Change Windows 7 Wallpaper Automatically via a RSS Feed
Posted on February 10, 2010 at 5:07 am
As if the rotating wallpaper slideshow in Windows 7 was not enough to keep us entertained, the newest Windows operating system also allows RSS feeds to change our wallpapers for us.
There are a few software programs around that do this, but really a short script will do the same thing without having to download anything extra. Do not be intimidated by the length of the script; you can always cut and paste!
Open a notepad file and type/paste this code:
| [[Theme] DisplayName=Nasa [Slideshow] Interval=1800000 Shuffle=1 RssFeed=http://www.nasa.gov/rss/image_of_the_day.rss [Control Panel\Desktop] TileWallpaper=0 WallpaperStyle=0 Pattern= [Control Panel\Cursors] AppStarting=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_working.ani Arrow=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_arrow.cur Crosshair= Hand=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_link.cur Help=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_helpsel.cur IBeam= No=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_unavail.cur NWPen=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_pen.cur SizeAll=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_move.cur SizeNESW=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_nesw.cur SizeNS=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_ns.cur SizeNWSE=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_nwse.cur SizeWE=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_ew.cur UpArrow=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_up.cur Wait=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_busy.ani DefaultValue=Windows Aero Link= [VisualStyles] Path=%SystemRoot%\resources\themes\Aero\Aero.msstyles ColorStyle=NormalColor Size=NormalSize ColorizationColor=0X6B74B8FC Transparency=1 [MasterThemeSelector] MTSM=DABJDKT |
You will notice a couple things about this code. First, the example we have chosen pulls from Nasa’s image feed. The second line of the code, Display=Nasa, calls the name you want to show in your theme personalization panel. You can change the name to whatever you want, just do it right after Display= and do not type a space.
The next thing you might notice is the sixth line:
RssFeed=http://www.nasa.gov/rss/image_of_the_day.rss.
You can use any RSS feed on the web by altering this line with the RSS feed address following RSSFeed=. Again, remember not to space after the =.
Now, click File>Save and name your file Nasa.theme. Make sure you chose all files instead of the text file option. It is best to save your theme to the desktop—you can always move it later. Click Save.
Minimize the notebook window and you should see your new theme’s icon on your desktop. Double-click it and a window should pop up asking if you want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Click Download Attachments.
Once this is done, right click on your desktop and choose Personalization. In the window that opens, you should see your new theme towards the top.
Double-click your theme and your background will change. Then, as if by magic (or computerized telepathy) when the RSS feed updates, your background will change. Nasa changes their feed every day, but there are feeds on the web that change hourly.
Absolutely any image RSS feed will work this way. Flickr and Getty Images are two of the most popular.
» Filed Under Windows 7
Related Posts
- 7 Best Image RSS Feeds
- How to personalize Windows 7 RC’s desktop themes
- Create a System Restore Point with a Desktop Shortcut
- How to change the Vista Aero theme
- FeedBlender – Combine multiple RSS feeds into one blended feed
Thanks for showing me how to do this! It is really cool actually! This can’t be done in Windows XP though right?
Thanks very much for showing us how to do this. I’m a big fan of Flickr RSS feeds and this allowed me to enjoy them without any sharewares
Awesome, I’ve been enjoying the slideshow themes, currenlty I theme from bing (great backgrounds). But with this I’ll be able to pull pictures from a lot more places.
thanks,jb
You can use John’s background switcher and it can be set to use multiple RSS feeds and other sources of images all at once.
http://johnsadventures.com/software/backgroundswitcher/
Very weird. Google this to set NASA’s Image of the Day as my wallpaper!