Screensaver on WinXP

[Keithuk]

Hi guys.

I downloaded a screensaver 10 years ago from http://www.levasseur.net/VB/PixSS.html the link no longer works but I Googled it and now I've found a link that work for the original app.

http://vbmadeeasy.net/vbme/Graphics/...xSS.zip951.htm

Now over the years I've changed the app to suit my needs. I added a picture preview when you add pictures to use with the help from guys on here.

This screensaver has working on Win98/ME/WinXP/Vista without a problem. It used to run ok on WinXP but recently it hasn't running you can click on Preview and it works but it doesn't work on its own.

You need to add some pictures of your drive before it will show anything.

Can anyone see anything wrong with the code to stop it working on WinXP.

[Keithuk]

Ok 5 users have downloaded and no comments so does it work for you guys in WinXP?

[Keithuk]

This thread was made 3 months ago and I see I've had 7 downloads with no comments on why it doesn't work on WinXP. I know old threads aren't read that much unless someone posts a link.

Does anyone have any solutions to this annoying problem please?

[DataMiser]

I took a look at your project, adding some logging and ran a few tests.

It does not seem to work properly in Preview mode either. In both cases it displays the first image for a few seconds and then unloads itself.
From the logging I added I can see that several mouse move events are being triggered and is causing the screen saver to unload itself.

Not sure what is triggering these but maybe that will give you something to go on.
Adding some logging at various points in the code would help you pinpoint the issue.

[Keithuk]

Thanks for your input.

As I said the Preview part was added a while ago with the help of guys on here. That part works perfectly without unloading it shows a preview of every picture selected. The idea of a screensaver is if there is any mouse movement/click or keys press it will stop.

As I've said it works perfectly on Vista and my old WinME but it doesn't work on its own in WinXP.

[DataMiser]

Well like I said I tested it and the preview did not work properly. It showed one image for about two seconds and then received about 5 mouse move events and exited. It does exactly the same thing when started due to inactivity.

Perhaps you have a different build on the machines where it works, I don't know, I also don't know what you mean when you say it doesn't work but I do know that when I build the code you linked it is receiving mouse move events and that it is closing itself in both normal and preview mode. I was runnign under XP but I would expect it to do the same thing on any OS where it is supported.

[Keithuk]

Well the Config is just for adding pictures along with their location I don't know why the preview pic should show for 2 seconds then closes. To do a test you need to rem out the forms in Sub Main.

'Select Case szParameter
    'Case "/C"
        frmConfig.Show
    'Case "/P"
        'Load frmPreview
    'Case "/A"
        'Call ChangePassword
    'Case Else
        'If AlreadyRunning() = False Then
           ' Load frmMain
            'frmMain.Show
        'End If
'End Select

so that frmConfig runs.

My WinXP is SP3, my Vista is SP2 and my WinME is standard. In WinXP when you Config and setup the files you want to show you can click on Preview and it runs but if you enable it it never runs I've even dropped the time down to 1 minute.

[Nightwalker83]

Are you sure nothing on your XP system changed since the program last worked correctly?

[Keithuk]

Well all I can say is I fitted a new 2TB hard drive 4 months ago and all I installed are the Windows updates which is normal for any Windows system. I have had a problem with IE8 and Outlook Express problems so I will do another format and rebuild in the next month or so then try the screensaver straight of.

Thanks for your input, now I've had 12 downloads.

[DataMiser]

I'm not talking about a preview of the pic. I am talking about the preview of the screen saver. This is what I thought you meant as well when you said preview. Like I said it does not work in either mode Preview nor normal. In both cases it does exactly the same thing.

Something in your code is causing a mouse move event to fire after the first picture is shown and this is causing the program to unload itself.

I do not think this has anything to do with the OS nor any change you may have made to your system.

Are you using the same build of the screen saver on the different systems?

According to the logging I placed into the file it is seeing 6 mousemove events fire very rapidly as soon as the DoScreenSave sub has completed the first time and then it unloads itself in the mouse move event.

[Keithuk]

We have a bit of confusion on names here, I mean when you preview it when you setup the screensaver in Windows it works as it should. In frmConfig there are no mouse movement events so I don't know why it closes when you move the mouse over anything.

There are Form_MouseMove in the frmMain so it detects any mouse movement thats the only MouseMove event in that app so I don't know where you see 6 of them?

Now I haven't bothered with this app for months but I've just noticed a serious VB programming error which you haven't picked up on. I have error traps in most control events, subs, functions but it only says Resume Next which won't record or trap anything. I have a few that say Debug.Print Err.Description but that will only show something in IDE.

I've built PixSS.scr on WinXP and Vista and swapped them but it still doesn't work on WinXP.

[DataMiser]

We have a bit of confusion on names here, I mean when you preview it when you setup the screensaver in Windows it works as it should. In frmConfig there are no mouse movement events so I don't know why it closes when you move the mouse over anything.

Apparently there is some confusion. When talking about previewing a screen saver this is what I mean.

