What do all these options mean in the settings menu?
This section will explain all features and options in the Settings dialog, as seen below. In the Control Panel of the Vision Board Wizard you are able to find this button. Normally speaking you will only need to go to the settings dialog screen if you wish to change some behavior of the Vision Board Package. Under settings you can adjust some features of the screen saver, desktop wallpaper and balloon popups.
Screen saver settings
Screen resolution: If you have a fairly recent computer you should allow the screen saver to run in the same resolution as your desktop. If you have an older computer that is unable to display the screen adequately you could reduce the screen resolution so that the screen saver runs fast. The higher the screen resolution then more power your computer requires to display the images.
Refresh frequency: If your computer uses and older CRT monitor rather than a LCD screen you may wish to set the refresh frequency at 75hz, this will reduce flickering and stress on your eyes. If you are using an LCD screen then this settings should stay at 60Hz.
Speed: The screen saver patterns have been designed to move at an optimum rate. The affirmations are in view long enough for the message to sink in and yet move on quickly enough to keep it interesting. However, as with many things personal tastes vary. By moving the slider you can speed up or slow down the speed with which the screen saver runs.
Graphics Hardware Acceleration: The Vision Board screen saver makes use of Microsoft’s DirectX 9.0 technology. If you have fairly modern computer and have DirectX 9.0 installed then this setting will have a tick in the box by default. If you are experiencing difficulty with the screen saver then you could try and remove the tick from the box and press Apply & Exit.
The software-rendered screen saver is designed to run on a much wider range of hardware. The software-rendered version of the screen saver has fewer bells and whistles.
If you have a recent computer and you are having trouble with the hardware accelerated version of the screen saver then we suggest you try the following two options. First, make sure you have DirectX 9.0 installed; this is available on the Vision Board CD-ROM or you can download the software from www.microsoft.com/directx. Second, make sure your graphics drivers are up to date. There are a large number of video cards on the market that support DirectX extension to varying degrees. This makes it difficult to ensure 100% support for all video cards. Check your computer’s ownership manuals for information about what video chipset is installed in your computer and visit the manufacture of the video card to download the most recent video drivers.
Use Vision board as screen saver: During installation of the Vision Board you were asked to indicate if you wished to use Vision Board as your default screen saver. If you change your mind at any time you can change the setting here. If this box is ticked then Vision Board screen saver will automatically start after the computer has been idle for a fixed length of time. The idle-time can be set in Windows Screen Properties that can be accessed from the Vision Board Manager. If you remove the tick you can still start the Vision Board screen saver on command by double clicking the screensaver icon on your desktop or selection show vision board from the Vision Board Manager.
Vertical sync: It is recommended that you leave the vertical sync switched on. The drawing of the screen saver is synchronized with the updating of the monitor by your video card. Leaving it ticked usually results in much smoother movements and no “tearing” of the image. However, if you do have trouble for whatever reason then you can remove the tick to see if the screen saver runs more smoothly for you.
Disable Monitor Power Saver: I recommend that you leave this setting unticked. Normally speaking Windows will “switch off” the monitor after a preset amount of time. Switching off the monitor saves power. However, if you are using your Vision Board as a display in a shop or in some public space you would want the screen saver to continue functioning and override the preset windows power saving options.
Wallpaper Settings
Use the background in my wallpaper image: Ticking this option will include the background image from your current vision board script (in this case it is VisionBoard, see title bar) in the desktop wallpaper. This means that your desktop will be filled with your background picture and on top of this you will see one of your pictures from your script with its matching affirmation and power word.
Cycle wallpaper: By ticking this option your desktop wallpaper will automatically update after a preset length of time. The time is relative to your screen saver idle time. If your screen saver normally starts after the computer has been idle for ten minutes you will find that the desktop wallpaper updates every ten minutes also. You are not able to set the time independently of the screen saver because setting the desktop wallpaper resets the computer’s idle time.
Set wallpaper: This button has the effect of manually updating your desktop wallpaper with another image from your active vision board.
Balloon Settings
Use balloon affirmation: By default Vision Board will use balloon popups. The balloon will appear right above the notification area in the right-hand side of your toolbar. If you do not wish to receive these popups, for instance when you are using your computer for a presentation, remove the tick and press Apply & Exit.
It is also possible to change the length of time between each popup. By default Vision Board sets the time to every 15 minutes with the first display occurring 1 minute after the computer enters Windows.
Load manager on Windows startup: If you do not wish to have the manager start in the notification area of your desktop then remove the tick. You are still able to manually start the Manager from the Programs Menu.
