HIDE YOUR DESKTOP

[Conflow]

Hi All,

Here is a small Utility which may be a godsend to those of you who wish to hide your Desktop (on demand)

for various reasons, including ~ hiding the 'Desktop-Flash' during presentation's of concesutive Slideshows.

It has other uses such as:- showing your 'Music-Player and Play List' as a solo feature item on the Desktop

and when working with selected Folders one can hide everything else except those Folders.

It also has a 'time-delay' on Desktop Restore should this timing feature be needed as well as 'Fade Desktop'.

One can also change the 'Blank-Desktop Colour' to Black...this is ideal for any PTE Shows

History: In the past few months we have tried 18 similar Programs and this one has exceeded all our

requirements right down to its excellent 'Contextural Mouse-Over Instructions' and Help Menu.

The Developer is anxious that you report any 'bugs' encountered, that makes a change to the other 18 tried.

The Program runs on all versions of Windows from '95 to XP (inclusive) but has yet to be tried out on Vista...

It also has an excellent 'Uninstaller' within the Program Folder...

It is also a 'Free-Utility' for the time being.

Links and Screenshots below.

Have fun...

Brian.Conflow.

Link:-

http://www.sillysot.com

[fh1805]

Brian,

Many thanks for bringing this to the attention of the forum members. I've given it a try out this morning and, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to address the problems of "flashbacks" associated with running a "Menu" sequence under Vista.

If anyone can make it do this job on a Vista machine, please let us know how you did it.

regards,

Peter

[Antbrewer]

Brian,

Just read your post and immediately saw the potential of this facility. When using the 'start up ' window the desktop would always show behind. Not so in PtE 4.8 where we had the option of choosing the background.

However before I downloaded your link I thought I would just check on selecting the 'Start up 'window again as I haven't used it with 5.5 and blow me down I cannot seem to get it show at all in 'preview' or as a finished Exe file.

Is it me or has this changed in this version. I will keep trying but would welcome any suggestions from you learned chaps.

Anthony

[Conflow]

Brian,

Many thanks for bringing this to the attention of the forum members. I've given it a try out this morning and, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to address the problems of "flashbacks" associated with running a "Menu" sequence under Vista.

If anyone can make it do this job on a Vista machine, please let us know how you did it.

regards,

Peter

________________________________________________________________________________

Peter,

The program has very many options one of which is a 'time-delay' on restoring the Desktop to normal

which is user variable from 0.3sec ~10 sec.. You have to select this feature and set the timing delay and also

you will have to play around with the options to get the desired results.

As I had mentioned, I have not tried it out with Vista ~ you seem to be the first person to do so ~ unfortunately

I don't have access to a Vista PC here in our Workshop just now, so I can't try it till one becomes available.

Brian.Conflow.

[fh1805]

Brian,

I've tried all the options and settings that seem to be likely candidates to have a beneficial effect - all with no positive outcome:

- Hide (both of them) set to zero, short non-zero and long.

- Delay set to zero, short non-zero and long

I've tried with "Keep taskbar on top" selected in the Taskbar Properties and I've tried with this option deselected.

I've tried with my wallpaper set to solid black (This helps mask the problem but the problem is still there because I can still see the "Windows" button in the lower left corner in the flashbacks).

I've tried with Hardware Acceleration turned off in Project Options...Screen and with it turned on. Having it turned off in the Menu sequence eliminates all the flashback at the start and the end of the Menu sequence. This is fine if you don't want any animation in the Menu sequence (which I don't). Having it turned off in the driven sequence reduces the "flashbacks" to a quick flash of the desktop and a quick flash of the Menu slide before the start of the driven sequence and again at the end of the driven sequence. Having Hardware Acceleration turned on in the driven sequence results in multiple flashes of both the desktop and the Menu slide at both the start and the end of the driven sequence.

So I conclude that, for PTE users who want to build Menu sequences and run them on a Vista system, this software tool from www.sillysot.com does not provide the answer.

