Screensaver with more than one directory

[EDJO]

Hello, All!

When configuring the WinXP screensaver: My slideshow, I can only point to
one directory.
Is it possible to point to more directories? Or is there any freeware
substitute for the screensaver: My slideshow?

With best regards, EDJO.

 

[K3]

Hello, All!

When configuring the WinXP screensaver: My slideshow, I can only
point to one directory.
Is it possible to point to more directories? Or is there any freeware
substitute for the screensaver: My slideshow?

With best regards, EDJO.

http://www.gphotoshow.com/gpshow_free.htm

--
Kendall F. Stratton III
Fort Fairfield, Maine USA
k3@(86_the_Spam)Maine.rr.com
http://home.maine.rr.com/k3

"Support Bacteria - It's the only culture some people have!"

 

[EDJO]

Hello, K3!
You wrote on Sat, 06 May 2006 19:55:32 GMT:

??>> When configuring the WinXP screensaver: My slideshow, I can only
??>> point to one directory.
??>> Is it possible to point to more directories? Or is there any freeware
??>> substitute for the screensaver: My slideshow?

K> http://www.gphotoshow.com/gpshow_free.htm

Thanks Ken, works great...!

With best regards, EDJO.

 

[Morten Skarstad]

EDJO skrev:

When configuring the WinXP screensaver: My slideshow, I can only point to
one directory.
Is it possible to point to more directories? Or is there any freeware
substitute for the screensaver: My slideshow?

http://www.greggman.com/nostalgic/

 

[Sietse Fliege]

EDJO skrev:

http://www.greggman.com/nostalgic/

This is a very cool screensaver. To quote the page:
"No, not Nostalgic as in an old screensaver, Nostalgic as in when you
use this screensaver you will feel nostalgic because this screensaver
shows your images in a way similar to how many documentaries and
biographies show still images from a history or a person's past"
The screensaver displays a cinematic slideshow of jpeg images. The
cinematic motion includes zooming in, zooming out, and panning. This
motion adds a surprisingly effective mood to each image.

This screensaver is essentially a Windows version of the Apple OS X
slideshow screensaver.

However, there exists another screensaver, doing the same: MotionPicture
http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~gstitt/motionpicture/

In fact: it is more configurable and it also lets you listen to music.
I like it best.

For both these screensavers: you can have more than one folder.
BUT: for that you must point it to a folder in which you have shotcuts
to the target folders.
(Actually, the MotionPicture author on his webpage thanks the Nostalgic
author for contributing the code for handling the shortcuts.)

 

[Morten Skarstad]

Sietse Fliege skrev:

However, there exists another screensaver, doing the same: MotionPicture
http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~gstitt/motionpicture/

In fact: it is more configurable and it also lets you listen to music.
I like it best.

It didn't work properly on my computer. The latest version was available
as an installer which simply did not work; Nothing happened when I tried
to run it. Tried the older version instead, but I found no way of
enabling it on both monitors; It only showed the saver on my primary
monitor.

 

[Sietse Fliege]

Sietse Fliege skrev:


It didn't work properly on my computer. The latest version was
available as an installer which simply did not work; Nothing happened
when I tried to run it. Tried the older version instead, but I found
no way of enabling it on both monitors; It only showed the saver on
my primary monitor.

Morten, I cannot confirm that the installer of the newest version does
not work, simply because I did not run the installer.
When I viewed the contents of the zip file, I saw, besides the
MotionPicture.scr file, the setup.exe and a lot of runtime files.
I decided that I would try exctracting just the .scr file and put it in
the system32 folder (XP).
It just worked flawlessly for me. You may want to try that as well.

 

[Morten Skarstad]

Sietse Fliege skrev:

Morten, I cannot confirm that the installer of the newest version does
not work, simply because I did not run the installer.
When I viewed the contents of the zip file, I saw, besides the
MotionPicture.scr file, the setup.exe and a lot of runtime files.
I decided that I would try exctracting just the .scr file and put it in
the system32 folder (XP).
It just worked flawlessly for me. You may want to try that as well.

Did we download the same file? I downloaded
http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~gstitt/motionpicture/mp1_14_installer.zip and
could not find any .scr file within it. I even tried opening the various
..cab files, but my archiver (TugZIP) did not seem to handle them.

