Windows 7 Desktop Slideshow revealed

Rafael Rivera has done it again. In case you were wondering, yes, this is exactly why I’ve asked him to help write “Windows 7 Secrets”.

Curious as to what else was under Microsoft’s elaborate lock, key, and duct-tape protection scheme mentioned earlier, I had my friend Chris Holmes run a scan of his 7 system, as I’m still babying my laptop’s SSD drive. What we found were ties into system files littered across the entire operating system. Post-analysis revealed another feature tucked away in the corner – Say hello to (what I think should be called) Desktop Slideshow.

Desktop Slideshow, at least in build 6801, supports changing of the desktop wallpaper at intervals ranging from 10 seconds to 1 day. For a bit of variation, you can tick the Shuffle checkbox to have Windows 7 randomly pick a wallpaper for you. And to keep from sapping the life out of your laptop, you can choose to pause the slideshow when you’re on limited reserve. Think of this as Dreamscene, but without the ensuing nightmares.

For those of us that don’t have terabytes of imagery to keep your desktop fresh, you have a new source in the Picture location dropdown labeled Feeds. From this interface, you can choose an RSS feed and automatically download fresh images, like NASA’s Large Image of the Day, to your desktop. At time of writing, however, this feature was not completely functional.

Awesome stuff. Check out the original post for a cool video too.

