Trouble with installing screensavers

[jmgriffin]

I am a novice with a new HP a6645f with Windows Vista. I use a trusted website for downloads that I never had a problem with on my old computer with windows XP. I download the screensaver, install it and this is where the problem begins. At the end of installation you are asked if you would like to bring up the screensaver menu. I answer yes, pick the screensaver from the dropdown menu, set the start time, click apply and ok. The window closes. The screensaver never comes on. At this point I can bring the screensaver menu back up, and the screensaver I just installed is not on the dropdown menu anymore. I can start the whole thing over again from the download but always get the same result. I have spoken to online support twice with no resolution. I can find the downloaded screensavers on the computer and they say they are installed but I cannot find them on the screensaver menu.

[c0rnel]

Then maybe they're not intended to work with vista but only xp or previous operating systems.

Try a different trusted screen saver site or use the builtin screensavers to make sure first that they work.

[jmgriffin]

Thanks. I have tried a second site as well with the same results. In the computers help section there is a section to check compatibility but I don't know if that applied to screensavers or programs and I don't know if I used it correctly.

[jmgriffin]

I gave up on installing screensavers this morning. I decided to use one of the preinstalled screensavers. I set one up, and it will run for 10-15 min and then shut itself off and reverts to a blank screen. Tried again with a different preinstalled screensaver with the same results

[c0rnel]

The reason why the monitor turnd off by itself it because windows vista will turn off the monitor after 20 minutes of no activity.

This is a default windows option but can be changed in vista.

Go to start, control panel, system and maintenance, and click Power Options and there's advanced options to use for monitor and sleep mode and you can increase, decrease or turn off that feature.

[frprinterwiz]

If you are using a wireless connection for your internet, it can cause most, if not all the screensavers not to function since the wireless connection appears to the computer as activity.

[Bskull]

If that is the cause though, it would be recommended that you run windows update and install the optional update called "Microsoft HID Non-User Input Data Filter"

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913405

[jmgriffin]

Thank you for all the responses. I have my preinstalled screensavers up and running. Still working on the downloaded ones though. They say they are downloaded, and installed. They are in my documents, I can even preview them. But, they never show up on the screensaver menu so I can actually use them

[TKay]

I'm having the exact problem.  I've even downloaded vista screensavers, and it will pop up the screensaver settings box, I am able to preview it just fine, but when it comes time to use it, nothing shows.  Then I go to the screensaver settings, and the download isn't there anymore.  The ones that came with my notebook work just fine, it's just when I download them they won't go under the settings.    If I can't even find an answer here, I think I'll have to give up as well.  Guess what they said about vista was right.