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In Windows 7, the Bubbles screen saver created bubbles that moved over the top of whatever was on my screen at the time.
In Windows 8, if I go to the screen saver settings and preview the Bubbles screensaver, it shows the same behavior – bubbles moving over the top of my existing desktop.
But when the Bubbles screensaver actually activates in Windows 8, the bubbles only appear over a background color which I selected.
Is there something wrong with my settings or video drivers?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
There is nothing wrong with your screensaver settings, or your video drivers and system. .
A design change was made in Windows 8 that prevents screensavers from drawing over an image of the desktop. Any screensaver that previously drew over the desktop, such as Bubbles, will instead draw over a black background. The screensaver preview is incorrectly showing Windows 7 behavior.
That was already answered above by a Microsoft Forum Moderator
"A design change was made in Windows 8 that prevents screensavers from drawing over an image of the desktop. Any screensaver that previously drew over the desktop, such as Bubbles, will instead draw over a black background. The screensaver preview is incorrectly showing Windows 7 behavior."
I have Windows 8 Pro 64 bit running on 2 computers. Like you commented, I too see "bubbles screen saver over a solid background the same color as the one you chose for your start screen".
As reported... this is normal behavior for Win8. As for freeze ups, I'd ensure your graphics drivers are up-to-date. I have an older laptop and a newer desktop running just fine. I let them run a full week... sleep, wake, lock... idle... before rebooting. No problems.
OK then, if everyone gets bubbles on a theme-colored background, let's suppose it's normal for Win8.
However, as I said before, if you open Bubbles.scr from system32 folder, or if you just preview the screensaver, the bubbles appear like on Win7. Why can't I choose to show the bubbles like this?
Obviously, Windows can handle transparent backgrounds, so why can't I choose this option?
I also preferred Windows 7 Bubbles - Bubbles screen saver in Windows 8 has been a big disappointment. I wonder if there is a way around this.