Discuss this Article 67

sjaak327
on Nov 4, 2008
It will of course ony be a matter of time, before the copycat people will be out in full force :)
gorath
on Nov 4, 2008
I like seeing things like that crop up. Not groundbreaking stuff, nothing that's going to chnge the world, just neat little featurettes!
gkeramidas
on Nov 4, 2008
useless, in my opinion.
pollycat
on Nov 4, 2008
@sjaak327 Yawn. Mac OSX has already had this for a long time... System Preferences > Desktop & Screensaver Then tick "Change picture every" and choose interval - 5 seconds, one minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour, every day, when logging in, when waking from sleep. You can specify which pictures get shuffled, either the bundled wallpapers or from your own photo libraries, or you can let the OS shuffle these pictures in random order. So... who's copying who on this one?
gorath
on Nov 4, 2008
who cares who had this first? it's still a neat little featurette.
Dipsh t Admin
on Nov 4, 2008
Of course such a feature has been available for quite some time in third party software as well. Including it is nice, although I'm sure the third party software vendors will initiate a lawsuit. However, the big difference is being able to use feeds to have a changing array of pictures off the Internet. I imagine that you will be able to call up Flickr, Webshots, etc.
WebGuy3000
on Nov 4, 2008
I played with this (on OS X) for about 5 minutes and turned it off forever. It drove me nuts. My mother in law, however, uses it all the time on her computer. Her desktop changes like every 5 seconds. She thinks it's "fun."
helio99
on Nov 4, 2008
This is indeed a long time feature seen many other places. I want to see them do things we have not seen a million other places before not think the job is done when people overpraise obvious feature pinch. So please, let's not qualify this as "awesome".
sjaak327
on Nov 4, 2008
@pollycat. Hence my copycat remark... I'm using caledos wallpaper changer for ages, it's freeware.
Ocean
on Nov 4, 2008
Lindy
on Nov 4, 2008
Amazing. Crap like this has either been in Windows or as some official (Plus anyone) since Windows 98. Must be a slow blogging day. Cover the changes in the new WiFi connection Wizard or whatever its called. Cover the network file copy speed. Real stuff.
johnbaxter
on Nov 4, 2008
Nice for some and good to have. I use the wallpaper to remind me which user I'm logged in as (I can figure out which machine for myself as long as I don't share keyboard and screen among machines via KVM).
chuckb84
on Nov 4, 2008
So, here's Paul in the thread on the Opera on the iPhone issue: "Apple really is kind of a shoddy company is many ways" And here is praising Microsoft for finally copying yet another feature OSX has had for years. Apple is always wrong or evil, Microsoft is always right. Except..... "We've lived under a cloud since the disappointments that have followed and dogged Windows since that 2003 edition of PDC, and we've sat and watched as Windows Vista has failed to live up to expectations and to Microsoft's lofty predictions. This time around, however, the future looks bright" So, Vista was great until Windows 7 came along. Suddenly, he agrees with the tidal wave of opinion about Vista......now that it's time to start shilling for the new and improved version, starting with this "feature" that the competition has had for years. Two final points: As all the other OS X users have stated, this is something you play with for a while and then never use. In OS X, you can also run a screensaver as a desktop background, which is even more of a cute demo that you'll never use. Now, Mike, chime in and tell us again about all that Microsoft "innovation". Is this supposed to be an example?
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
Oh my God. You guys just won't leave it, will you? If it's not robertsjoe, it's someone else. "This has been in OS for 2000 years." "That has been in OS X since the first coming of Christ." "This has been in OS X Sabretooth for the last 50,000 years." Who cares? This is probably something that a 3rd party software first did and then made its way into some OSs.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
This is probably one time that Ocean's OT post is welcome. :-)
Ocean
on Nov 4, 2008
Blake 7: In other words, the fact that they gave it away at PDC in no way gives people the right to give it away, right? I'll just wait and sign up for the beta instead.
Ocean
on Nov 4, 2008
Shark...huh?
Lindy
on Nov 4, 2008
Shark your so easy to set off. Here is the r eality. Paul has some weird obsession with Apple. He loves them, he hates them, Steve Jobs jilted him for a woman, I dont know, something weird....or dare I say "creepy". So Paul will point out Microsoft problems all time, like Vista missing features after way to many years and how its now fixed after many updates or Windows 7 is what Vista should have been, or the 360 is a POS from a hardware standpoint, etc. However when he points out the many negatives of MS, he does it in a "normal" manor. Like most other Tech bloggers do. When he points out an Apple negative its creepy! Like he is going after a x lover that jilted him, or someone that dumped his daughter, creepy. This "creepy" harshly negative behavior attracts Mac lovers. They think he is nuts and easy to set off (like yourself:)) This blog will forever be filled with Apple/Mac snipers picking apart Paul at every turn, because of his "creepy" stance on all things Apple. Of course I think he does some of it to drive up the popularity of this blog. Blogging success is measured in the # of people that visit your blog/post. Throw in some freak-show Windows lovers like Mike and you have a mix that may bring this blog some popularity:) I come here for the entertainment value alone!!!
