DisplayFusion Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I install the Free version of DisplayFusion?

DisplayFusion uses the same installer for both the Free and the Pro version. If you don't enter a license key during the installation, you'll get an automatic 30-day trial of the Pro features.

After the 30-day trial is up, DisplayFusion will automatically revert to the Free version. If you'd prefer to revert DisplayFusion to the Free version before the end of the trial, please follow these steps:

• Open the DisplayFusion Settings window
• Click the License Key tab
• Click the "Change to Free Version"
• Click Apply

After performing the steps above, DisplayFusion will revert to the Free version, with the Pro features disabled. After reverting to the Free version, you'll no longer receive message box prompts to upgrade to the Pro version.

Can I transfer my license to a different computer?

A DisplayFusion Pro license key can certainly be transferred to a different computer! The license key can be installed on a different computer if you have done one of the following on the old computer first:

• Cleared the license key from the DisplayFusion Settings > License Key tab and applied the settings (reverts DisplayFusion to the Free version)
• Completely uninstalled DisplayFusion
• Wiped or scrap the old computer

Why can't I find my images in the Flickr search?

This can be caused by a Flickr security setting. To change this, go into your account settings, under the Privacy & Permissions tab and make sure "Hide your profile from public searches" is disabled. When this setting is turned on you won't be able to see your images using DisplayFusion.

Screen Savers that have Known Issues with DisplayFusion

"Bubbles" by Microsoft
This screen saver will run, but the background is black and the bubbles are very tiny.

"Photos" by Microsoft (included with Windows Vista and Windows 7), and "Windows Live Photo Gallery" by Microsoft
This screen saver will not run while the DisplayFusion screen saver is active, which means you can never use this screen saver with DisplayFusion. We would recommend using the built-in DisplayFusion Photos Screen Saver (v4.0+), or trying one of the following third-party photo screen savers:

• gPhotoShow
• JPEG Saver 3.x
• Photo Slideshow Screensaver

How do I load a Monitor Profile on startup?

To load a Monitor Profile on Windows startup, you'll need to use the DisplayFusion command line utility. Follow the steps below to load a Monitor Profile automatically on Windows startup:

• Open Windows Explorer ("My Computer") and navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\DisplayFusion\
• Right-click DisplayFusionCommand.exe (may just show as DisplayFusionCommand) and choose "Create Shortcut", when prompted to place it on the desktop, click Yes
• Right-click the DisplayFusionCommand shortcut that was created on the desktop, and choose "Properties"
• Add the following to the end of the target box (make sure to leave a space before the hyphen, and enter the exact name of the Monitor Profile in the quotes): -monitorloadprofile "monitor profile name"
• Click OK
• Optional: Rename the shortcut to something like "Load DF Monitor Profile"
• Click Start > All Programs, right-click Startup and choose "Open" to open the Startup folder in Windows Explorer
• Drag the DisplayFusionCommand shortcut from the desktop into the Startup folder
• Open the DisplayFusion Settings, click the Advanced Settings button, and enable the Monitor Configuration: Don't Show Confirm Prompt option

Known Font Scaling Issues

Your current Font Scaling (DPI) settings in Windows may cause issues with DisplayFusion, and other applications. If you are using a scaling value of 125% or lower it is highly recommended that you use "Windows XP scaling mode" as well. For more information on changing your Font Scaling (DPI) settings in Windows, please use these references:
Font Scaling (DPI) in Windows 7
Font Scaling (DPI) in Windows Vista

How do I prevent a game from minimizing when clicking outside the window?

DisplayFusion contains a built-in Function called "Prevent Window Deactivation." Since Windows disables global hotkeys while full screen games are running, you won't be able to activate it using a key combination. Instead, you'll need to enable it using a Window Location rule for each game.

When creating the Window Location rule, make sure to select "Run Selected Function on the Window" from the "Window Size" drop-down, then choose "Prevent Window Deactivation" from the "Function" drop-down.

You can use wildcards when specifying the Application in the Window Location rule. For example: If your games are all stored in D:\Games, you could enter D:\Games\* in the Application text box to make the rule match all games in that directory.

Note: While this Function should work for most games, there are some games that do weird things and may not allow this Function to work correctly.

Wallpaper Images in Windows XP aren't Aligned Properly

If you are using Windows XP find that your wallpaper images overlap each other or aren't aligned on the monitor correctly you may need to apply this fix to disable Active Desktop:

Key: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\ClassicShell
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1 (active desktop disabled), 0 (active desktop not disabled)

You will need to reboot after setting this value. If you aren't comfortable using RegEdit to modify your registry, you can download one of these .REG files and apply the setting automatically:
  • Disable Active Desktop
  • Enable Active Desktop

I'm a sysadmin, how can I set/disable settings for my users?

Starting with DisplayFusion 4.0, administrators can control certain DisplayFusion settings using Active Directory ADMX Group Policy templates, or by deploying custom registry settings. Detailed information on the settings that can be forced via policy, along with a download link for the ADMX templates can be found in the Administrative Settings knowledge base article.

How Do I Close DisplayFusion Programatically?

