Screensaver Install question(s)

[MikeL28358]

I am totally new to using this program.

I am trying to make a screensaver installation where my completed .exe screensaver file is installed into the system folder and then when the installation completes, it opens up the desktop properties on the screensaver display where the person can click on the screensaver to preview it.


I have been using Axialis Screensaver Producer to do this and it does this easily. However, I wanted to have more control to customise the install screens like is possible with Setup Factory.

Can anyone offer and advice or suggestions? Or should I just stick to Axialis Screensaver Producer?

Thanks in advance,

MikeL28358

[eric_darling]

I originally thought this post was in another category. I've built a screensaver installer with SUF before. Let me look for it, and I'll let you know...

[bnkrazy]

If this Screensaver Producer software generates a true Win32 screensaver, you can easily display that Display Properties dialog box.

Use the following command line switches when opening the .scr file to get the intended result:
/s or no arguments at all: Screensaver mode, run the screensaver itself
/c: Configuration mode, display configuration window (most screensaver have a configuration form where you can change settings like speed, color or whatever)
/p: Preview mode, run screensaver in the little Display Settings window.

So at the end of the installation you would simply call the installed screensaver.scr and pass /p as a command line argument and that should do it.

<edit> OK, so it's not that easy, but I almost have a solution...the /p is used to position the screensaver in the little window for the display properties dialog, but you have to open the display dialog first I assume. </edit>

[bnkrazy]

From the info on the Axialis site (link) it appears that you can add a "/d" command line parameter to their installer to set it as the default screensaver.

What you could do is create a vanilla silent installer using their system and then create your custom installer (that your users see) using SF7...then call their installer (silently) with the /d parameter to install it as the default screensaver.

At the end of the SF7 installer, run the following command to open the display properties window:

RUNDLL32 SHELL32.DLL,Control_RunDLL DESK.CPL,@0,1
(see this site, one of my favorites)

[MikeL28358]

I guess I was a bit vague with my initial post. I am getting a bit frustrated so please forgive me.

I am new to Setup Factory. I have been using Axialis Screensaver Producer to create complete installations for screensavers. There isn't a lot of coding done with it...you basically add your saver and tell Screensaver Producer what options you want (like make default, open display properties, insert license, etc.) and it then complies it. When it is finished, and you install the saver the display properties open up to the screensaver properties and has the new saver there and you are good to go!

I like the ability to have more control over the graphical side of the installation with Setup Factory but some of the coding seems like greek to me! I was hoping that there was an easy way to accomplish this.

Any and all assistance is GREATLY appreciated!!

[MikeL28358]

Sorry, forgot to add....

What I am doing right now is hoping there is some way to take my completed and compiled screensaver that I have compiled into an .exe in Screensaver Producer and utilize Setup Factory to execute the install?

Is this possible??? Or how do I go about importing my .scr file into Setup Factory and then create the install to do the same thing as in Screensaver Producer?

Whew!

Hope that helps understand what I am trying to do and help to answer if it can be done.

[bnkrazy]

...tell Screensaver Producer what options you want (like make default, open display properties, insert license, etc.) and it then complies it. When it is finished, and you install the saver the display properties open up to the screensaver properties and has the new saver there and you are good to go!...

Ok, is there a silent install setting in the SSProducer software? If so enable it.

The following steps should get you going:
1) Use your SSProducer to create an installer with the settings you want.
2) In SF7, you can create a new project using the wizard. All the defaults should be ok. After the wizard is done, add the setup package you created using the SSProducer software to your SF7 project (it may ask during the wizard, but I can't remember off the top of my head...if not, there is a button on the toolbar).
3) Modify the SF7 screens to your needs...

No real scripting is required. I don't have SF7 installed here, so the above steps might be off a bit...

If eric_darling can find a 100% SF7 way to install the SS that would obviously be more elegant and have less future maintenance.

Also, it may be beneficial to first go through the user guide and do a few small test projects to get familiar with SF7 and how the screens / actions interact with each other.

[bnkrazy]

Out of curiosity I checked the Knowledge Base and came up with this:

http://support.indigorose.com/index....+7.0%3C%2Fa%3E

[eric_darling]

I didn't realize it, but the original installer I was thinking about was done with SUF 6. When I can scare up some time, I'll see what I can do to translate it into a working version for SUF 7.

I know that it doesn't open the screen saver dialog box, since I didn't have that need, but it does modify the registry to set the newly installed screen saver as the default screensaver. First, though, it saves the current screen saver setting so that if the product is ever uninstalled, it can restore the previous choice as the screen saver. Pretty cool, but perhaps not precisely what you're looking for.