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Hi Folks,
Maybe someone can give some help on this one. I can't change my screen saver in System Preferences (OSX 10.8.2). No matter what I try it is stuck on the Message screen saver. I can't change it to any other one. I can enter the change in the various boxes/windows. But as soon as I close System Preferences, it changes back to the Message screen saver.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
ArtG1
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
Hi Art, see if this is it...
OS X: System Preferences stops responding after viewing Desktop & Screen Saver pane
Products Affected
OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion, iPhoto
Symptoms
System Preferences may stop responding if you select an iPhoto Event that is no longer available in iPhoto as the source for your desktop picture.
Resolution
1. Quit System Preferences if it's running.
 
 If System Preferences is running but not responding, choose Force Quit from the Apple menu, or right-click its icon on the Dock and choose "Force Quit".
2. Open iPhoto.
3. Select Events in the Source list (on the left side of the iPhoto window).
4. Double-click on any of the events shown. Verify that the name or date of this event is now shown under RECENT in the Source list.
5. Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences.
6. Click Desktop & Screen Saver, click on Desktop, and verify that you can now select a new desktop picture.
Hi Art, see if this is it...
OS X: System Preferences stops responding after viewing Desktop & Screen Saver pane
Products Affected
OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion, iPhoto
Symptoms
System Preferences may stop responding if you select an iPhoto Event that is no longer available in iPhoto as the source for your desktop picture.
Resolution
1. Quit System Preferences if it's running.
 
 If System Preferences is running but not responding, choose Force Quit from the Apple menu, or right-click its icon on the Dock and choose "Force Quit".
2. Open iPhoto.
3. Select Events in the Source list (on the left side of the iPhoto window).
4. Double-click on any of the events shown. Verify that the name or date of this event is now shown under RECENT in the Source list.
5. Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences.
6. Click Desktop & Screen Saver, click on Desktop, and verify that you can now select a new desktop picture.
Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately that doesn't help. I don't have any Events there since I don't really use iPhoto; I use Lightroom instead.
Might try this old cure then...
Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, move these files to the Desktop if they exist. Will require resetting some options.
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.screensaver.<12digitHex Number>.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.screensaver.slideshow.< 12digitHexNumber>.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktopscreensaver.rsspictures .plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preference.desktopscreeneffect .plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
Then reboot once more.
Thanks again. However, this didn't help either. I tried the files you suggested (to the extent that I had them) and even some others. Whatever the problem may be, I don't think that it's a defective .plist file.
To find out if it's system wide or user specific, try this...
Open System Preferences>Users & Groups, unlock the lock, click on the little plus icon, make a new admin account, log out & into the new account.
Does it work in the new account?
It does work in the new account. It also works in the Guest account. It definitely seems to be a user specific problem.
I have a correction or addemdum to my prior post. After logging back into the new account, it had the same problem as the prime account, i.e. the I can't change the screensaver from the Message screensaver.
OK, in 10.8.3 I found these also that ay do it...
:System:Library:DirectoryServices:DefaultLocalDB:Default:users:_screensaver.plis t
/System/Library/DirectoryServices/DefaultLocalDB/Default/groups/_screensaver.pli st
MLion:private:var:db:dslocal:nodes:Default:groups:_screensaver.plist
Users:yourusernameLibrary:Preferences:ByHost:com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.0 01ec20c2851.plist
Too many to name but changing it in 10.8.3 gave me these...
/Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser .001ec20c2851.plist
/Users/yourusername/Library/Caches/com.apple.ScreenSaver.Engine
/Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.screensaver.001ec20c285 1.plist
/Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLifeSlideS hows.001ec20c2851.plist
The ones with big HEX numbers may have more than one.
These suggestions did the job. I went into the various folders and found five of the files you identified. I'm not sure which one it was, but it worked. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
PS. All of the files I removed to my desktip were .plist files. I take it that these are replaced on reboot, at least if needed. I don't have to worry about replacing them if there are no apparent problems caused by their absence?
Great news. thanks! 🙂
I take it that these are replaced on reboot, at least if needed. I don't have to worry about replacing them if there are no apparent problems caused by their absence?
Correct, we can trash them now... in fact there was a one in a million chance or less that we'd've ever needed them. 🙂
Screen saver won't change
