How to Set Up a Video as the Desktop Background

Dreamscene lets you use movies instead of pictures as your desktop background.

Windows Vista Ultimate had a feature called Dreamscene that allowed users to use a video file as a desktop background. The feature was removed from Windows 7 and replaced with Desktop Slideshow, which cycles through a series of still images instead. There is a way to restore Windows 7's ability to set a video as a desktop background, still using Dreamscene--which is now a Windows Ultimate Extra.

Instructions

1. Open "Control Panel" from the "Start" menu and go to "System and Security." Click on "System."

2. Click "Advanced System Settings" in the panel on the left side of the window, then click the "Settings" button in the "Performance" section.

3. Click the "Adjust for Best Performance" radial button, then click "OK."

4. Log in to your computer's Administrator account.

5. Download the "Windows 7 Dreamscene" program.

6. Open the downloaded file and drag "Windows 7 Dreamscene.exe" onto the desktop.

7. Run "Windows 7 Dreamscene.exe" from the desktop. It runs in a text-based command line window. Press a key to begin the installation when prompted.

8. Right-click on the video file you want to set as your desktop background and select: "Set as Desktop Background" from the menu.

Tips & Warnings

• You need at least 1GB of RAM and a dedicated (not integrated) video card to run Dreamscene.

References

• My Digital Life: How to Install and Enable Dreamscene in Windows 7
• Techknowl.com: Use Dreamscene in Windows 7
• Windows 7 News: How to Enable and Use Windows Aero Features