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#315415 - 22/10/2008 15:55 Strange wallpaper changer question.
burdell1
old hand

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 931
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
I recently reformatted my hard drive to see if it would help speed up my computer and I reinstalled a program that I use (Image Carousel II) that is a wallpaper changer. i have it set to change the wallpaper every hour. However, when I reboot the computer, it loads with just a black screen and the wallpaper doesn't change until the next assigned time. Is there any way to fix this (it used to do this way back when, but at some point it quit doing it.) Or, is there another good wallpaper changer that can have different folders of wallpapers that can be changed hourly (I have tried a bunch today that are complete crap.) Sorry if my explanation of the problem doesn't make sense smile

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#315418 - 22/10/2008 16:15 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: burdell1]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Some wallpaper changers rely on the Windows Desktop feature that allows the desktop to be an HTML document. Perhaps you need to enable that feature.

Another possibility is that there's a setting in Carousel that delays how long after bootup that the first change happens. Perhaps it's trying to make the change too soon and you need to add more delay onto it.
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Tony Fabris

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#315446 - 22/10/2008 20:02 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tfabris]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Hmmm... That sounds like Windows Genuine Advantage taking over. Tut tut.

Is the copy of Windows legit?
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#315447 - 22/10/2008 20:14 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: Shonky]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Wow, I didn't know about that "feature", but sure enough, that's one of the things that WGA does.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#315455 - 22/10/2008 20:51 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tfabris]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
I think it's only a recently released "feature"
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#315456 - 22/10/2008 20:54 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: Shonky]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Also I like the way it's such a simple thing like changing the desktop to black specifically targetting Chinese users. Someone must have done some research - how much can we annoy Asian users in a simple fashion?

Whilst that article mentions it breaks some Office programs I personally doubt that it really does.

i.e. overall the PC works just fine still...
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#315457 - 22/10/2008 21:02 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: Shonky]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Your post implies that "black" is somehow specific to target Chinese users. I would think that the desktop would become black no matter where the user lived.

Are you saying there's some cultural significance to the color?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#315459 - 22/10/2008 21:44 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tfabris]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
No - not my intention. Not really anything with black in particular. I don't know if black has any significance

I more meant that just taking away whatever the user had as their background was enough. I've seen enough machines in Asia with cutesy desktops etc
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#315462 - 22/10/2008 22:47 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: Shonky]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Originally Posted By: Shonky
No - not my intention. Not really anything with black in particular. I don't know if black has any significance

I more meant that just taking away whatever the user had as their background was enough. I've seen enough machines in Asia with cutesy desktops etc

You telling me that only Chinese people use wallpaper and that blanking it out is a specific penalty towards them? Right...

There isn't any significance of black for Chinese people. If it was red or white then maybe but even so, nobody is going to be bothered about it.

The wallpaper changing is just something that makes it obvious something is wrong and it doesn't negatively impact its operation.

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#315465 - 23/10/2008 00:05 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tman]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
I have, not infrequently, set my desktop to black on purpose.
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Bitt Faulk

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#315469 - 23/10/2008 01:18 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: wfaulk]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
OS X has this feature built into the OS. Time to switch smile

I'm sure Mark will chime in and say it's available on Gnome or KDE too smile
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~ John

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#315470 - 23/10/2008 01:47 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tman]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Originally Posted By: tman
Originally Posted By: Shonky
No - not my intention. Not really anything with black in particular. I don't know if black has any significance

I more meant that just taking away whatever the user had as their background was enough. I've seen enough machines in Asia with cutesy desktops etc

You telling me that only Chinese people use wallpaper and that blanking it out is a specific penalty towards them? Right...

There isn't any significance of black for Chinese people. If it was red or white then maybe but even so, nobody is going to be bothered about it.

The wallpaper changing is just something that makes it obvious something is wrong and it doesn't negatively impact its operation.


To some extent specifically, yes:
http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=49186
http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/viewthread.php?gid=2&tid=618678
http://www.china.org.cn/china/national/2008-10/17/content_16630207.htm
http://virtualreview.org/tech/zoom/785585/microsoft-sued-in-china-for-black-screen-of-death

...and so on...

The average Western "pirate" is not going to care that much.
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#315471 - 23/10/2008 02:44 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: Shonky]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
The Chinese users are pissed off that WGA is triggering on their pirated copy of Windows not that the wallpaper is going black. They're not that attached to their wallpaper.

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#315473 - 23/10/2008 03:24 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tman]
burdell1
old hand

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 931
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
My copy of Vista is a purchased one. I think the black background is a coincidence to those other ones......TFabris.what were you saying about activating the html feature?

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#315477 - 23/10/2008 06:34 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: burdell1]
LittleBlueThing
addict

Registered: 11/01/2002
Posts: 612
Loc: Reading, UK
What's "pirated" software? I don't understand...
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LittleBlueThing Running twin 30's

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#315480 - 23/10/2008 11:58 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: wfaulk]
Tim
veteran

Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1525
Loc: Arizona
Originally Posted By: wfaulk
I have, not infrequently, set my desktop to black on purpose.

All my desktops are black on purpose. I find it easier on the eyes and less painful trying to find desktop icons than if there is a picture or some other color behind it.

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#315484 - 23/10/2008 13:17 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: Tim]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: Tim
All my desktops are black on purpose.


My desktops tend to be a solid (dark) colour, but not usually black.

I'm tempted to create a subtle gradient colour background...
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-- roger

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#315496 - 23/10/2008 17:34 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: burdell1]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Originally Posted By: burdell1
My copy of Vista is a purchased one. I think the black background is a coincidence to those other ones......TFabris.what were you saying about activating the html feature?


Ah. You didn't say Vista before. The HTML desktop feature was something that could be turned on and off in earlier versions of Windows, but I don't see a way to do that in Vista, so it's not likely related.
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Tony Fabris

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#315505 - 23/10/2008 23:26 Re: Strange wallpaper changer question. [Re: tfabris]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
Wasn't that called "Active Desktop"
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Glenn

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