Want to keep old webshots settings?

[Jose]

I have a way to save your old webshots setting and panel:

1. start menu/search programs(run)/msconfig/startup/uncheck smile

2.go to webshots desktop/options and do the following:

A.screensaver check use webshots as screensaver.

B.wallpaper check use webshots as wallpaper.

C.advanced uncheck all photo notification

D.search preferences uncheck launch webshots welcome page upon start.

You now have your calendar, the old effects, and the titles of your pictures back.
You now also have no connection to the new smile site so they should not be able to delete the control panel on the date they make their changes complete.

Cancel your membership since you can't download any more pictures anyway but at least you keep what you already have.

[Rick]

HOW TO REMOVE SMILE AND KEEP OLD WEBSHOTS -- for offline use --

If you're using Webshots Desktop offline, you can still use it....
First, of course, you need to remove Smile... which was invasive to say the least.
If you want to see more on this debacle, see the Facebook page for Webshots.
.. at least until they remove all the negative comments.

If Smile destroyed some old offline folders of pictures you had on Webshots, they may still be available. Look under the C:\My Documents\webshots data... and you'll probably find them there. If you don't find it here, it may mean you chose during original setup to put it somewhere else. Search your C: for 'webshots data' ; it's there
somewhere ;> Find the one folder with .jpg files in it and copy and save that somewhere else.

OK... First, stop Smile from running. Either close it from the task notification area, or, stop all processes that have either 'smile' or 'webshots' in them.
Then, try to remove it using Add/Remove programs...and then do a search for all files or folders that have 'smile' or 'webshots' in it.... and also the term 'supplant'.... as smile put in some files called 'webshots supplant'....delete them....reboot and repeat.
Smile put some files in the prefetch files, so that's why the repetition.

You should now be good and have it uninstalled and you can reinstall the old Webshots software, but you can't get it from Smile/Webshots.... it is readily available online.
Some of the sites where you'll find it may ask you to sign up to get it.... you don't have to use that site. There are lots of sources.
Search for either 'WebshotsDesktopSetup.exe' (I think CNET still hosts it)... or, to be even safer from Slime attack.....an older one: 'wbsamp5.exe'.... install that... add in the pix you saved before you uninstalled Smile....and then never update.

The first version is the newer one... and has the option to cycle wallpaper more frequently, but the older one is inherently safer (see below.)

You should now be good-to-go ... and can add photos you create, or, you find here on Flickr. (Google makes a nice widget/gadget that uses Flickr pix.... search online for 'photo of the minute'!

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Additional... possibly not necessary..... safety tips:

a) I did the following, but it may be total overkill -- In the newly created Program Files\Webshots directory, I changed the extension by adding on OLD to the end so that I now have two files there: wsaxupdater.dllOLD and wsaxupdater.exeOLD

b) This only applies to the newer one ('WebshotsDesktopSetup.exe') This may not be necessary if you've already deleted all the the 'supplant' files.... I don't know. There is a process that is added to start and always run on your computer called AG Core. (from American Greetings, previous owner).

1-- Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Computer Management->Services then disable AGCore service.
2 -- Delete C:\Programs Files\AGCore and all subfolders.
3-- Restart the computer