AnnieReb's Help Desk for Screen Savers
Downloading a Screen Saver
Choose a 'TITLE' of a Screen Saver from the lists that are on the index page.
Click on the TITLE , that will take you to the preview page.
It's very important to watch your download 'window' .. {screen shot below} ..
Make sure the check mark is in the "Save this program to disk" selection. Sometimes if you choose 'run this program from it's current location', you will wind up with corrupted downloaded files, and the Screen Saver won't install correctly, you will get error messages. Click "OK", and the download will begin. Place the downloaded file, which will have the file extension .. exe in a folder on your hard drive, or on your desk top. You want to know where to find it when the download is finished.
If you are now running IE6, the looks of the download window has changed, {see Screenshot below} ..
Choose 'Save', then place the file, which will have the file extension .. exe .. in a folder on your hard drive or on your desktop.
Installing a Screen Saver
When the exe file has finished downloading, you are now ready to install
your new Screen Saver. You don't have to remain *on-line* to install,
if you are finished surfing the web, you may sign off.
Find the exe file, either in the folder where you placed it, or on your desktop, if that's where you placed it. Double click the exe file. That will bring up the installation wizard. If there is a *readme* file included with the Screen Saver, please do just that ... "read it". The installation wizard will guide you with 'prompts', just go slowly, follow the prompts, and you should have a successful installation.
Installation Problems
Installation problems almost always can be traced back to 'download' problems.
First .. make sure you are using the latest update on your Browser.
Updates for all Browsers are 'free'. There is no reason to be
stuck in the 'stone age' with an old Browser. Always compare the file
size of the file you downloaded with the file size that you see on the
description and download page for a Screen Saver. If the downloaded
file is smaller in size than what is posted on the description page, delete
it, download a fresh copy.
Downloading from the net is a 'behind the scenes' complicated thing. There are many, many reasons why a 'bad download' can happen. These reasons can include a problem with your own net connection at the time of download, or a temporary problem with a site on the net. If you receive error messages while attempting to install a downloaded exe, such as, "persistent parrameters corrupted", "insert last disk", or anything similiar, this means you received a bad download. The 'fix' is to delete the downloaded file, go back and download a fresh copy.
Display Settings
Windows allows you to personalize your computer, including your desktop,
colors, how you see things on your monitor, etc. The main Display Settings'
window is also where you will choose which wallpaper you wish to view, and
which Screen Saver you wish to run at any given moment. To get to your
Display Settings .. go to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display.
There is also a shortcut to opening your Display Window .. just
right click on any empty spot on your desktop, (your monitor screen), then
when the pop-up menu appears, click properties. {see Screen
Shot below}
The 'settings' button that is just below the picture of the monitor is the button that allows you to choose whatever different settings a Screen Saver is capable of. To change settings on a particular Screen Saver, make sure it's the one highlighted in the main 'box' under the title 'Screen Saver'. Then click the 'settings' button.
The Screen Savers that I create with the 'floating collage', will bring up this window when you click it's 'settings'. {Screen Shot below}
Screen Saver Settings
This is where you may mute the music, or have it Audible. This is also where you choose how you wish to view the Screen Saver. Clicking the 'Slide Show' button will open a window that gives you many choices. It's okay to click and experiment, it won't break the Screen Saver.
Below is a screen shot of how the settings look with Screen Savers compiled using Axialis.
A note about Active Screen Savers
All of the Screen Savers I create under this heading are full of java
applications, java scripts, animation, etc.
These require your system to have enough memory to run them properly. If
you download any of these
then find that you are seeing red "X"s instead of graphics, and you already
know that your computer is java enabled,
then it means that you received a bad download, (no problem, uninstall the
Screen Saver, go back and download a fresh copy, then install the fresh copy)
.. or .. you just need to stop the Screen Saver, then restart it. If
your computer is running low on resources, it just needs to be started,
(re-booted).
Active Screen Saver information can be found HERE
At this time, the 'Active' Screen Savers don't have a setting for the end user to mute the music or sounds, it will be necessary to control the sound with your computer speakers.
Screen Savers are fun, sometimes relaxing, and usually entertaining. Enjoy them!!
Forcing a Screen Saver to exit
Sometimes some computer systems will 'hang on' to a Screen Saver or to other
Soft Ware. This is usually due to low resources, low memory, etc.
There is a keyboard short cut that will force a Screen Saver or a Software
Program to *exit*, saving the computer user the hassle of re-booting, or
having to power off the whole system. Press these two keys at the same
time ... alt and F4. Give your system a few
seconds to recognize the command, then the software should quietly exit.
To Manually uninstall a Screen Saver
If for any reason you have difficulty uninstalling a screen saver, you can manually uninstall it by deleting the installation path of the screen saver and then deleting the (.scr), (.dat), and (.ini) files with the same name as the screen saver.
1. Find and delete any image and sound directories, (folders), if those are included in the Screen Saver download. The directory will be where ever you allowed the installation to place them, usually the default directory is C:\Program Files\"Name of Screen Saver".
2. Delete the file "Name of Screen Saver.scr" from the Windows System Directory (C:\Windows\System for Windows 95, 98, and ME) or (C:\Winnt\System32 for Windows NT and Windows 2000).
3. Delete the file "Name of Screen Saver.dat" from the Windows System Directory (C:\Windows\System for Windows 95, 98, and ME) or (C:\Winnt\System32 for Windows NT and Windows 2000).
4. Delete the file "Name of Screen Saver.ini" from the Windows System Directory (C:\Windows\System for Windows 95, 98, and ME) or (C:\Winnt\System32 for Windows NT and Windows 2000).
Special Note
Due to the large size of my Screen Savers, AnnieReb can't send them to
you via email. This would clog up my email program, and probably yours
also.
General info .. Since I offer completely FREE ScreenSavers, (along
with FREE Wallpaper and Greeting Cards), all the costs involved come straight
out of my own pocket. It is completely necessary for me to use affiliate
sites, who host my downloads, in order for me to be able to afford the bandwidth
on my own domain. Occasionally, when you download one of my Screen
Savers from one of my affiliate sites, you will be offered a chance to download
other software.
Please pay attention to the license info that is on the installation window,
if you do not wish to install any extra bundled software, make sure to choose
to 'not' install any extra software.
I hope to continue to be able to offer completely FREE Screen Savers and Wallpaper. I enjoy creating, and I enjoy sharing. If you wish to purchase my original Screen Savers on a CD, in other words .. a 'hard copy', with my original files, no bundled software, no adware, etc., you can find the information HERE
Contact via email ..