Free and Easy: Make a Video Screensaver

[p_l]

Here's a free and easy way to make a full video screensaver, with or without audio.



1. Convert your video clip to .WMV format, if it isn't already, using Windows Movie Maker, included free in ME and XP, or with Windows Media Encoder. If you don't want audio in your screensaver, mute the audio track in Windows Movie Maker by right-clicking the Audio track and selecting Mute before you Finish Movie / Save to my computer.




uvscreensaver.scr

2. Install this small pointer file in C:/WINDOWS/SYSTEM32. That's where Windows puts .SCR screensaver files. The file is originally from Ulead Video Studio 9, which creates and uses this pointer file for its new feature to output sceensavers. It should then show up in the Screen Saver drop-down menu when you right-click on your desktop, click Properties and choose the Screen Saver tab.






3. Click the Settings button, and in the box that appears, browse for your .WMV file, preview it if you wish, and click OK. Click Apply and OK.






Voilà!


Moderators: Please feel free to move this to the User Guides section if you think this modest how-to is worthy.

[ukb007]

Nice. Thanks.

[BirdDaddie]

doesn't work for me
I am on windows 8.1 64bit and it says failed to render something

[Baldrick]

2005.....

[newpball]

I checked this program:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/videosaver/

Picked a 4k video and tried it.

It seems to work fine under Windows 8.1.

Disclaimer: don't know that program at all, just an f.y.i

[jollyjohn]

I never use screensavers, and never will. Don't use wallpapers either.

[Cornucopia]

Remember,
Since screensavers are executable programs (as self-contained video players on a timer), always make sure IF you use one, that is is secure & free of viruses/malware. Best to get from legit sources.

Scott

[p_l]

doesn't work for me
I am on windows 8.1 64bit and it says failed to render something

When I made this little how-to a decade ago, it worked in XP. I wasn't able to test it with an OS from the future.