Thumbsaver Support

If you need help with Thumbsaver Video Screensaver program, see if someone has already asked your question on this page.  If you do not find the question or the answer that you need or if the answer is not satisfactory, please contact us or fill out the Request for Support Form.   It will be answered via return email and both your question and the answer will be posted on this page for the benefit of others.

Table of Contents

Problems:

1.  I was installing the programs on two different computers that were both running Windows NT 4.0. At the end of the installation on the second computer, which is a different brand than the first, a message popped up and stated that one of the controls could not be properly registered. It then asked me if I wanted to Abort, Retry, or Ignore. What should I do? The program runs flawlessly on the first computer.

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2.  The video screensaver functioned properly on one of two computers in all screen sizes, including full-screen. However, on the second system it would not play in full screen. Every time I preview the screensaver or when the system times out and launches it, the full screen mode bops out. All other video display sizes function properly.

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3.  The Thumbsaver only shows a blank screen when previewed.

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Answers:

1. If this message appears, it is alright to click on the "Ignore" button.  It has been our experience that some Windows NT 4.0 systems that do not have you set up as the Administrator or as a User with administrative rights on that particular machine, will not let some software controls update or register properly.  Quite often, a User with User rights only cannot even make simple configuration changes to different software products, such as faxing programs.  Clicking "Ignore" will allow the installation to finish and the program normally functions as designed, without any detrimental effects either to the computer system or other software products.  If this problem persists, ask the Administrator of that machine to logon and perform the installation for you.  It is also a good idea to get permission from the proper persons in charge of the network before installing any program on a company computer.  Some companies more than frown on the installation of non-authorized software products on their computer systems. 

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2. It is impossible to design software that will function as designed and perfectly on all systems all the time.  There are so many things that can effect a software product's performance.  Because of the differences of hardware designs, video cards, OEM Operating Systems (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and system configurations, some (although very few) computers will not display the video screensaver in full screen.  (See #3 below.)

          Also, any programs or events that require user action or notification, or that may be operating in the background, may also cause the screensaver to exit from Full Screen mode.  To work around this problem, disable or close the program that may be causing the screensaver to exit from Full Screen mode. 

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3. A.  Try waiting several seconds after clicking the "Preview" button for the video to display.  Some systems take a relatively long time to initially render the video.  Once the video begins to play, it should display normally.

   B.  If the Thumbsaver continues to display a blank screen after waiting for a reasonable amount of time, try downloading and installing the latest version of Windows Media Player for your operating system.  Install the player and after restarting your system, try to run the Thumbsaver again.  (Click here for a pop-up explanation window.)

   C.  Also, if your system is at or near the minimum requirements for using the software, the video may be slow to render and display.  The software uses an MPEG1 video file, which is compressed.  MPEGs sometimes cause the computer to labor in rendering the video, if the system is either slow, or has a lot of programs open and running, which takes up most of the system's resources, or if the operating system  is in need of maintenance.  (See next paragraph.)

   D.  Sometimes running Scandisk will help.  Scandisk fixes problems with the file system, which can interfere with many aspects of any program's behavior.  To run Scandisk, double-click My Computer.  Right-click the C: drive icon.  Select Properties from the pop-up menu.  Click the "Tools" tab.  On the Error Checking frame, click the "Check Now" button.  Select the Standard error checking selection and click to check the Automatically Repair Errors check box.  When the system finishes checking and repairing errors, close all windows and restart your computer.

   E.  Normally, it is not necessary to restart your computer after installing the Thumbsaver.  However, this does happen on some brands of computers and restarting will usually solve the blank display/no video problem.  If it does not, (and your system does not fit the problem/solution of #1 above) try opening the Display Properties in the Control Panel or right-click the desktop and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu, which will also open the Display Properties.  Click the "Settings" tab and make sure that the "Colors" settings drop-down list is set to "True Color (16 bit)" or higher.  If this doesn't solve the problem, click the "Advanced" button below the "Screen area" frame and select the "Troubleshooting" tab.  Next move the "Hardware Acceleration" slider to a higher setting and see if this helps.

           If none of the above solutions work, use the Request for Support Form and give us as much information as possible so we can attempt to help you resolve this matter. 

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