Open properties / screen saver select the screen saver and click the preview button. any screen saver should activate and display until you move the mouse or hit a key just like it would if it appeared normally the only real difference is that you do not have to wait.

When I build your project set it as the active screen saver and hit the preview button it behaves exactly the same way as it does if you just wait for it to engage normally in both cases the code goes through the DoScreenSave to the bottom of the routine and then I see the mouse move event fire about 6 times and the form unloads itself via code in the mouse move event.

Like I said add some logging which is what I did and that shows what code gets executed and where it exists. There is no indication that any error has occurred just that it is receiving mouse move events and it thinks it should unload itself and does.

I did not notice the OERN but then I did not look at the whole project mostly just the routines that were being executed when the problem occurs.

here is a sample of what I saw in the log I created no matter if started using preview or allow to load normally result is the same

1/21/2013 8:19:10 AM: do screen save
1/21/2013 8:19:10 AM: mousemove True
1/21/2013 8:19:10 AM: Hit timer
1/21/2013 8:19:10 AM: enable controls = False
1/21/2013 8:19:10 AM: File= ....\My Pictures\1big.jpg
1/21/2013 8:19:10 AM: delay function
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: enable controls = True
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: end timer
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: end do screen save
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:11 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:12 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:12 AM: unloading because of mouse movement
1/21/2013 8:19:12 AM: query unload
1/21/2013 8:19:12 AM: mousemove False
1/21/2013 8:19:12 AM: bottom of query unload
1/21/2013 8:19:14 AM: preview unload

The true or false after the mouse move is the value of the m_ismoving variaible.

And just to be clear there was no actual movement of the mouse. This happens everytime in both preview and normal modes.
I have tested only under XP sp3

[DataMiser]

I tried it under Windows 7 just now and it unloads after the first image has been displayed. Under windows 7 I get and error saying it has stopped working but when looking at the log I see the same as above indicating that the program unloaded itself after detecting a mouse move event.

[Keithuk]

Ok I've put some proper error traps in on every control event, sub function. I compiled it and set it running with a 1 minute interval. In Windows screensaver preview probably thats where we are getting the confusion it will show 4-5 pics then stop running. The error log shows 26 lines saying.

"Client Site not available 398 tmrCheckPreview_Timer"

This is the err.description, err.number and the control name. Now this is the frmPreview Form which obviousy shows while you preview but I can't see anything wrong with this timer code. This Timer.Interval is 300

Private Sub tmrCheckPreview_Timer()

Dim iTmp As Integer
Static iTimesHere As Integer
Static iCurrentIndex As Integer
On Error GoTo ErrHandler

m_Finished = False
If IsWindow(m_PreviewhWnd) And (m_Finished = False) Then
    iTmp = (iTimesHere \ 10) + 1
    If iCurrentIndex <> iTmp Then
        imgTmp.Picture = lblIcon(iTmp).DragIcon
        picLogo.PaintPicture imgTmp.Picture, 0, 0, picLogo.Width, picLogo.Height
    End If
    iCurrentIndex = iTmp
    iTimesHere = (iTimesHere + 1)
    If iTimesHere >= 30 Then iTimesHere = 0
Else
    tmrCheckPreview.Enabled = False
    m_Finished = True
    Unload Me
End If

Exit Sub
ErrHandler:
Open ErrorLog For Append As #1
Write #1, Err.Description & " " & Err.Number & " tmrCheckPreview_Timer"
Close #1
Resume Next
End Sub

When it runs it show 4 pics then stops with the following error log.

" 0 AlwaysOnTop"
"Resume without error 20 AlwaysOnTop"

I don't know as it needs the Form AlwaysOnTop, I will remove it.

I removed the AlwaysOnTop and compiled again. It still shows the "Client Site not available 398 tmrCheckPreview_Timer" error in Windows preview and when it runs it only show 4 pics then stops but it shows nothing in the errorlog file.

[DataMiser]

The error you mention is occurring on this line

picLogo.PaintPicture imgTmp.Picture, 0, 0, picLogo.Width, picLogo.Height

However that does not seem to have anything to do with the actual screen saver not working as it only runs this code while setting on the screen saver selection screen and running the little preview in the window there. If I select the screen saver and just sit there on the form I can see this error in the log several times and I have no idea why it is looking for a client site but when I actually preview or let the screen saver engage this is not happening.

What I get is the first image loads and displays for about 2 seconds and then the program terminates and this happens every time in both preview mode and normal mode and every time the login indicates that it received a quick series of mouse move events which trigger the exist as if you jiggled the mouse.

Where did you add code that gave you the result you mention above about always on top.

[Nightwalker83]

I tested the screensaver app on a XP virtual machine and it worked for me.

[Keithuk]

The error you mention is occurring on this line

picLogo.PaintPicture imgTmp.Picture, 0, 0, picLogo.Width, picLogo.Height

How do you know the error occurs in that line? That line is from the tmrCheckPreview in the frmPreview I just showed the code from the Timer because thats the error that was saved in the Errorlog.txt "Client Site not available 398 tmrCheckPreview_Timer". This error only shows in the Errorlog.txt when you use the Windows Preview it prints it a few times.