 

[Sietse Fliege]

Sietse Fliege skrev:


Did we download the same file? I downloaded
http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~gstitt/motionpicture/mp1_14_installer.zip and
could not find any .scr file within it. I even tried opening the
various .cab files, but my archiver (TugZIP) did not seem to handle
them.

If your copy misses the MotionPicture.scr file, that would explain why
the installer would not work.
The simplest explanation would be that you downloaded an incomplete zip
file. I just now redownloaded and it does contain the file.
Filesize: 1,43 MB (1.500.792 bytes)

 

[Sietse Fliege]

Filesize: 1,43 MB (1.500.792 bytes)

I mean: that is the size of the zip file.
B.t.w.: I cannot confirm that this version solves the multiple monitors
issue, as one monitor is about all I can manage, just.

 

[Morten Skarstad]

Sietse Fliege skrev:

If your copy misses the MotionPicture.scr file, that would explain why
the installer would not work.
The simplest explanation would be that you downloaded an incomplete zip
file. I just now redownloaded and it does contain the file.
Filesize: 1,43 MB (1.500.792 bytes)

Again, did the filename match? My file was _larger_ than yours (1576190
bytes), so I don't think mine was incomplete.

It seems the web page links to at least three different downloads: 1.13,
1.14 and 1.14.1. The one on
http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~gstitt/motionpicture/download.html (which I would
assume was the latest stable version) is 1.14, and this is the one I
downloaded. 1.13 was available as a single .scr-file, but this displayed
nothing on my secondary monitor.

Here is a shell transcript with the size and contents of the 1.14 .zip file:

[morten@pumba shared]$ ls -l mp1_14_installer.zip
-rwxr--r-- 1 morten morten 1576190 mai 8 17:15 mp1_14_installer.zip
[morten@pumba shared]$ unzip -l mp1_14_installer.zip
Archive: mp1_14_installer.zip
Length Date Time Name
-------- ---- ---- ----
300178 11-19-97 16:05 mp1_14_installer/_INST32I.EX_
8192 11-19-97 16:05 mp1_14_installer/_ISDEL.EXE
11264 11-19-97 16:08 mp1_14_installer/_setup.dll
186302 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/_sys1.cab
44957 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/_user1.cab
113 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/DATA.TAG
1032458 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/data1.cab
4557 05-30-97 11:31 mp1_14_installer/lang.dat
353 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/layout.bin
417 05-06-97 14:15 mp1_14_installer/os.dat
228572 07-10-04 17:03 mp1_14_installer/setup.bmp
59904 11-19-97 16:09 mp1_14_installer/SETUP.EXE
83 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/SETUP.INI
56012 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/setup.ins
49 08-07-04 14:04 mp1_14_installer/setup.lid
-------- -------
1933411 15 files
[morten@pumba shared]$

I just downloaded and tried the 1.14.1 file, and that one _did_ contain
a .scr file. I tried it, and the first time I tried it I did get a
picture on both monitors. However, the zoom levels were totally off, and
only half pictures were shown. Changing the multiple monitors settings
on MP to split a picture across several monitors displayed the same
problem. Setting the very same setting _back_ to displaying different
pictures on each monitor had the result of MP not working at all; Now my
monitor only turns black when the saver kicks in.

If I disable the secondary monitor, MP works just fine on monitor 1:
Pictures are displayed, and zoom levels are fine. Reenabling monitor 2
brings me back to two black screens.

I'm sticking with Nostalgic. It works, and it has the options I need.

 

[Sietse Fliege]

I just downloaded and tried the 1.14.1 file, and that one _did_
contain a .scr file.

Yes, that's the one that I referred to, when I said the newest version.
It's also the one about which he says (9/18/04, no later comment since):
"I think I have fixed the problems with multiple monitors".

If I disable the secondary monitor, MP works just fine on monitor 1:
Pictures are displayed, and zoom levels are fine. Reenabling monitor 2
brings me back to two black screens.

I'm sticking with Nostalgic. It works, and it has the options I need.

Understandable, as apparently the multiple monitors issue is not
completely solved for every system.

( Note however that he says:
"If you experience any problems, email me at (e-mail address removed)."
There is always a chance that he might surprise you with a solution. )

I recommend anyone that only needs it to work on a single monitor to try
out MotionPicture because it sports better features than Nostalgic, IMO.