WebGuy3000
on Nov 4, 2008
Sorry - I didn't mean my comment like that at all. I was just commenting on the feature itself. To wit, these kinds of things are very consumer friendly - easy to tweak by noobs, and generally fun. I (and, I suspect, most here) have no use for it, but like I said, the M-I-L (who formats every single email she sends with different fonts and colors) thinks it's very cool.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 4, 2008
Chuck Why would I chime in and call this innovative? There have been 3rd party utilities doing random wallpaper on Windows since Windows 3.1 shipped back in 1991.
DarkSages
on Nov 4, 2008
@pollycat Well robertsjoe made a comment in another blog post that Microsoft copied apple. So are you copying robertsjoe? Come on stop this childish nonsense.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
"This "creepy" harshly negative behavior attracts Mac lovers. They think he is nuts and easy to set off (like yourself:))" Yeah, I'm sure the fault lies entirely with Paul and the "Windows lovers". That probably explains why there are a lot more rabid anti-M$ sites that don't attract even half the number of fanatical "Windows lovers" as there are "Mac lovers" on this site. The only conclusion that I can draw from this and your post, Lindy, is that if you want your blog to be really popular, you either have to pander to the "Mac lovers" or piss them off. There are a lot fewer fanatical "Windows lovers" for that segment to really matter.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 4, 2008
shark "if you want your blog to be really popular, you either have to pander to the "Mac lovers" or piss them off. " Nonsense, you can also pander to the Linux Lovers or piss them off. Either way you get lots of hits unlike actually covering the tech news.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 4, 2008
Oh, and Chuck, if I were going to comment on Microsoft innovation during the break between all the innovations annnouced at PDC and later this week with all the innovations announced at WinHEC, I'd have done it yesterday since San Francisco declared November 3rd as Microsoft Innovation Day "to recognize the transformative power of technology in today’s society and global economy"
Lindy
on Nov 4, 2008
Want my blog to be popular? ROFL....I dont have a blog. The vast majority of blogs are Internet noise, that try to make the blogger feel self important. "There are a lot fewer fanatical "Windows lovers"" On this we can agree. Windows for most is like a microwave oven or a broom from Walmart, a useful tool for specific a specific job. Not that I think a Mac is any more, and I know their are some that do for sure. I would say that Apple/Mac/OS X is a less bland looking/feeling microwave oven/broom. Maybe a step up, from Target:) Flame on ladies!!!! Please do entertain. I have to run out and help Mr. Obama become the NEXT President of the United States of America!!!!!!!
Nickelgreen
on Nov 4, 2008
"Leonardo Da Vinci stole his ideas from OSX Leopard" You look like this, Apple guys. What about trying to enlarge a bit your narrow vision and your very poor knowledge about systems in general? Otherwise you'll look like absolute jerks to me and to whoever.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
"Want my blog to be popular? ROFL....I dont have a blog." I don't think you understood, lindy. I used "you" instead of "one". Read the statement as, "if one wants one's blog to be really popular..." Mike got that, I think. Regarding Macs and microwaves, most people are not fanatical about iPods either, you know. The only people who seem to be fanatical about iPods are - you guessed it - Mac users. :-)
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
This is probably a much more useful feature: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20081104/sandbox-users-with-windows-7-p... I think there's a reason Microsoft hasn't announced all of these secret features. They may or may not make it into the final release.
djRob
on Nov 4, 2008
Today it's desktop slideshow. Now I know why you went dressed up as a girl on Haloween. Why don't you switch to Mac, it is a perfect system for such a "girly men" like you (imagine that I pronounce "girly men" with Schwarzenegger accent) ;-)
Lindy
on Nov 4, 2008
Sorry still done get it. You used the word "your".....as in "your blog" not "you blog post" or not "your blog post"????? "Lindy, is that if you want your blog to be really popular" again I dont have a blog or I never will.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
I've reworded my statement: "The only conclusion that I can draw from this and your [comment], Lindy, is that if [one] want [their] blog to be really popular, [they] either have to pander to the "Mac lovers" or piss them off. " There you go! :-)
lotsamystuff
on Nov 4, 2008
"Why don't you switch to Mac, it is a perfect system for such a "girly men" like you (imagine that I pronounce "girly men" with Schwarzenegger accent)" WTF? When did "girl" become an insult? Why don't you imagine that you're a sexist ba$tard. Oh, wait. No need to imagine.
Lindy
on Nov 4, 2008
I have helped many new female switchers out of their......old PC ways:) Call me girly man all you want.
subzerohitman721
on Nov 4, 2008