From my tests I conclude that all the following can have some degree of beneficial effect:

- Set your wallpaper to solid black

- Deselect "Keep the taskbar on top of other windows" in Taskbar Properties

- Turn off Hardware Acceleration in the Menu sequence

- If you have no animation in your driven sequences, turn off Hardware Acceleration in these also

I further conclude that the root cause of the problem would appear to be some kind of conflict between Windows and PTE for control of the graphics card. I can only hope that Igor and his team of software magicians can work out a solution to this problem at some future date (It would be nice if it was going to come in PTE v5.6, wouldn't it?)

regards,

Peter

[JPD]

It would be nice if it was going to come in PTE v5.6, wouldn't it?)

Yes, I agree and also for the problem between V4.49 and Vista when ussing "Run external application" (to day there is a black screen for a little time before the application start, another V4.49 slideshow).

[fh1805]

Hi Jean-Pierre,

Your comments about v4.49 got me thinking. I created with v4.49 the equivalent Menu sequence that I had previously built using v5.5. When I execute this on my Vista system the driven sequence (which was still the v5.5 one with Hardware Acceleration turned OFF) now launches with absolutely no flashbacks of any kind at any point in time. Rebuilding the driven sequence in v5.5 to have Hardware Acceleration turned ON resulted in the multiple flashbacks at both the start and end of the driven sequence.

So, for Vista users the current "best" solution seems to be:

- build the menu with v4.49

- build the driven sequences with which-ever version you want but turn off Hardware Acceleration if you are using v5.5.

Your comment about a black screen for a little time before the second slideshow starts is, I would have thought, the time delay required to open the slideshow file, virus-check it and get it loaded into memory ready to start execution. I don't think there's much we can do about that. It's all system processing overhead that we have to accept.

regards,

Peter

[Conflow]

Peter,

Many thanks for all that hard work in testing the "Iconoid" Desktop Hider Program and from your

comments and others who have tried it (and loved it) I can only comment as follows:-

There seems to be a definite issue between Vista and PTE 5.5 with Acceleration switched on...

(I am convinced that it has nothing to do with PTE otherwise it would be evident on XP and 2000)

I have no solution for that, excepting that there seems to be a very special Windows API within Vista

which makes the Visual-Desktop the 'de-facto' default (protected) Work-Area for the Vista System

which in itself is completely different from all other Windows-Operating Systems.

That certainly wouldn't surprise me, considering that Vista is an 'Image-Driven System' compared to

the older Win-Systems which are 'File Driven Systems'...hence the apt named Vista !

It would be interesting to experiment with the 'Vista Right-Click Desktop Properties' compared to the

'XP RH.Click Desktop Properties' shown below.

Concerning "Iconoid" ~ it is an excellent Program and an example is shown below for prospective Users.

Brian.Conflow.

[fh1805]

Brian,

Thanks for your reply above. For the benefit of other forum members, let me make it clear that in all the tests that I did with Iconoid it did everything it said it would. It was easy to install, to run and to customise. It's just that on Vista it doesn't solve the problem of "flashbacks" at the start and end of PTE sequences. It never claimed it would and nor did you claim it would.

regards,

Peter

P.S. I'll spend some time today exploring the Vista properties. I noted yesterday whilst testing Iconoid that there is one panel of properties that presents a long scrollable list of options to tick/untick. The solution or a circumvention might be lying in there. I'll report back in due course.

[fh1805]

Hi all,

I believe I have a working circumvention for the "flashback" problem when running Menu-driven slideshows on a PC that runs under Windows Vista.

It has come about as a result of a combination of tests suggested to me by the discussion above with Brian and a chance discovery as a result of clicking the mouse in the wrong place!

Some background first: I develop my sequences on a desktop PC system with a monitor that is 1280x1024 but build the sequences to 1024x768 (ready for the digital projector). So in PTE my settings on the Screen tab of Project Options are "Fullscreen" and "4:3 PC/DVD" and in O&A all my images and objects are "Fit to Screen". These settings mean that when I view my sequences on the PC monitor there is a narrow black band top and bottom. These two bands are not present when the sequences are projected.

From the tests I have just completed it would seem to me that the multiple flashbacks occur at their worst on the very first sequence launched off the menu. If that sequence is launched for a second time (this was the accidental mouse click that unlocked this secret!) the only sign of flashback is in the two narrow bands of black at top and bottom of the screen. If a second and different sequence is launched off the menu then only the brief flashbacks in the top and bottom black strips are seen. Following this discovery I then added a "Prepare" button to the menu to launch a sequence consisting of just a "Black Slide". Now, if I run "Prepare" first, then all the other sequence launches run with no major flashbacks. And since the remaining flashbacks are visible only beyond the 1024x768 boundary of my sequence, I'm hopeful that when I project this test menu there will be no projected flashbacks other than those deliberately induced by running "Prepare".

