extracting images from screensaver

[J.A.G.]

I downloaded somewhere a screensaver consisting of a series of nice images that I would like to have as separate files.

Is there a way to extract them from the xxx.scr file? If the subject is in help, I cannot find it.

Many thanks in advance.

[Mij]

You can extract files from a slideshow EXE file - that's in the Help FAQ - but I know of no way to do it from an SCR file. Of course you can copy an image to the clipboard while it is showing as a screensaver by pressing Print Screen and then paste into IrfanView.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Easier to use the Screen Capture save to disk option.

[J.A.G.]

No form of screen capture is relevant - it is in the nature of *.scr files to disappear as soon as any button is touched.

Any other ideas?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

If you use the automatic timed interval to save pictures to a file it will work. Set the interval to the same interval as your screensaver.

[J.A.G.]

Could you be somewhat more explicit? It is not MY screen saver, so I cannot do anything about it but playing it. With an interval of about two or three seconds between images, I think.

Thank you

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Measure the time for ten images and divide by ten.

In IV's screen capture setup dialogue, set the time interval to that.
Set the image file type and directory to save files in.
Start screen capture and immediately start the screen saver from Windows desktop properties, screensaver, preview.

[J.A.G.]

Thank you. Shall try tomorrow and report back. Too late here now.

[matera]

You might have better luck with a resource extractor. I'm sorry I don't have any specific links handy. I don't even remember what I used when I last discombobulated a screensaver, it was a few years ago.

Best I can do for leads

http://demosten.com/resextr/

http://www.freeprogrammingresources.com/resources.html

Just searching with the words "resource extractor" should find a lot. There are plenty of free ones around.

[J.A.G.]

Thank you. I shall try Resource Extractor later today.

[J.A.G.]

Mr. Matera,

I tried about half a dozen Resource Extractors, Resource Grabbers and what not, but none of them, if they found images at all in the file, could extract them. So I shall try Mr. Pesala's method day after tomorrow.

In case the file could be the problem, see

http://www.naxos-greece.net/site/main.htm

about half way down under Naxos ScreenSaver.

Any further explanation would be more than welcome.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

My method works OK. Extract the screensaver to the \Windows\System32\ folder, and preview it from Desktop Properties. Start IV capture with an interval of six seconds, and save to your chosen folder. You will need to crop the images.

[J.A.G.]

Thank you, Mr. Pesala. Your method worked perfectly, and was much simpler to apply than I had imagined, after all. Learning new things is a joy forever.

[Mij]

No form of screen capture is relevant - it is in the nature of *.scr files to disappear as soon as any button is touched.

Any other ideas?

Actually my method does work too. Print Screen is one of the buttons that leave a screen saver running.

[J.A.G.]

No doubt it does for you as you say, but the screensaver I am talking about stops working when I apply Printscreen in my system. It survived Irfanview's "Capture Screenshot" option, however, as I implicated.