Paul, seriously this wasn't important enough to write about. But its nice to know that this feature is there at this stage of Seven's development. Sometimes these blog responses are either humorous, sad, or just revealing about people. OS-X had this, or that or whatever. My response: WHO CARES?!?!?!?! Like anyone who buys Windows ever cares what is in OS-X. At the same time, like anyone on OS-X gives a damn about whats on Windows. I seem to be using Vista just fine. I have no real complaints about it. I know, its shocking that people actually use Vista. It must be mindblowing! Can it be improved? Certainly. But nobody is going to change my mind on using Windows anymore than you could convince me to take a loan out for a Mac. Seriously, perhaps we should change the name to the Supersite Comedy Blog.
robertsjoe
on Nov 4, 2008
Wow, Vista 2 is really looking amazing. The features are incredible. The reason why Vista 2 is so lame? Because Apple only releasing a clean-up release of OS X with their next release, Microsoft have nothing to copy. That's right. They have to wait until the post OS X Snow Leopard release so that they have something innovative to copy.
robertsjoe
on Nov 4, 2008
But seriously, desktop slideshows on Vista 2. Truly amazing.
RaaJ
on Nov 4, 2008
Robert, when did these features become useless and superfluous? After Apple implemented them, or when Microsoft implemented them? Features like this were touted as being 'superior' to Windows, and now that Microsoft has them, these features become useless eyecandy? Apple iSuckups are so predictable and pathetic.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 4, 2008
RaaJ, The rules are If a Windows 3rd party has it first - ignore it until Apple "invents it" two years later If Windows has it first - decry it as stupid until Apple "invents it" two years later then say they're totally different. If Apple has it first - check for a time machine since obviously you've traveled back to sometime between 1983 and 1995. :-)
robertsjoe
on Nov 4, 2008
@raaj: "NOW that Microsoft has them"... the crux of the matter right there. Copying, as always. "predictable and pathetic" - You're describing Microsoft perfectly right there.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 4, 2008
robertsjoe Right on track with Rule #1: If a Windows 3rd party has it first - ignore it until Apple "invents it" two years later
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
Another cool feature is the 'shake to minimize' feature. Of course, that one's been copied from Apple's 'Shake to shuffle' feature in the new Nanos. :-)
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 4, 2008
shark I expect Apple to object and claim they own the word "shake" and then be countersued by Kraft who owns Shake 'n' Bake (R)
DRWAM
on Nov 4, 2008
Mike, my $400 Vista laptop is so light that you can oick it up and shake it. BTW djRob, I use a Mac too and no one in the right mind would call me girly to my face. But I do like the pretty wallpaper form WIndows 7. It reminds me of my flower garden!
DRWAM
on Nov 4, 2008
Dang, I have checked out all the links to grab the new wallpaper but no luck. Dag nammit! At least I grabbed the one Paul posted. The kids love it [for daddy]
robertsjoe
on Nov 4, 2008
@mikegalos: Or wait for MS to demo something, yet not release anything to market. Then have someone else (like Apple) actually release a working product, and wait for MS say they did it first.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
"@mikegalos: Or wait for MS to demo something, yet not release anything to market. Then have someone else (like Apple) actually release a working product, and wait for MS say they did it first." And your point being? As long as it wasn't an internal demo, MS can claim to have worked on it simultaneously. Anyway, why don't you back up your claim. Why don't you show us where MS claimed to have invented multitouch.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
"But I do like the pretty wallpaper form WIndows 7. It reminds me of my flower garden!" Why don't you take a pic of your flower garden instead? :-)
robertsjoe
on Nov 4, 2008
@shark47: I was not talking about multi-touch. I was talking about desktop dearch. And I never claimed that MS invented that either. I just get tired of Paul bringing it up when Spotlight is mentioned. He always harps up with "which was demoed before by MS". To which I say, why don't you mention that numerous other vendors have had desktop search for years before MS even did a demo of it. And no, I don't care that they integrated it with the OS. I could search my emails, Office docs and more instantly for years before MS's demo. If being integrated with the OS is innovation, then you could say they invented the web browser, since they were the first (and only) to integrate it to tightly with the OS.
shark47
on Nov 4, 2008
I'll say this about search. I don't care who came up with it, but as the number of installed programs goes up, it gets more and more frustrating for me to work on my office laptop (with XP Pro). I don't know if Vista is better than OS X Leopard (and frankly, I don't care as long as I cannot install it on my PC), but I know it's far better than XP and from what I've seen and heard so far, Windows 7 seems to be better than Windows Vista. Of course, it's too early to say.

Please or Register to post comments.

IT/Dev Connections

Las Vegas
September 30th - October 4th

Paul ThurottYou'll have the opportunity to experience:
• 120 Technical
Sessions
• Networking with Peers
• Expert Speakers


Come See Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley in Person!

Register Now

Office 365 InfoCenter

Get the latest insight and info from Paul

Read Now!

What I Use