The "Prepare" button must exist on the main menu slide for this technique to work properly.

Please note that all of the sequences involved in the tests have Hardware Acceleration turned OFF. I have also tried with Hardware Acceleration turned on in one of the driven sequences and this does re-introduce some flashback.

I've attached a zip file which I hope includes all the necessary files. I'd be grateful if some other member who uses Vista would give this a checkout on their system to see if the results are repeatable.

regards,

Peter

TestMenu_Aug19_2008_8_19_24.zip

[Conflow]

Hi Peter,

From your recent 'Tests' it looks as if you are on to something there and to my mind it seems to confirm that a

special 'Vista API Application' solely controls the Vista Desktop whereas in the older OP-Systems Win-Explorer

controlled the Desktop....this would be a logical explaination as to the perceived differences in behaviour.

Igor, being a Microsoft API Licencee would be able to explain the differences ~ if it is a Vista (protected) API then

there is nothing Igor could do about it, except we all try and get a 'work-around'...

I am speculating here, but I dont think I'm far off the mark.

Brian.Conflow.

Put very simply:-

(API means 'Application Programmable Interface' Module)...Some are protected, no source code available from MS.

[fh1805]

And so we move into the next chapter in this saga...

I have just re-built the three sequences but with the following changes made to all three:

- in Project Options...Screen tab

- "Windowed mode"

- size of window set to 1280x1024 (the size of my monitor)

- "Without border" selected

and lo and behold! Everything runs just as I always wanted it to!!!!!

This test was done with:

- TestMenu.exe set with Hardware Acceleration turned OFF

- GradBlue.exe set with Hardware Acceleration turned ON

- GradRed.exe set with Hardware Acceleration turned OFF

...and I didn't have to run the "Prepare" button BlackSlide.exe first!

I think this approach will solve the problem for everyone who just wants to watch sequences on their Vista PC monitor. Now all I need to do is work out how to get this result on the projector. I'm hoping that "Windowed mode" 1024x768 "Without borders" will do the trick.

I still don't believe what I've achieved. I'm off to run the test sequences again. Just to confirm that it really does work.

regards,

Peter

[fh1805]

And no, I didn't dream it. It really did happen!

I've now gone one more step and reduced the window size of all three sequences to 1024x768. The menu and the two driven sequences still behave exactly as I would wish them to - totally free of flashbacks. Now they occupy the middle of the 1280x1024 monitor with part of the desktop and icons being visible all around them. I'm quietly confident that this setup will project exactly as I would wish through my Dell digital projector (1024x768 resolution). If so, we have a viable circumvention!

I'll do that final test just as soon as I can and make a final report back - but I think it's looking very hopeful!

regards,

Peter

[fh1805]

EUREKA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfect, flashback-free, hardware-accelerated (when needed) PTE v5.5 menu and driven sequences running through my digital projector.

It's been a long, long trail to get here - but thanks to all the input from all of you who have contributed to this - and other - threads on this subject since v5 was released we've arrived at a working solution. The key ingredients in the solution are:

Project Options...Screen...Windowed mode selected (rather than Fullscreen)

Project Options...Screen...window sized to match the resolution of the digital projector

Project Options...Screen...Without borders selected

I think all other factors that have been mentioned along the way are "red herrings" and can probably be ignored.

Now all I've got to do is rebuild 20+ sequences in Windowed mode. Ah well, it'll keep me occupied for a day or two of my newly arrived-at retirement (which started today).

Once again, my sincerest thanks to everybody who has contributed to the discussions along the way.

regards,

Peter

[davegee]

Hi Peter,

I don't want to spoil your Eureka moment BUT,

I'm getting a flash back to the (Hidden) Taskbar between shows in XP - haven't tried it in Vista yet.

When I downloaded the zip file there were no Gradblue and no Gradred EXE files. I created them in the same folder to continue.

Have I missed something?

