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While the registry hacks worked perfectly, they offered a limited number of choices. Using registry hacks, you could change the default settings and access the screen saver’s alternate views. However, it was revealed that the configuration settings for the new screen savers were hidden in the registry. It was never revealed why the screen saver settings weren’t implemented. In an interview that was published in the Vista days, Stephen Coy, the designer of Vista’s new screen savers, said that their configuration settings were primed and ready to go but not fully implemented in the UI in the final release. Unfortunately, none of the new screen savers provided any configuration settings you could use to customize the display. The OS also included several new screen savers, such as Bubbles, Ribbons, and Mystify. When Microsoft introduced Windows Vista, the operating system was packed with eye candy, such as Flip 3D and Aero Glass. To find the origin of the missing Screen Saver settings, we need to take a little trip down memory lane. Figure B You can configure some (but not all) of Windows 10’s screen savers. Figure A The quickest way to access the Screen Saver settings in Windows 10 is by searching the Start menu. When Change Screen Saver appears in the results, as shown in Figure A, select it to open the Screen Saver Settings dialog box, shown in Figure B. While you can tunnel down to the Lock Screen tab, the quickest way to access the settings in Windows 10 is to click the Start button and begin typing screen saver. SEE: Windows 10: The smart person’s guide Accessing the Screen Saver settingsĪs I mentioned, Microsoft buried the Screen Saver settings control on the Lock Screen tab in the Personalization settings page. I’ll then describe the HTAs and explain how to use them to tweak the Bubbles, Ribbons, and Mystify screen savers. In this article, I’ll show you how to find the screen savers in Windows 10. I recently dug out the HTAs and polished them up a bit to work in Windows 10. How to reset your Windows 10 password when you forget itīack in the Windows Vista and Windows 7 days, I created a set of small HTML applications (HTAs) that allowed users to change the settings for those screen savers. Must-read Windows coverageĭefend your network with Microsoft outside-in security services Again, the answer to that question is, unfortunately, no. After sharing this information, I’m usually asked whether Microsoft ever unlocked the settings for the Bubbles, Ribbons, and Mystify screen savers it introduced in Windows Vista. Windows 10 includes the same set of screen savers that came with Windows Vista. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no.
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The second thing people ask is whether Windows 10 comes with any new screen savers.
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It’s just not readily apparent because Microsoft buried the Screen Saver Settings control on the Lock Screen tab in the Personalization settings page. In fact, I have had several people ask me if Windows 10 even comes with screen savers. However, screen savers still have a cool factor that appeals to some computer users. And with today’s LCD monitors most people use the energy-saving settings to put the display in sleep mode rather than run a screen saver. Screen savers are not all that important anymore, now that CRT monitors are basically a thing of the past. They'll make it easy to access and configure three screen savers that dropped off the map with Windows 10. If you're a fan of traditional Windows screen savers, these simple HTA apps are for you. How to customize the Bubbles, Ribbons, and Mystify screen savers for Windows 10
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