add a screen saver

  • Thread starter Thread starter back-to-basic
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back-to-basic

I know it's easy, but please be patient with me.... I'm an old Win98
user, so I know it can be done but I'm not figuring it out easily.

How do I add a new screen saver? I know I did it easily with Win98,
but it's not as easy for me with XP. I went to a microsoft web site
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/customize/overview/screensaver.asp
that gave me the following directions... the problmem is that my
program doesn't have those steps for me to follow.

~~~~

To choose a screen saver

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Themes.

<to begin with, mine doesn't say APPEARANCE>

Under Pick a task,
<no "Task" in my options>

click Choose a screen saver.
On the Screen Saver tab, in the Screen saver list, click the screen
saver you want.
Click Preview to view the screen saver for a few seconds (move your
mouse or press any key to end the preview), and then click Settings to
customize its behavior.
When you are satisfied with your choice, click OK.

Any suggestions?
TIA
 
back-to-basic said:
I know it's easy, but please be patient with me.... I'm an old Win98
user, so I know it can be done but I'm not figuring it out easily.

How do I add a new screen saver? I know I did it easily with Win98,
but it's not as easy for me with XP. I went to a microsoft web site
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/customize/overview/screensaver.asp
that gave me the following directions... the problmem is that my
program doesn't have those steps for me to follow.

~~~~

To choose a screen saver

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Themes.

<to begin with, mine doesn't say APPEARANCE>

Under Pick a task,
<no "Task" in my options>

click Choose a screen saver.
On the Screen Saver tab, in the Screen saver list, click the screen
saver you want.
Click Preview to view the screen saver for a few seconds (move your
mouse or press any key to end the preview), and then click Settings to
customize its behavior.
When you are satisfied with your choice, click OK.

Any suggestions?
TIA
Click to expand...

You are viewing the Control Panel in the "Classic View" mode. When you open
CP, on the left side of the screen, click the "Category View" item and you
will see the menu that is described in that article.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
 
You are viewing the Control Panel in the "Classic View" mode. When you open
CP, on the left side of the screen, click the "Category View" item and you
will see the menu that is described in that article.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the information... however, that got me back to where I was
within Control Panel, so let me rephrase my problem:

I have downloaded and saved a couple of screen savers that are not on
the standsard microsoft screen saver menu and I want to add them to
it. How do I do this?

TIA
 
Thanks for the information... however, that got me back to where I was
within Control Panel, so let me rephrase my problem:

I have downloaded and saved a couple of screen savers that are not on
the standsard microsoft screen saver menu and I want to add them to
it. How do I do this?

TIA
Click to expand...


Right click desktop / properties / screen savers

Then open that arrow to the right of [ none ] and scroll down to
[ my pictures slideshow ]. Then click on [ settings ] to the right of
that and you will be able to direct it to use whatever screen saver
you wanted to use in whatever folder you have it stored.

Jim
 
Thanks for the information... however, that got me back to where I was
within Control Panel, so let me rephrase my problem:

I have downloaded and saved a couple of screen savers that are not on
the standsard microsoft screen saver menu and I want to add them to
it. How do I do this?

TIA
Click to expand...


Right click desktop / properties / screen savers

Then open that arrow to the right of [ none ] and scroll down to
[ my pictures slideshow ]. Then click on [ settings ] to the right of
that and you will be able to direct it to use whatever screen saver
you wanted to use in whatever folder you have it stored.

Jim
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply, but we're not there yet. The screen
savers I want to use are not still pictures. They have their own
motion and "my pictures slideshow" just wants to display a bunch of
stills.

I need to be able to install what I need onto the list of screen saver
choices. I can easily browse around to install my own pictures onto
the desktop, this is completely baffling to me.

Here are the URLs, so you can understand what I mean by "motion"
http://www.fourmilab.ch/craters/
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthscr/

Help says:
The "Settings..." button in the Control Panel/Display/Screen Saver
panel displays a dialogue which allows you to select the view of the
Earth and the size of the image." Like you - I thought slide show
would do it, but it didn't, I can't go past the folder option and it
doesn't recognize the screen saver inside.

I guess another way of asking the question is - how do I add new
screen savers to my computer's Screen Saver Library?

I know this isn't brain surgery because I have a wonderful earth
viewer that I use as a screen saver on my Win98.... so I'm still
trying to figure out how to do it on XP too.
 
back-to-basic said:
Thanks for the information... however, that got me back to where I was
within Control Panel, so let me rephrase my problem:

I have downloaded and saved a couple of screen savers that are not on
the standsard microsoft screen saver menu and I want to add them to
it. How do I do this?

TIA
Click to expand...

The screen savers must have the .scr file extension and they must reside in
the C:\Windows\System32 folder. If these are true, you should see them in
that list.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
 
back-to-basic said:
Thanks for the information... however, that got me back to where I was
within Control Panel, so let me rephrase my problem:

I have downloaded and saved a couple of screen savers that are not on
the standsard microsoft screen saver menu and I want to add them to
it. How do I do this?

TIA
Click to expand...

The screen savers must have the .scr file extension and they must reside in
the C:\Windows\System32 folder. If these are true, you should see them in
that list.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
 
The screen savers must have the .scr file extension and they must reside in
the C:\Windows\System32 folder. If these are true, you should see them in
that list.
Click to expand...

Since this is XP, there are no file extensions - but they are listed
as screen savers. So, do I simply copy them into the system 32
folder? The dialog tells me to leave it alone or else I'll be sorry.

TIA
 
back-to-basics said:
Since this is XP, there are no file extensions - but they are listed
as screen savers. So, do I simply copy them into the system 32
folder? The dialog tells me to leave it alone or else I'll be sorry.

TIA
Click to expand...

I went to the website you referenced in your other message and downloaded
the Craters screensaver. It downloads as the file "Craters32.zip". Unzipped
the file and the resulting file was called Craters.scr. I moved this file to
the C:\Windows\System32 folder. The Craters screensaver shows up in the list
of screensavers in Control Panel and works perfectly.

If you want to be able top see the file extensions, Open My Computer and
select Tools/Folder Options/View tab. Select "Show hidden files and folders"
and "Show the contents of system folders". Remove the check mark from "Hide
extensions for known file types" and "Hide protected operating system
files".

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
 
back-to-basics said:
I did it and it worked beautifully <bopping self on head>.

Many Thanks!
Click to expand...

Glad this worked. Enjoy the show. :)

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.
 
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