Resolved Pretty little leaf floating on screen

I was fooling around with different screen savers and other display items, and now have a tiny little green leaf which flutters about on the Word screen. One of the options I was trying was a nature theme; I got rid of everything but this leaf which at least shrank a bit. However, although it's charming, it's also a nuisance.

How can I get rid of it?

Computer: HP Pavilion a11550y; OS Windows XP Home.

 

Further info: I find the leaf does not confine it's appearance and activities to Word. It just popped up here.

 

Infection?????? I have no clue. When you say you were fooling around with screensavers, do you mean testing various ones you already had installed, or downloading ostensibly free ones from the net?

 

Testing displays that came installed with Word.

 

thanks for this info, lowers the possibility that you are infected.

Were I you, I would remove that Nature based saver. If you are running XP, you will have to enable show hidden files and first remove the saver from your dll cache, cause if you just remove any from your savers folder per se, it will keep coming back. I did this long ago, but will now try to get you more specific instructions should you wanna go in that direction.

I also enjoyed that you find the little uninvited leaf charming and not just simply totally annoying.

Finally may I assume you have now gone into "Display" and chosen none in the savers tab?

 

Again, have you chosen "none" for screensavers in display?

 

Yep!!

 

Excellent. Were I you, I would delete the saver and see if that puts things right. If you would like to do that, and you may not, I will post instructions.

I also feel this is a little above my paygrade and we might wait for someone with more expertise to weigh in. Cause this is a little strange and it may still be some kind of infection.

Now were it spontaneously manifesting Mistletoe, that would be one thing right now. Or it could just be the Celtics.

But it isn't.

 

Afterthought: you said this saver came with some version of WORD? As opposed, that is, to those bundled in your operating system?

While I do not relate to that, the anything MS Office part... I will take you at your lol.....WORD.

Now, do I assume correctly all your WORD files open normally and WORD functions properly in every other way?

 

I was wrong; it was part of the Windows Control Panel/Display menu. The leaf was part of the "Nature" theme, and was originally much larger. I may just live with it; it's really kind of cute...

 

That was adorable. But....also maybe a capitulation generated by the usual fear we all experience when such things happen.

Plus, If you do not remove the leaf, regardless of how miniscule it is now, the Celtics will never will another Championship!. U don wanna be responsible for THAT, RIGHT? lol

So, and it's up to you, of course, I will now paste what I again found and once used long ago to delete some savers which yes, like yours were bundled in the OS.

If first you make a new restore point....you could name it "WITH LEAF ", follow the instructions, find trhe saver, first in yr dll cache ,delete the saver--- if the leaf is then gone and you miss the leaf (OMG), you could simply employ that restore point.

So, should you wish to move ahead with this:

1. First navigate to “C:\windows\system32\dllcache”. Cut and paste or type in your address bar to get there because it is a hidden folder . Once there, delete the Screen Savers in that folder . Otherwise, you will find that they will come back no matter how many times you delete them from your system 32 folder.
2. Then you have to go to C: \Windows\system32 and delete the Screen Savers you want to get rid of . (Answer the file protection popups with cancel and yes.)

Make this a little adventure....and making the new restore point will mitigate the fear. At least that's the way it works for me.

 

Thanks, Jilly. I'll have to get my courage up and try what following your kind instructions will do.

 

Way!!!!! Be sure to make the new restore point! We are all cheering for you! (Cept for Kobe and Lebron who do not want the Celtics to evah win again.)

Everything we come to own in this technology...is EARNED. But that also has ripple effects!

 

One more so you don't feel overwhelmed; your dll cache is enormous. Do Not let that scare you.

To follow the posted instructions: start>search>files and folders. Hilite the first part of what I posted without the quotation marks; in yr toolbar, hit edit, then in drop down menu, "copy ". Right click on the empty search window in the open interface, hit paste and then hit search.

In the right window you will see your entire systems dll cache. Nothing to be scared of, just keep scrolling thru it slowly and you will start seeing the savers with the little saver icons---SAME ICON FOR ALL THE SAVERS... and familiar saver names. See if you can locate the leafy one, the nature one, the CELTICS GREEN ONE. lol

Right click on it and delete it and send it to the leaf bin.

Then, proceed to the final step by doing the same with the second step using search.

 

All is well. I went to Control Panel>Mouse>Pointers, clicked on the leaf and it went away. I sort of miss it, though.

 

Well! That was hugely resourceful!!!! Struck me initially it Might be a cursor, but then I changed my mine cause U said saver and I saw it as something renegade and floating around randomly.

Apparently, when you chose the nature theme, it included cursors & changes yours. So it wasn't floating around, it was just doing it's leafy little job!

I am very proud of you! And now, the Celtics will win next year!

Healthy Happy Holidays!