troubleshooting

SCREENSAVER HELP
(For the CD screensavers I used to sell. See them here)

WILL THE SCREENSAVER RUN ON WINDOWS 10?

Yes! A user wrote in with the following information:
On "Install Rainbow Reefs dx" you right-click on your mouse and then
select Run as Administrator with left mouse button. It will then ask
you for the admin password if you are running in user mode. It then
installed fine.

One thing I noticed was to get the full size screen (my screen is 17"
laptop) I had to turn off directx in the troubleshooting area, even
though I checked my laptop and it has directx 12 installed ( I recall
you need directx 7 or later).

HOW CAN I PLAY THE SCREENSAVER AS A SLIDESHOW?

If there are no instructions on the CD case, follow the simple steps below:
     - Install the screensaver on your PC using any of the install options
     - Go to My Computer and Double-click on the CD or DVD drive (usually D: or E:).
     - Find the file DEFAULTSCREENSAVER on the the CD.
     - Drag the file from the CD to your desktop.
     - Double-clicking the DEFAULTSCREENSAVER icon on your desktop will play the screensaver as a slideshow.
       (Touching the mouse or pressing any key will stop it.)

Note: On some older versions of Windows this drag and drop operation might not work. In that case
     - Right-click on DEFAULTSCREENSAVER and choose Copy from the drop-down menu.
     - Go to your Windows Desktop
     - Right-click anywhere, and choose Paste from the drop-down menu.
     - The DEFAULTSCREENSAVER file should now be on your desktop.
        (You might have to search for it among the other icons.)
     - Double-click on the DEFAULTSCREENSAVER icon to launch the current screensaver.

CAN I PLAY THE SLIDESHOW ON MY DVD PLAYER?
The screensaver CD is not a DVD product. The images are embedded in the screensaver.

CAN I ACCESS THE IMAGES WITH MY OWN SOFTWARE?
As it says on the back cover of the CD, the screensaver images are not available to the user individually. However, the wallpaper images are accessible, and on the Rainbow Reefs CD, the ipod fish ID images are also accessible.

DOES THIS PRODUCT WORK ON A WIDESCREEN MONITOR?
Yes. Out of the box the photos fill the screen. However, they will look horizontally stretched.
If desired, the screensaver can be manually adjusted so that the photos play in the center of the screen with a black border on each side.
This is recommended, as it will preserve the correct ratio of height to width.

- Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop
     - Choose Properties / Screensaver
     - Choose Settings
     - Choose Troubleshooting
     - Change the resolution to 1600 x1050, or experiment with other resolutions until the desired effect is achieved.

DOES THIS PRODUCT WORK ON A DUAL MONITOR PC?
- No. Only one monitor is supported.

DOES IT WORK ON A MAC?
Macs are superior machines, but unfortunately, this product does not work on Macs, except maybe in Windows emulation mode. I don't have a Mac to try this on. Wish I did.

TROUBLESHOOTING
Few users experience difficulties, but if you do the tips below could be useful.
If none of them seem to work, completely restarting the may PC fix the problem.

SCREENSAVER DOES NOT START

I installed the screensaver and it previews fine, but it won't start on it's own as it should
Are you running Windows Vista with a Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse?
- If yes see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911895
Unfortunately, these two Microsoft products in combination may prevent any screensaver from working.

COMPUTER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE CD, OR INSTALLATION RUNS VERY SLOWLY

I know my CD drive works, but it will not read this CD.
Examine the silvery side of the CD carefully in bright light for possible dirt, oily fingerprints, marks, or scratches.
     - You can wash the CD in running water (not hot). Dry it carefully with a soft cotton cloth.
        (Don't use a paper towel, which could scratch it.)
     - When it is completely dry, try it again.
     - If it still doesn't work, try it in another computer (if you have one) to verify that the problem is with the CD.
     - Email me if you still can't play the CD. I can send you a new one. I would like the old one back so I can send it to the factory

SLOW PERFORMANCE or DISPLAY PROBLEMS

I did a BASIC install but the screensaver runs very slowly.
Try changing the color depth of your display to a lower value.
     - Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop.
     - Choose Properties / Settings.
     - If Color Quality is set at 24 or 32 bit, change it to 16 bit.
       (Note: although 24 & 32 are higher quality than 16, few
       people can tell the difference.)
     - You can also speed up the screensaver by setting the monitor
       to a lower resolution, for example: 800x600 instead of 1024x768.

I did a DirectX install but the screensaver runs very slowly or I have display problems.
Try changing the DirectX usage to a lower value.
     - Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop
     - Choose Properties / Screensaver
     - Choose Settings
     - Choose Troubleshooting
     - Slide the DirectX Usage bar to the halfway mark at left
                                       OR
     - If 1280x1024x24/32 is selected, change to 1280x1024x16

If the above steps don't work:
Slide the DirectX Usage bar all the way to the left (no DirectX)

PICTURE IS TOO BIG FOR SCREEN (cannot see captions) OR PICTURE DOESN'T FILL SCREEN

I did a DirectX install.
Your system may not be capable of displaying 1280x1024 pixel resolution.
Try the BASIC install.

PC FREEZES

My PC freezes when I leave it on for long periods of time with the screensaver running.
One user with a very old Windows 95 machine reported this. Turning the power saving options off fixed the problem.
     - Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop
     - Choose Properties / Screensaver
     - Find the power saving options and turn them off.

HOW TO REMOVE THE SCREENSAVER or REMOVE A VERSION THAT DIDN'T WORK (Optional)

     - Go to the Control Panel
     - Select "Add or Remove Programs"
     - Select the item to remove
     - Click the Remove button.