If you are up to sharing this would it perhaps be possible to update your zip file to a working model and re-post?

Thanks,

DaveG

[fh1805]

DaveG,

I have no idea what will happen on XP. The whole purpose of this exercise has been to resolve a "problem" running Menu sequences on Vista that came in with v5 of PTE.

You are right; I didn't put any exe files in the zip - just the pte files with which to create them (I should have made that clear in the post with the zip attached). You have done the right thing by creating all three exe's and placing them all in the same folder.

For the test just before my last post I copied the three exe files to my Vista-powered laptop (16:10 aspect ratio monitor) and everything ran OK there in the middle of the screen as expected. It was that setup that I used to drive the projector successfully.

I'll spend some time tomorrow (Wednesday) double-checking everything and post an updated (and complete) zip file.

regards,

Peter

[fh1805]

DaveG and all,

I've checked and re-checked and everything seems to behave consistently and as I want it to on both my Vista PCs. A new zip file is attached.

TestMenu_Aug19_2008_20_07.zip

Remember - the purpose of this exercise has been to find settings in PTE v5 that will allow a Menu driven slideshow to project with no flashbacks to either the desktop or the menu image at the start and end of each driven sequence when run on a PC that uses Windows Vista Home Premium as its operating system. The sequences are therefore built to a resolution of 1024x768 (the resolution of my projector).

The key settings to note are all in Project Options...Screen... and are:

- "Windowed mode"

- window size set 1024 x 768

- "Without borders"

This technique has not been tested by me on a Windows XP system as I have no interest in this platform any more.

The zip file contains all the image files, the pte files and the exe files. Therefore anyone interested in trying this on XP can do so and can use my work as the starting point for their own investigations on the XP platform.

I'll now try and track down some of the old posts on this subject and add a new item to each of them pointing to this entry.

regards,

Peter

[xahu34]

Hi Peter,

now you have proved to be UK's top researcher in desktop flash research

On my Win XP PC I sometimes use a PTE startup show (without HW acceleration) just to start a sequence of "normal" shows (PTE with HW acceleration and m.objects). In the past I had to care for the flashing taskbar, which could be avoided by deselecting "Keep taskbar on top". In the meantime the flashing taskbar has vanished totally. The significant change in my system is: I have installed SP3 for XP!?

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

[fh1805]

Xaver,

Thanks for the compliment! I had to pension off my XP-based laptop when PTE v5 came along because its graphics just couldn't handle the PZR animations. So I never tried to run any PTEv5 menu sequences on an XP machine. It's nice to know that SP3 for XP has resolve some of the problems on that platform.

regards,

Peter

[xahu34]

... It's nice to know that SP3 for XP has resolve some of the problems on that platform...

Peter,

I hope that you will forgive me my joke on "desktop flash research".

Regarding XP: I would not dare to claim that SP3 has provided the solution, maybe it is or not, who knows? Let's see what other users will report.

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

[Conflow]

Guys,

Its great work Peter has done in finding a 'workaround' for the 'Vista-Flashback' problem

but XP is a totally a different system depending whether its XP-Sp2 or indeed XP-Sp3 and

Peters solution is solely applicable to Vista only.

By all means try it out on XP-2 and on XP-3 but be warned that the results will depend on

the 'System Setups' of different PC's ~ so don't be too dissapointed if it doesn't work, but

if it does thats one less problem to contend with.

Brian.Conflow.

[fh1805]

Brian,

When it comes to PC technical matters, praise from you is praise indeed. Many thanks!

regards,

Peter

[davegee]

Thanks Peter - I knew that you would get there in the end!

I have not tried it yet but will do sowith my Vista laptop asap.

NOW, let's hope that Igor doesn't do anything silly with the Windowed Mode.

There was a suggestion regarding Windowed Mode a while ago - can't remember too much about it but I remember being concerned!

DaveG

[xahu34]

...NOW, let's hope that Igor doesn't do anything silly with the Windowed Mode. There was a suggestion regarding Windowed Mode a while ago - can't remember too much about it but I remember being concerned...

Dave,

can you provide a little bit more information?

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

[davegee]

Hi Peter,

I have been analysing the various components and cannot see where the Black Slide project file fits into it all.

Could you explain a little (or did I miss an earlier post?).

DaveG