Cannot delete files from screen saver list

Question

Cannot delete files from screen saver list

Snow Leopard appears to have captured every possible picture as a candidate for use in the screen saver. Nice, but I would like to delete a lot of those and I can't. The "-" button is grayed out and I have no idea why that should be.

Couple of iMacs + MacBook + Macbook Air, Mac OS X (10.6.2), iMac, MacBook and MacBook Air on 10.6.2

Posted on Nov 16, 2009 3:26 PM

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Answer 1

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Nov 16, 2009 3:31 PM in response to Lawrence Cragg

Lawrence Cragg wrote:
Snow Leopard appears to have captured every possible picture as a candidate for use in the screen saver.

please clarify. are those pictures from iphoto library or just from some regular folders directly on the hard drive?
you can not exclude anything from the iphoto library from screensaver options (not sure why that is).

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Answer 2

Nov 16, 2009 5:41 PM in response to V.K.

Both. The list includes iPhoto AND the individual folders which go make up iPhoto. The list also includes a number of folders plus individual pictures. So what has that got to do with the question? My question is why I cannot delete selected items from the list.

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Answer 3

K T

Level 7

23,895 points

Nov 16, 2009 5:45 PM in response to Lawrence Cragg

From the (?) button lower right of the System Preferences/Desktop & Screen Saver pane...


Add ➕ and Remove ➖ buttons
To download additional screen savers or to add your own pictures, MobileMe gallery, or RSS feed to use as a screen saver, click the Add ➕ button.
To remove a screen saver you added, select it and click the Remove ➖ button.

Sorry, but this is not a mechanism for 'removing' pictures...

You would have to remove them from the library that is in use by iPhoto before they would not appear as available in the screen saver pref.

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Answer 4

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Nov 16, 2009 5:48 PM in response to Lawrence Cragg

So what has that got to do with the question?

it has to do with the fact that you can not delete any iphoto folders from screensaver preferences as I said. that's normal. that's why I was asking what exactly you were trying to delete. but you should be able to delete regular finder folders. if you can't, that's not normal. quit system preferences and delete the file homedirectory/library/preferences/byhost/com.apple.screensaver...
then go to screensaver preferences and all regular finder folders should be gone from the list.

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Answer 5

Nov 16, 2009 5:52 PM in response to V.K.

I'm not trying to delete folders from iPhoto. Indeed, I would like to eliminate iPhoto entirely from the attentions of screen saver. Essentially, I have a very nice (to me anyway) folder of aircraft pictures and that's all I want. But, (I repeat) I cannot delete any pictures or folders from the list.

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Answer 6

Nov 16, 2009 5:57 PM in response to V.K.

One more thing..... thanks for the suggestion. I will delete the file as you suggest. My thanks for that.

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Answer 7

Nov 17, 2009 8:17 AM in response to V.K.

Nope! There are a number of files ....screensaver in the preferences/byhost directory but none of them appear to control the list of files presented to the screen saver. I did manage to add and delete a folder from the list but all those items that are already there cannot be deleted. This is a nuisance but hardly a serious problem. I think I can work around it to get what I want on the screen during idle time.

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Answer 8

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Nov 17, 2009 9:26 AM in response to Lawrence Cragg

this works for me. I tried it several times. the file is
com.apple.screensaver.<mac address>.plist in home/library/preferences/byhost
quit system preferences and delete that file. then start system preferences and none of the regular folders you've added to the list should be in screensaver preferences.

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Answer 9

Nov 18, 2009 7:58 AM in response to V.K.

Upon a deeper look, all of the files which I could not delete are included in iPhoto. I had not appreciated that fact when I first went after this "problem". My compliments to VK for his initial insight.

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