Howard Brazee

Q: Screen Saver reverts to National Geographic

Several times lately (Yosemite only???), I have discovered my screen saver has reset itself to show National Geographic photos.    And they are usually set to show both my iMac and my second monitor the same photos.

 

It's easy enough to set back to my desired iPhoto library.   But I wonder what causes it to be reset?

 

What I haven't figured out is what to do when both monitors are displaying the same photos.   Eventually that problem fixes itself.    Nor what to do when it starts with the same photos in the same order.  (I have a hot corner, and have been testing after I reset it to use my iPhoto library, and each time I turn it on, I get the same photo sequence as before - on both monitors).

 

I just tried it again - the third time since I started this message - and it's back to National Geographic.

 

I set it back, this time telling it to shuffle, and both monitors showed different photos as desired.    I should have checked that earlier.    But why doesn't my setting stay?

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Nov 3, 2014 5:12 PM

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Q: Screen Saver reverts to National Geographic

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  • by Jim Molseed,

    Jim Molseed Jim Molseed Jan 28, 2015 12:39 PM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jan 28, 2015 12:39 PM in response to Howard Brazee

    Yesterday I deleted the Default photos folder---contains NG photos plus a couple  others.  So far,  so good.  If there's nothing for it to default to, it seems it  won't.  I'll keep an eye on it and let the forum know.

  • by mellooney,

    mellooney mellooney Jan 28, 2015 12:46 PM in response to Jim Molseed
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 28, 2015 12:46 PM in response to Jim Molseed

    Jim - I tried that a couple of weeks ago (deleting the default folder) and it seemed to work for a couple of days (like a lot of the work arounds seem to do), but then one day it just said "No photos".  I'm not using iPhoto for my screen saver, but I have been trying to keep it directed to the directory that my photos are in.

  • by mmoverman,

    mmoverman mmoverman Jan 28, 2015 7:21 PM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 28, 2015 7:21 PM in response to Howard Brazee

    Here's another thing to throw into the mix.  I was without internet in my house for over a week and the screen saver remained on the iPhoto album that I chose.  Not long after internet was restored it was back to NG.  Coincidence? 

     

    Another thing I've noticed is that when I go to switch back to the iPhoto album, the one I previously used is the suggested album.  Somehow it's being remembered.

     

    One other thing, is this a problem that most or all of Yosemite users are experiencing or is it just us lucky ones?

  • by Wizyrd,

    Wizyrd Wizyrd Jan 29, 2015 12:08 AM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 29, 2015 12:08 AM in response to Howard Brazee

    Here was my temporary solution to the problem. I wrote a script which re-writes the problem lines in three files. I used Automator to create an "app" which runs the script. And I have the app set to run on startup of the user. I also made a shortcut to it and left it on the Desktop for easy access., I stll have the

     

    For the record, I still have the problem with 10.10.2.

    Here is the script. You will need to change the path to my file to the path to yours. And the number/letter sequence after the file name will likely need to be changed as well to match yours.

     

    I realize the last three "writes" could probably have been done in one, but this way is more readable. Oh, and the reads after the writes are necessary to force the system to read the changes.

    ====================================

     

    defaults write /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.screensaver.111A1D89-266A-5E A1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist moduleDict -dict moduleName iLifeSlideshows path /System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Resources/iLifeSlideshows.save r type 0 CleanExit "YES" idleTime 600

     

    defaults read /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.screensaver.111A1D89-266A-5E A1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist

     

    defaults write /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLifeSlideShows. 111A1D89-266A-5EA1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist styleKey "VintagePrints"

     

    defaults read /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLifeSlideShows. 111A1D89-266A-5EA1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist

     

    defaults write /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.111A 1D89-266A-5EA1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist SelectedFolderPath "/Users/Joseph/Pictures/Scans New"

     

    defaults write /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.111A 1D89-266A-5EA1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist CustomFolderDict name "Scans New" identifier "/Users/Joseph/Pictures/Scans New"

     

    defaults write /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.111A 1D89-266A-5EA1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist ShufflesPhotos "YES"

     

    defaults read /Users/Joseph/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.111A 1D89-266A-5EA1-8C15-D57471A8019D.plist

  • by marelven,

    marelven marelven Feb 6, 2015 7:12 AM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 6, 2015 7:12 AM in response to Howard Brazee

    Hello,

     

    I had this problem too and like you, I couldn't find a fix for this.

