Windows 7 – Tips For Installing and Enabling Windows DreamScene
Windows DreamScene is a Windows utility that allows you to use movie shows, slideshows, video clips and other animated pictures and images as wallpaper or desktop background. This feature exists in Vista but has been removed from Windows 7, which instead has an auto-rotator for Desktop Wallpaper Slideshow.
Even though Windows 7 doesn’t support Windows DreamScene utility, you may manually install it so as to enable it in Windows 7 operating system.
For enabling DreamScene utility in Windows 7, you need to use the same trick which you follow to install DreamScene in editions of Vista other then Vista Ultimate including Windows Vista Home Premium, Home Basic, Enterprise and Business edition.
The hack for DreamScene installation has been put together into an executable. This executable automatically copies the required files so that they can be merged to the respective registry keys/ entries.
You need to turn on or enable Windows Aero before running DreamScene executable in Windows 7. Now, download DreamScene executable file for Windows 7 from the internet.
For 32-bit (x86) version of Windows 7, you need to download “Windows7-DreamScene.exe” or “Windows7-DreamScene-Enable.exe” (if you have not logged in as an administrator).
For 64-bit (x64) version of Windows 7, you have to download “DreamScene_Win7_x64.zip”.
Follow the below mentioned process to install Windows DreamScene utility in Windows 7:
If you use 32-bit (x86) version,
- Login as administrator on your windows 7 system.
- Run the file “Windows7-DreamScene.exe”. The installer will automatically copy the file “DreamScene.dll” to the folder “%WinDir%\System32” and file “DreamScene.dll.mui” to the folder “%WinDir%\System32\en-US”. It will also add the necessary registry values.
Next, it will restart Explorer to apply the DreamScene installation immediately.
If you use 64-bit (x64) version,
- Unzip the file “DreamScene_Win7_x64.zip”.
- Copy the file “DreamScene.dll” to the folder “%WinDir%\System32\,” and the file “DreamScene.dll.mui” to the folder “%WinDir%\System32\en-US\”.
- Now, run the file “Dscene.reg” to merge the necessary registry values.
- Finally, restart Explorer or reboot your system to finish the installation.
A folder for Windows DreamScene will be created in the folder “%WinDir%\Web\”. You can add any video or animated file into this folder so as to use it as background wallpaper. However in Windows 7, this folder is not of much use as Windows 7 doesn’t allow you to view video or other animated media directly within Personalization Control Panel.
Tips for using Windows 7 DreamScene:
Incase you wish to put a video clip having .MPG or .WMV format as an animated wallpaper or desktop background, you simply need to right-click on the video file and from the right-click context menu, select the option for setting the file as desktop background.
You might not be able to view the video file in the configuration page “Personalization & Desktop Background”. However, Windows 7 supports all the features of Windows DreamScene including playing and pausing DreamScene, audio and sound etc.
The text of desktop icons might become transparent or black after you enable DreamScene. However, you may resolve this issue using a different trick.