F A Q
frequently answered questions

Disclaimers:
The FAQ section makes the assumption that you can’t figure out how to do something, and don’t have anyone to ask, and you need directions or you wouldn’t be here. Some of these things seem basic to you, but remember, somewhere in the Heartland is a woman 80 years old, who owns a computer because her kid made her take it, and she doesn’t know how to do these things. This section’s for you, Mom.

Although the description of some of the settings may look complicated, in practice it isn’t really. If you think you’d like a copy of this section, click on File, Print in the upper left corner of your browser, or any little picture of a printer you happen to find at the top of your screen. It looks worse than it is, and please remember it will run fine if you never change anything.

Both pieces of software used in these screen savers are remarkably stable, well written, and have never been known to cause problems. For legal reasons, we have to say that if anything happens on your computer, your downloading of the software constitutes your consent to accept the risk of some Bad Thing occurring. This is also, coincidentally, the risk you run every time you download anything off the Internet, but usually no one bothers to mention it.

Distribution policy:
Feel free to distribute these screen savers to anyone you wish, as long as no money changes hands in any way. That would violate the software license, as would any attempt to tamper with the software itself. If you have any questions, please contact the artist.

How do I download the file?
Click on the filename, and your software will ask you where to put it. The Desktop is a good place if you're not sure. You may delete this file after the screen saver is installed, or you may move it to another location in case you want it later.

How do I install it?
Click on the filename wherever you put it on your computer. It will install itself, and it will offer to define itself as the default screen saver. Your other screen savers will still be there. Tech note: This is a self-installing executable, not a self-unzipping executable.

The Japanese Garden, the Martin Luther King, and the Lollie Screen Savers

What are the system requirements for these screen savers?
To run properly, you will need a Pentium-class computer, running Windows 3.11, 9x, 2000, or NT. I’m sorry, they won’t run under Macintosh.

How do I remove this screen saver from my system?
The software used to create them comes with a lovely uninstall program built in. Click Start, Programs, Name of Your Screen Saver, Uninstall.

I’d like to turn off the sound.
Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Your Screen Saver, Settings, Settings, Screen Saver, and unclick the box marked “Use Sound Effects If Available”. Click “OK”.

I’d like to adjust the length of time each picture is on my screen.
This is possible only in the Martin Luther King and the Japanese Garden screen savers. The Lollie screen savers are each configured for differing lengths of time by the artist to give you time to read each frame, and this over-rides the user settings. Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Your Screen Saver, Settings, Settings, Screen Saver, and change the “Display each image for XX seconds” to whatever you like. This is the same window where you can set “Screen saver starts in XX minutes”. You will want to click “Use Random Image Order” on this screen as well. Also available on this screen is a “Display Pictures in Black & White” option, nice if you like B & W photography. (“Tile Pictures That Do Not Fit Screen Exactly” and “Show Picture Titles” should be left unchecked, as we don’t have titles, and the Tile option may cause your pictures to be displayed oddly.) Click “OK” when you’re done.

I’d like to put a password on my screen saver.
Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Your Screen Saver, Settings, Settings, Password, and put in your password. Click “OK”. If you forget the password, you can reboot the machine for now as the password only applies to the screen saver. (For this reason, putting a password on your screen saver is not a terribly secure way to protect your computer.) The long-term cure is going to involve uninstalling and reinstalling the screen saver to remove it.

I’d like to use one of the pictures as wallpaper on my Desktop.

Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Your Screen Saver, Settings, and you’ll see all the pictures available in the screen saver. Double-click any picture you like, or select a picture by clicking on it and then click the “Wallpaper” button on the right. The Wallpaper tab (not the Wallpaper button) also allows you to set your wallpaper to change at intervals. Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Your Screen Saver, Settings, Settings, Wallpaper to find these choices. Click “OK” when finished.

Are the transitional effects something I can change?
Yes. Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Your Screen Saver, Settings, Settings, Effects, and you can turn on or off any effects you like or don’t like individually, and set the length of the transition for Long, Medium, or Short. Just unclick them all to cause the pictures to change instantaneously. Click “OK”.

Bonsai Meditations

What are the system requirements for this screen saver?
To run properly, you will need a Pentium-class computer, running Windows 9x, 2000, or NT. I’m sorry, it won’t run under Macintosh.

How do I remove this screen saver from my system?
The Bonsai SS is a little less straightforward to remove. The easiest way to do it is run a Find on the word bonsai, on the C: drive. There is a file called BONSAIMEDITATIONS.SCR, in something like a C:\Windows folder, depending on your kind of Windows, and delete that. There will also be a folder C:\Windows\Indsoft\BonsaiMeditations folder, and you just delete that folder. The artist deeply regrets the software manufacturer’s decision not to provide an uninstaller. These directions are also available in the About box of this screen saver.

I’d like to turn off the sound.
Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Screen Saver, Settings, click the sound off. Any screen saver with sound will work the same way.

I notice the moving text is a little fuzzy.
If you have Windows ’95, and if you have Plus! installed, you need to right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, chose Properties, Plus!, and unclick a thing that says, “Smooth Edges of Screen Fonts.” You’ll never miss it, I promise.

About the artist
My name is Jan Fox. I am a grandmother and a photographer for some 40 years. (I am also a child of the Sixties, which may explain a lot.) I started making screen savers for my own amusement, because I wanted something to suit me. I sometimes have to sit in front of a computer on the phone for a while, and I wanted eye candy, something that moves or changes, because I actually have to watch them. For the same reason, I like a lot of different pictures so I don’t get bored. I started to include music in them more recently, as it keeps me from leaving the house and forgetting to turn off the computer. The screen savers are fairly large because of the number of images, and as a photographer, I get very fussy about image quality. Image compression frequently equals image death, if not done skillfully, and these images are allowed to retain the sharpness they were born with, and will continue to be sharp on a larger monitor with higher screen resolution as the technology evolves. The images are shot on a digital camera, and occasionally edited a little to remove clutter. I’d enjoy hearing from you for any reason, at photofjn@aol.com. Please tell me what you liked, or make suggestions, or just let me know where you’re from, as there really is a Mom and she sticks pins in a map to keep track of her daughter’s software for entertainment. I’d be delighted to address technical questions, if you’re curious about something.

Live long and prosper!
Jan
^..^

Keywords used to help you locate this screen saver: screen saver installation FAQ.