen saver later on but this entire thread started because I had downloaded this great fish for my desktop background and later thought it would be nice if the fish were present all the time ;-)

Speaking of which, if the OS shows same under Themes and background/wall covering, in what directory would I find the image?

Thanks,

Mark

Have a look here,

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\TranscodedWallpaper.jpg

AppData is a hidden folder by default, this will help,

Hidden Files and Folders - Show or Hide

Very weird condition.

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Mark/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Themes/TranscodedWallpaper.jpg[/IMG]TranscodedWallpaper.jpg is an image of CrabNebula which 'used' to be the wallpaper. Control panel in the box for Themes has 5 named: CrabNebula (which is actually my fish and not the nebula), 2 Lenovo's that are black, MandarinFish (which is correctly named and is again my fish) and NASA spacescapes (which are as advertised).

How do I correct the OS' understanding of this thing?

You can put your wallpaper pictures in the folder of your choice, anywhere on your PC.

Mine are in D:\pictures\wallpaper

You don't have to use "themes" at all.

Just open the "desktop background" icon at the bottom of the "personalize" page.

A dialog will open.

Navigate to whatever folder you chose to hold the wallpaper.

Thumbnails of each pic should appear.

Put a checkmark beside the ones you actually want to use.

Set up a rotation schedule---I use every 3 hours.

Choose a "picture position" from the dropdown. Which choice you should make will vary depending on your screen resolution and the actual size in pixels of your pictures.

You can use jpegs, tiffs, whatever.

Aside from that, you can manually force any pic anywhere to become wallpaper through a right click and "set as desktop background". It will override the choice set by the rotating schedule.