Use the My Pictures Slideshow

Here's a more interesting screen saver option: create your very own by using pictures on your computer's hard drive. To do so, choose "My Pictures Slideshow" from the Screen Saver drop-down menu. You will then be able to configure the settings of the slideshow (i.e., what pictures to use) by clicking on the adjacent Settings button. The Settings button has different effects depending on which Windows screen savers you choose. With the default Windows XP screen saver, the Settings button cannot be used.

Upon clicking Settings with the My Pictures Slideshow selected, you see the Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 5-6. The default directory for the My Pictures Slideshow is the My Pictures folder, which is one of the subfolders of My Documents, which is in turn a part of the user profile. The full path is: Driveletter:\Documents and Settings\ Username\My Documents\My Pictures.

Figure 5-6. Selecting Slideshow options.

But let's say, for example, that you have a more global directory where you store your pictures. Let's say the folder is called \Pics, and it's located on the D:\ drive. Furthermore, you want each picture to display in the screen saver for 30 seconds rather than the default of 6.

To make these changes, do the following:

1.	Open the Screen Saver Options dialog box and click on the Browse button.
2.	You get another small dialog box that will let you find the folder that holds your pictures. In this case, you'll find the D:\ drive and then the \Pics folder. Click OK when you're done.
3.	Next, change the duration that each picture displays using the "How often should pictures change?" slider bar.
4.	After you've made your selections, choose OK to close the My Pictures Screen Saver Options dialog box and then click OK at the Display Properties dialog box to commit your changes.

Why Screen Saver Security Isn't All That Secure

A screen saver can and should be used in most companies to protect data from being seen when employees get up from their computers at lunch or after work but forget to lock their machines. Realize, however, that's it's a relatively weak security measure. To "crack" into a computer that has a password-protected screen saver, all you have to do is shut down the system using the computer's power button and then restart itno more pesky screen saver. You should still have to present a username and password to access the desktop, but the screen saver security will have been compromised.