Vista: Use a Screensaver as Your Desktop Background

Contributor Icon Contributed by shamanstears Date Icon August 22, 2008  
Tag Icon Tagged: Microsoft Vista

If you are bored with your desktop and want to give it a little style, you can run a screensaver as your desktop’s background to liven it up. The screensaver will hide the desktop icons, but leave your windows and taskbar fully functional.


1. Open a command prompt.

2. Execute the following command:
aurora.scr /p65552

Using the name of the screensaver file. Vista includes ribbons.scr, aurora.scr, mystify.scr, and sstext3d.scr.

3. Close the command prompt window.

The screensaver will execute while leaving your windows and taskbar. It does hide your desktop icons, but creates a pretty cool effect. I think that the Aurora screensaver looks the best.

To stop the screensaver “wallpaper,” open the Task Manager, select the screensaver file and click the End Process button.

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  • didnt work for me!
    it just launched the screensaver as a "screensaver"... ie, the taskbar and desktop ikons were hidden and the moment i moved the mouse it(screensaver) dissapears
  • sgsehsh
    Doesnt work with x64
  • Gorzam
    Doesn't really work.

    I ran it on Vista32 and my taskbar completely vanished from the screen. Only every few seconds it was visible for a blink of an eye...was kinda hard to kill the screensaver process. :/
  • Anonymous
    Works in Vista64 but it does create a button on the task bar for the screen saver. If you click on it, the task bar disappears, widgets remain visible. Pressing the Windows key brings the task bar back.
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