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Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

170 points

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

Top-ranking reply

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,649 points

Posted on Nov 3, 2014 6:57 PM

Back up all data. Quit System Preferences if it's running.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/Preferences/ByHost

In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return. A folder should open. If it does, look for a file with a long name that begins "com.apple.screensaver". There may be several such files. Move them all to the Trash.

Log out or restart the computer. Test. If the problem is resolved, empty the Trash and recreate your settings in the Screen Saver tab.

View in context

160 replies

Nov 15, 2014 1:18 PM in response to Tom Kenney

Fix worked for awhile, maybe an hour or two, and then the screensaver reverts to National Geographic.

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

170 points

Nov 15, 2014 2:25 PM in response to Tom Kenney

Same here. It may have lasted a couple of days when I deleted the files mentioned.

Nov 18, 2014 11:14 AM in response to Linc Davis

Works for a couple of minutes...then reverts back to the same National Geographic.

It's a bug introduced in Yosemite ONLY, more specifically ONLY IN 10.10.1. It wasn't evident before.

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

170 points

Nov 19, 2014 8:26 AM in response to Zohar Blau

Yesterday's bug fix of 10.10.1 didn't fix it.

Nov 19, 2014 4:05 PM in response to Howard Brazee

Yes, I hopefully installed it. No change; still have problems with screen saver, Apple Mail and bluetooth transfers from cell phone.

Disappointing!

Kirkrik

Level 1

21 points

Nov 21, 2014 12:40 PM in response to Tom Kenney

Rats. I was hoping to find the answer here. Guess I'll keep waiting and watching.

ferdl2

Level 1

4 points

Nov 23, 2014 6:33 PM in response to Kirkrik

I have been wasting my time for over two plus weeks with an Apple senior adviser who serves as an intermediary with the Apple "engineers." I have tried everything I have been told to do to no avail. I am tired of looking at those penguins! OBVIOUSLY, THERE IS A BUG IN YOSEMITE 10.1 WHEN IT COMES TO THE SCREEN SAVER. It would be nice of Apple to admit and tell their faithful customers when they are going to fix it if ever!

Nov 29, 2014 8:39 AM in response to ferdl2

My Macbook Pro does this too, and I HATE it. It's an annoying bug that started when I upgraded to Yosemite.

Nov 29, 2014 7:56 PM in response to busynothings

Don't know what happened, but my screen saver has been behaving for the past three days. Don't know why, it just has.

So, there is hope.

Kirkrik

Level 1

21 points

Nov 30, 2014 6:18 AM in response to Tom Kenney

It's been on-again-off-again for me. Mostly off-again. It won't stick.

Dec 2, 2014 7:56 AM in response to Kirkrik

Still working here, still have no clue as to why or how.

Dec 2, 2014 8:40 AM in response to Tom Kenney

No change, or improvement, here.

ferdl2

Level 1

4 points

Dec 2, 2014 10:00 PM in response to markfrombrookline

I have been dealing for over three weeks with a "senior adviser", who claims to be forwarding my comments and his capture of my "reverting" screens and programs to Apple's software engineers. It's like spitting in the wind, as there has been no improvement. Let me suggest that everyone bombard Rollwagen with their complaints. It would seem that Apple doesn't think a nonworking part of its new software is high priority. Let's show them that it is!

sweetap

Level 1

0 points

Dec 2, 2014 5:08 PM in response to Linc Davis

I have done this a few times. National Geographic keeps returning.

TomBell

Level 1

14 points

Dec 5, 2014 2:50 PM in response to Linc Davis

as with rest of you, I tried this, it worked for a few minutes, and then reverted again. One bit I wanted to add is I deleted the com.apple.screensaver...plist files (3 of them), but I did not touch ...ScreenSaverPhotoChooser... or ...ScreenSaver.iLifeSlideShows... Should I have deleted the others as well? (though it sounds like this whole approach is not really succeeding.)

com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.A6B9BA59-E68F-5136-B477-6F62B0EEC2D9.plist (did not delete)

com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLifeSlideShows.A6B9BA59-E68F-5136-B477-6F62B0EEC2D9.plist (did not delete)

com.apple.screensaver.A6B9BA59-E68F-5136-B477-6F62B0EEC2D9.plist (deleted)

Screen Saver reverts to National Geographic