Do you want an animated desktop? If so, you need to know how to use DreamScene in Windows 7. Microsoft removed the DreamScene feature from Windows 7, so you have to enable it again to use it.
We previously reported how to enable Dreamscene in Windows 7, but this tutorial should be a bit more up to date!
What Are Dreamscenes
Dreamscenes are animated backgrounds – usually a looped WMV video that plays over and over again in the background. Usually, a transition effect makes the loop barely noticeable. All in all, it is a great way to get animated desktop wallpapers.
First: Enable Aero
0. Prerequisites: Before you can use DreamScene in Windows 7, you have to activate Aero. Read this tutorial: How to enable Aero in Windows 7
In order to use DreamScene you will have to copy some dll files and modify your registry. This will re-enable the DreamScene feature, which is officially not supported by Microsoft.
Activate DreamScene via DLL files + Registry Hack
Either follow a) or b)
a) 32bit Windows
b) 64bit Windows
If you don’t know the difference between 32bit and 64bit Windows, read this tutorial: What Windows Version do I have, 32-bit or 64-bit?
a) If you are on Windows 7 32-bit:
- Download InstallDreamSceneWindows7_32bit.exe
- Run the installer
- InstallDreamSceneWindows7_32bit.exe and it will automatically copy the required files and modify your registry.
b) Should you be on Windows 7 64-bit:
- Download dreamscene64bit.zip
- Extract dreamscene64bit.zip
- Copy DreamScene.dll to C:\Windows\System32\ and DreamScene.dll.mui to C:\Windows\System32\en-US\.
- Double-click DScene.reg to add the registry keys.
- Restart explorer.exe or reboot.
Set WMV or MPG as Desktop Background
You can now right-click on WMV and MPG files and choose “Set as Desktop Background”:
Empty Personalization Control Panel
The DreamScene feature is not supported on Windows 7, therefore your Personalization Control Panel will display an empty DreamScene folder:
Download 1000+ Animated Wallpaper
If you want a full library of animated Windows 7 themes and dreams, you should buy DeskScapes. DeskScapes is Stardock’s software for animated background wallpapers. It fully supports Windows 7 and comes with a lot of high-quality animated Wallpapers.
We will soon be adding our own animated Windows 7 themes, stay tuned for more!
Animated Windows 7 Themes
Update: One animated theme has been added: The Matrix Windows 7 Theme
You will find the files that are needed attached to the theme.