I've just found this error number on here run time error 398 'client site not available' talks about a UserControl which I'm not using the same as the link on here. MSDN also talks about a UserControl which I'm not using. This app uses not special ocx's or references. I wonder if this container is the picture its trying to show?

What I get is the first image loads and displays for about 2 seconds and then the program terminates and this happens every time in both preview mode and normal mode and every time the login indicates that it received a quick series of mouse move events which trigger the exist as if you jiggled the mouse.

Where did you add code that gave you the result you mention above about always on top.

You can set how long each picture shows for in the frmConfig.

The Property Let AlwaysOnTop and Property Get AlwaysOnTop is at the top of the frmMain Form, as I've said I've removed this now the normal runtime error

" 0 AlwaysOnTop"
"Resume without error 20 AlwaysOnTop"

doesn't show now. When it runs now in normal mode it shows 4 pictures that stops but it writes nothing to the ErrorLog.txt file.

Thanks for your input.

[DataMiser]

How do you know the error occurs in that line?

Because I added code to show which line the error occurs on of course.

Private Sub tmrCheckPreview_Timer()

Dim lRetVal As Long
Dim lhPrevhWnd As Long
Dim iTmp As Integer
Static iTimesHere As Integer
Static iCurrentIndex As Integer
On Error GoTo ErrHandler
LogIt "tmrCheckPreview Enter"
m_Finished = False
100 If IsWindow(m_PreviewhWnd) And (m_Finished = False) Then
110   iTmp = (iTimesHere \ 10) + 1
120    If iCurrentIndex <> iTmp Then
121        imgTmp.Picture = lblIcon(iTmp).DragIcon
122        picLogo.PaintPicture imgTmp.Picture, 0, 0, picLogo.Width, picLogo.Height
123    End If
124    iCurrentIndex = iTmp
125    iTimesHere = (iTimesHere + 1)
127    If iTimesHere >= 30 Then iTimesHere = 0
Else
130 LogIt "preview unload"
132    tmrCheckPreview.Enabled = False
133    m_Finished = True
134    Unload Me
End If
LogIt "tmrCheckPreview End"
Exit Sub
ErrHandler:
LogIt "tmrCheckPreview Error:" & Err.Description & " Line " & Erl
Resume Next
End Sub

1/21/2013 1:54:47 PM: tmrCheckPreview Error:Client Site not available Line 122

[DataMiser]

As for the always on top code I see no difference with or without that in the build.

I only added 4 pictures and left the display time at the default 10 seconds and in every test the result has been that the first image shows for about 2 seconds then the program unloads due to detected mouse movement.

The error about the client is being triggered by the line I pointed out but is not what is triggering the unload as even when this error does not occur the result is the same.

Under windows 7 same thing 1st image displays for about 2 seconds [maybe a little less] and then the program closes. only difference is Windows 7 display a message saying that the program has quit working but the log shows even under windows 7 that it detected a mouse movement and called the unload code to exit.

Not sure what you may be doing different to get it to cycle to the second image as it has never shown more than the one here in any test and never showed the 1 for the time it should be showing it.

[Keithuk]

I've just had a new Windows 8 64bit laptop and my screensaver works perfectly staight of on that.

I haven't had chance to rebuild my WinXP machine yet but I have installed WinXP on a friends computer and the screensaver didn't work only the setup preview for 4 pictures, just the same as mine.

[Keithuk]

I've just had a Windows 8 64bit laptop and my screensaver works perfectly straight of on that.

I haven't had chance to rebuild my WinXP machine yet but I have installed WinXP on a friends computer and the screensaver didn't work only the setup preview for 4 pictures, just the same as mine.

This is an old thread 03/11/12 which I've posted my app in in the #1

As I've said it works perfectly on Vista and my old WinME but it doesn't work on its own in WinXP.

The codes has been checked many times it works on WinXP I can preview all pictures all day long. If I leave it the screen saver doesn't work

On Windows 7 32bit it worked perfectly I haven't tried it on my new Windows 10 x84 fooking crap laptop

No solutions in this forum so forget it

[wqweto]

No solutions in this forum so forget it

It might be that x84 hardware is not supported by VB6 so don't hold your breath.

cheers,
</wqw>

[vbLewis]

just FYI there is a bug on some builds of Windows 10 where the Config i.e "/C" command line doesnt work. It is because the registry entry for that commandline is missing. I dot know if they fixed it or not in updates, i havent checked.
Here is my bug report to the Feedback hub:

when you right click on a screensaver app it gives you an option to 'configure'. This command is supposed to pass the command line /C to the screensaver app so it knows to show a configuration dialog. However the /C is missing from the registry key.

the following key is the correct way it should be:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\scrfile\shell\config\command]
@=""%1" /C"

the current registry key does not contain the /C and sends a blank command line to the screensaver app.
thanks for your attention