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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.

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160 replies

Luisco

Level 1

16 points

Dec 18, 2014 1:33 AM in response to Howard Brazee

What has finally worked for me is to keep System Preference open. National Geographic has not appeared again since and it's been 3 or 4 weeks now. If I shut down the computer, NG pops up again but I just open System Preference, choose my photo library and as long as I don't shut down SP, it keeps my iPhoto Library as screensaver.

Wizyrd

Level 1

9 points

Dec 18, 2014 8:47 PM in response to Howard Brazee

I have tried this. It seemed to solve it for a while, then the problem came back. I didn't find out why this keeps happening, but I did find a work-around until Apple figures it out.

Set the screensaver how you like it, then go to the com.apple.screensaver.plist file in the "By Host" folder as mentioned above. Get Info on the file, and LOCK it! Theoretically this should prevent any changes, and so far it seems to be working. Granted I only did this a day ago, but it was reverting pretty often before that and hasn't done so yet. In any case it's worth a shot.

On the downside, if you want to change your screensaver, you'll have to go back and unlock it. On the other hand, how often do you change your screensaver?

Dec 19, 2014 4:18 AM in response to Howard Brazee

Driving me nuts... happens to me all the time..

Even when it works, the Shuffle pictures unchecks itself, so instead of randomness, i get pics from the same folder

APPLE, FIX THIS BUG!

mecrr

Level 1

4 points

Dec 23, 2014 5:45 PM in response to scrapplejoejoe

We need a fix for idjits like me who don't know a plist from a sock.

This is one big P in the A.

David

Wizyrd

Level 1

9 points

Dec 23, 2014 11:59 PM in response to Wizyrd

Update:
It DID revert after a couple of days. So I tried something else... I reset my screensaver the way I like it, then I locked all THREE files that had "Screensaver" in their name, instead of just the one. So far, so good... It's not a fix, since you'd have to go back and unlock every time you want to change your screensaver, but at least it it's a workaround until they fix it.

spieg1

Level 1

4 points

Dec 26, 2014 5:39 PM in response to Linc Davis

Did not solve my problem. Followed all the steps, but on the third time the screen saver came on, it was back to Nat Geo.

Italica

Level 1

8 points

Dec 27, 2014 3:17 PM in response to spieg1

Same here. *None* of these fixes works. In fact, I even found the folder with the National Geographic images and trashed it, but the 1-National Geographic keeps coming back. Apple has to come clean. Like Microsoft bundling its e-mail program a few years back (cause of a major legal problem), has Apple made a sweet deal with the National Geographic Corp to give them this preferred placement? Seems highly plausible: NG is not giving away its images for free. This preference is deeply embedded in Yosemite, and Apple has to now make a Microsoft-style fix and dis-bundle NG from its basic system software. Else wise, may we assume, a major lawsuit may be in the offing?

Dec 29, 2014 5:47 AM in response to Howard Brazee

I have the same problem. None of the proposed solutions have worked. APPLE - fix this with an update, please!

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

170 points

Dec 29, 2014 4:03 PM in response to Howard Brazee

Neither my wife's nor my computer had done this for over a week now. I wonder if whichever type of displaying has an effect. (how the pictures go around the screen).

One thing that happens occasionally is for me to have the same pictures show up on my iMac and on my 2nd monitor. Usually they don't duplicate, but act. Weird that it works that way only occasionally. This session it is doing that. When I reboot, I expect that will change.

Wizyrd

Level 1

9 points

Dec 29, 2014 10:08 PM in response to Howard Brazee

I have found that if I repeatedly "hit" the screen saver (by going to the hot corner to activate it), it will eventually flip to the National Geographic. Haven't yet discovered a "magic number" of hits before it turn.

As for the monitors showing the same pic. Sometimes I get that too. But my monitors are different sizes, and eventually they fall out of sync when the larger monitor displays two pics and the smaller displays only one....

Jan 2, 2015 3:22 PM in response to Steiner1974

This minor problem is so damaging to Apple's brand as one is reminded of this bug all the time. I have had a CHAT with three of their people and the different solutions and work arounds only lasted for a short while before NatGeo reverted. What a disappointment! Find the solution Apple!

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

170 points

Jan 3, 2015 11:19 AM in response to Hothamhugh

This would seem to be a simple bug. So what reasons can you come up with for it not being fixed. Any that reflect well on Apple?

Jan 4, 2015 2:47 PM in response to Howard Brazee

Boy am I glad I waited until after the holidays to try to deal with this problem. I think I'll wait a little longer.

Jan 4, 2015 3:07 PM in response to Hothamhugh

I have now tried Luisco's solution of leaving open the system preferences on screen saver and so far it has worked!!

Hothamhugh

jazz54

Level 1

0 points

Jan 5, 2015 10:38 AM in response to Howard Brazee

Linc Davis solution did not work for me. Sure it came up with my iPhoto folder the first time, but the next it reverted back to National Geographic as before. I also had the National Geographic come up on my Apple TV but set it again to the iPhoto folder in iCloud and appears to have remained set.

What is it about the later OS versions that is actually causing the problem?

Screen Saver reverts to National Geographic