    And then, after days of search, I found this page http://www.macissues.com/2014/12/10/fix-reverting-screensaver-settings-in-os-x/

    I followed the first tip of that article:

    - Open a Terminal window

    - Type this command (just copy-paste it): defaults -currentHost delete com.apple.screensaver

    This command clears all your screensaver settings and reverts them back to default. When you open your screensaver preferences, just set them up the way you like it.

    Before applying this fix, my screensaver would revert to national geographic several times a day.

    Since then, my settings seem to stick and its been days since I've tried this fix.

     

    You can try that and tell us if it works. Good luck!

  • by marelven,

    marelven marelven Feb 6, 2015 10:45 AM in response to marelven
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 6, 2015 10:45 AM in response to marelven

    Nope, doesn't work either. My screensaver did revert to National Geographic again.

  • by Thomas Deliduka,

    Thomas Deliduka Thomas Deliduka Feb 6, 2015 11:39 AM in response to marelven
    Level 2 (255 points)
    Feb 6, 2015 11:39 AM in response to marelven

    Same for me. It reverted on the second attempt to run it.

  • by happydant,

    happydant happydant Feb 10, 2015 1:01 AM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 10, 2015 1:01 AM in response to Howard Brazee

    unacceptable problem..

  • by Legion Mcrae,

    Legion Mcrae Legion Mcrae Feb 11, 2015 6:26 PM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 11, 2015 6:26 PM in response to Howard Brazee

    Absolutely unacceptable.

     

    For a while it was doing it to me (always to Nat'l Geo) only when I would restart. But now it does it whenever it chooses.

     

    Seriously why is this not fixed?

  • by cdubaldo,

    cdubaldo cdubaldo Feb 11, 2015 11:29 PM in response to Jim Molseed
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 11, 2015 11:29 PM in response to Jim Molseed

    Although the issue did not seem to come back after I installed the last Yosemite update, I decided to bite the bullet and performed a clean install of Yosemite as I had an even more critical issue (the window server process, but that's another story). Up until now my system seems to be working fine and the screensaver is still picking photos from the correct location. Incidentally the issue I had with window server slowly but inevitably using more and more CPU resources also seems to be gone!

  • by Howard Brazee,

    Howard Brazee Howard Brazee Feb 12, 2015 7:42 AM in response to Legion Mcrae
    Level 1 (37 points)
    Applications
    Feb 12, 2015 7:42 AM in response to Legion Mcrae

    It isn't the problem that is unacceptable.   Mistakes happen.

     

    What gets me is that Apple doesn't think we deserve to know whether Apple believes it is a problem, or whether it plans to fix it.

  • by MccoQy,

    MccoQy MccoQy Feb 15, 2015 10:43 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (42 points)
    iBooks
    Feb 15, 2015 10:43 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Solution only works for a short time (less than a day), then I again get the National Geographics screensaver. Solution necessary!

    BTW: National Geographics owns only 20 photos? I always see the same few photos, so it is a very boring screensaver as well.

  • by Hothamhugh,

    Hothamhugh Hothamhugh Feb 15, 2015 1:36 PM in response to cdubaldo
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Feb 15, 2015 1:36 PM in response to cdubaldo

    Thanks but how does one do a CLEAN INSTALL? Hugh

  • by seal1972,

    seal1972 seal1972 Feb 16, 2015 4:45 PM in response to Hothamhugh
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 16, 2015 4:45 PM in response to Hothamhugh

    I did a clean install over the weekend.

    And still the screensaver defaults to National Geographics.

  • by ,

    <sooty> <sooty> Feb 21, 2015 5:36 PM in response to Howard Brazee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 21, 2015 5:36 PM in response to Howard Brazee

    I am suspecting it changes when directory details change - e.g. adding new photos or deleting, repairing.

    btw bring back mosaic

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