Google Pack (updater) & Google Screensaver!
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From the Google Pack website: * Google Pack is: Software specifically selected by Google |
Before getting started, let me state that I really do use these products and that's why some of this will be long winded and some of it pretty dry. These are very detailed instructions and feel that if you've read this far, then you can do anything on this page. It's just that the outcome is so good. If it's too much for you, that's what I'm here for, just give me a call and I'll either set up an appointment or try to help over the phone.
The first step to set up these tools is to go to Google.com and then choose the "more" and "even more" links. Toward the bottom of the page you'll see a link to the "Pack". The link for that directly is http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html?ciNum=10&hl=en&gl=us but feel free to look over the other services and tools that Google offers. I use many of them and in fact this was written using the Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
If you click on this link - The Google Pack will now install: Adobe Reader, Norton Security Scan, Spyware Doctor, Google Toolbar for IE, Google Earth, Picasa, StarOffice (includes Java™), Firefox with Google Toolbar, RealPlayer, and Google Photos Screensaver - If you don't have a very fast connection you may want to be a bit more selective and not get StarOffice right away. It's huge - (up to 210MB) - and it does about 90% of what Microsoft Office does, and it's free You can click on this link and it will have some choices preselected. More info below.
If you already have the Google Pack, you'll want to uninstall it and download the new version. There is a bug in it currently that if you've already got the previous screen saver, it won't update. When you are on the page to download the Google Pack you'll see a link under the download button to add or remove the different software. I use this link and choose not to have a couple of the items installed, such as Skype (a phone service), the Google Talk (a chat/messenger program), and the Google Desktop. I don't want the Skype because I'm happy with my current phone, the Google Talk because if you've got a Gmail account ( AND YOU DO WANT THAT!), you can chat right from gmail. And I don't use the "Desktop" because of the all the networked drives I have, however you may find it very useful. All of the rest of the items are programs that are useful and in most cases needed. If you already have SpySweeper then you may not want Spyware Doctor. It won't conflict but may make your system just a bit slower with both installed. The Norton Security Scan won't conflict with too many AntiVirus programs as it's just a scanner and NOT full time protection. You will want to set the schedule for both Spyware Doctor and Norton Security Scan so that they don't interfere with your daily routine. I set mine for the time when I'm usually sleeping. Also I have not had any problems with having the Norton and AVG AntiVirus on the same system. I hope to have instructions for each program later.
The first one that needs some setup and probably my favorite is the new Google Screen Saver. This is a much improved screen saver and won't cause you to get a bunch of spyware or viruses like many of the other "free" screen savers. Once installed you have the options to choose what photos you want displayed, with one significant bonus, you can choose RSS feeds. RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) lets people check to see if any new information is available from a web page. What that means for the screen saver is that you can download photos from a photo sharing site, especially Picasa Web Albums pages automatically. This is exactly where I put my photos that I share and for this explanation that is what I will use.
I will use a page with photos that I have set up especially for desktop backgrounds. http://picasaweb.google.com/UncleBic/DesktopPics02 Once you are looking at that page you will want to scroll down to the bottom of the page. Once there you'll see "RSS" as a link at the bottom right, move your cursor over it and RIGHT click. You will get several choices and in Firefox the choice is "Copy Link Location", choose that and you've just copied the link we'll put into the screen saver. Now minimize Firefox and any other programs you have open. You should now be looking at the desktop, RIGHT click on any open area and choose "Properties". Now the Display Properties box will open. Choose the Screen Savers tab and then about midway on that page you'll see Screen saver and a drop down box, if it isn't already selected, choose "Gphotos" or "Google Photos Screensaver" depending on how old your screen saver is. If yours says "Gphotos", you should probably uninstall it, either from the "Google Updater" or from the "Add/Remove Programs" in the "Control Panel". Click on the "Settings" button and you'll get the settings for the "Google Photos Screensaver". You are welcome to use what ever choices you want but we are going to add that RSS feed we copied. The bottom choice is for "Photo feeds". Click on the "Configure" button. That will open our last box (I promise it's worth it). There should already be a Photo Feed there, it's from the Google employees own photos, at the top is an open box to add our feed. RIGHT click in that long thin box and "paste". You will see a long string that is the address of the RSS that we copied before, click on the "Add" button to the right and it will go down below in the list of feeds. It will take just a second for it, but it will change the title automatically and in this case will now say "Desktop Pics02". You may uncheck the "Default Google Photo Feed" if you like, but I have to say that most of those pictures are very good. Click on the "Done button, and we'll be back to the "Google Photos Screensaver" box where you can change how the photos display, one some slower computers you may need to change from the "Pan and Zoom" effect to one of the others if it doesn't display correctly. I like that effect the best and also speed up the "Change picture every..." to about 5.1 seconds, however you may want different speeds and this is where you do that. Now click on the "OK" button at the bottom of that box, and you're back to the Screen Saver dialog box. My personal settings are that the screen saver starts at 8 minutes and my monitor turns off after 20(the last setting is in the "Power" settings from the other button below. Now we are ready to test our new screen saver. Click on the "Preview" button and the new screen saver should start. If it works fine press one of the arrow buttons on your keyboard or on the large "X" at the top of the photos being displayed, which by the way is the way you end the screen saver when it's running normally. If it worked fine you are done, but if it didn't display correctly you may need to choose another effect from the settings. If you only get a "Google" display it's possible that none of the pictures have downloaded yet, check your connection to the Internet by going back to Firefox and trying to go to a new page, if you can then you just may need to let the new pictures download, but if you can't check you connection. Now click on the "OK" button at the bottom of the "Display Properties and you are done with the configuration and the new screen saver will start as usual. I have set up another page with pictures of the dialog boxes you'll be using. Just click the link below.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddg852md_65fk9sst
*Possible problems that have come up with the Google Photo Screensaver. |
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An issue that causes the gray bar below the status bar in Firefox to become very large. |
The extension
(Add On) for the Google Photo Screensaver that allows you to right
click and add a feed directly to the screensaver. To fix Firefox,
you have to disable it and then restart Firefox in safe mode.
To start Firefox in Safe Mode just go from the program menu instead
of the normal shortcuts. When that starts there is a check box
to reset the toolbars and then restart Firefox. That's all it
took and then you have to put your buttons back the way you like. |
A limit
on the number of photos in any one RSS feed is set to 50. I have
put a download to increase this limit to 200 with a registry key.
If you aren't comfortable with doing this, then DON'T! I've tried
in on a few computers and it seems fine, but this is the registry
and could have a bad effect. If you're using Windows Vista please
don't use this until I can test. |
Keep checking back, I hope to have more information on the set up of the other programs as soon as possible. Just since I originally posted this in about May of 2007, Google added StarOffice. There is some info on the about it here.
Disclaimer - This site is meant as a help site and I won't be held responsible if you screw up your computer or someone else's computer. I won't be responsible for any of the programs listed anywhere on this page or anywhere on VicLovan.com. I didn't write any of the programs listed so if it messes up something you'll have to see the people that wrote it (and most likely you agreed to some sort of EULA not to blame them either when you installed that program). What all this will boil down to is this, BACK UP YOUR DATA, anything that is important to you, should be backed up to multiple locations, and if it's that important to you then you should take at least one copy off the premises. FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD IT'S A COMPUTER IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO SCREW UP AT SOME TIME AND YOU'LL HAVE TO START OVER ANYWAY! OK, enough of the soap box, just use some common sense and you should be fine.
Original Webdesign by Jonas John - Free and I totally hacked, and butchered the %#@*! out of it.