Sometimes it is necessary to close DisplayFusion without requiring any user interaction. For example, maybe you are deploying a new version or want to force-close all DisplayFusion instances. If you are using the EXE installer (version 3.2.1+) in /SILENT mode, it will automatically close all instances before installing to avoid the need to reboot. You can easily close all DisplayFusion instances with 1 line of code in C++:

PostMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, RegisterWindowMessage("BFS_DISPLAYFUSION_CLOSE"), 0, 0);

DisplayFusion Command Line Tool (displayfusioncommand.exe)

Using DisplayFusionCommand.exe (version 3.3+) you can control DisplayFusion from an external program or command prompt. DisplayFusionCommand.exe is located in the DisplayFusion installation folder (C:\Program Files\DisplayFusion by default). You can find the syntax and examples below.

-closeall
Closes all DisplayFusion instances with no prompts.

-wallpaperloadprofile "profile name"
Loads the Wallpaper Profile named in the quotes. (v3.4.0+)

-wallpapernextimage
Loads the next random Wallpaper image, if random images is enabled for any of the monitors. (v3.4.0+)

-applicationhooksload
Forces DisplayFusion to load the global application hooks. (v3.4.0+)

-applicationhooksunload
Forces DisplayFusion to unload the global application hooks. (v3.4.0+)

-windowwallpaper
Opens the DisplayFusion Wallpaper window. (v3.4.0+)

-windowsettings
Opens the DisplayFusion Settings window. (v3.4.0+)

-windowmonitorconfig
Opens the DisplayFusion Monitor Configuration window. (v3.4.0+)

-windowscreensaversettings
Opens the DisplayFusion Screen Saver Settings window. (v3.4.0+)

-monitorloadprofile "profile name"
Loads the Monitor Profile named in the quotes. (v3.4.1+)

-hotkeyrun "hotkey name"
Runs the specified DisplayFusion HotKey. (v4.0+)

-desktopiconsave "profile name"
Saves the current Desktop Icon Layout as a profile. Specifying the name of an existing profile will prompt to overwrite. (v4.0+)

-desktopiconload "profile name"
Loads the specified Desktop Icon Layout Profile. (v4.0+)

Examples:

DisplayFusionCommand.exe -closeall
Closes all DisplayFusion instances.

DisplayFusionCommand.exe -wallpaperloadprofile "Horse Pictures"
Loads a pre-configured Wallpaper profile named "Horse Pictures"

DisplayFusionCommand.exe -wallpaperloadprofile "Horse Pictures" -wallpapernextimage
Loads a Wallpaper profile, then loads the next random image

DisplayFusionCommand.exe -hotkeyrun "Start Screen Saver"
Runs the built-in DisplayFusion HotKey that starts the Screen Saver

How to enable "Show window contents while dragging" in Windows

• Open the Control Panel
• Click "System"
• Click "Advanced System Settings"
• In the "System Properties" window, on the "Advanced" tab, click the "Settings" button in the "Performance section"
• Make sure "Show window contents while dragging" is checked
• Click "OK" to save this setting

Error: "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135)"

Do you receive the error "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135). Click on OK to terminate the application." when you try to start DisplayFusion? If so, make sure you have the Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0 framework installed. Please visit the DisplayFusion Download page to download the correct version of the framework for your computer.

How do I perform a Silent Installation?

Starting with DisplayFusion 4.0, we've added a bunch of useful options to the silent installer. Please click one of the links below to view the details for that installer type.

• EXE Installation
• MSI Installation

Important Note: When deploying the MSI Installer via Group Policy Software Installation, you absolutely must use the included MST (transform) file on the Modifications tab, otherwise the installation will never complete.

Since the MSI Installer has changed between DisplayFusion 3.4.1 and 4.0, it is recommended that you choose the "Uninstall the existing package, then install the upgrade package" option if you'll be using Group Policy to upgrade from DisplayFusion 3.4.1 to 4.0 or higher.

Error: "Failed to load the MouseHook/ShellHook"

This can be caused by the DisplayFusion hook DLL not being updated, usually because a required reboot didn't take place after an upgrade. Just reboot your computer and DisplayFusion should work correctly.

"Access Denied" error when applying the Windows Logon Background

This error usually occurs when there are already images in the C:\Windows\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds\ folder that may have been placed there by the computer's manufacturer. To resolve this issue, move all of the files out of the C:\Windows\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds\ folder, and then try setting the Windows Logon Background using DisplayFusion again.

Why do I get a UAC prompt every time my wallpaper changes?

The "Use the current Desktop Wallpaper image for the Windows Logon Background" option on the Windows Logon tab will cause this to happen. Since the settings for the Windows Logon Background are in a protected area of the operating system, a UAC prompt is required when setting it. If you have the previously mentioned option enabled, the Windows Logon Background will change every time the Desktop Wallpaper changes, causing the UAC prompt to be shown each time.

How do I schedule wallpaper changes?

You can schedule wallpaper changes using Wallpaper Profiles, DisplayFusionCommand.exe, and the Windows Task Scheduler. For further instructions, please see the Scheduling Wallpaper Changes article.

Does DisplayFusion work on Windows 7 Starter Edition?

While DisplayFusion will run on Windows 7 Starter Edition, there are some limitations in Windows 7 Starter Edition that DisplayFusion cannot work around. Most notably, you cannot change the desktop wallpaper, and there's no support for multiple monitors in Extended Desktop mode. For more information on the limitations of Windows 7 Starter Edition, please see the following Wikipedia article: Windows 7 Editions