What is a Screensaver?

A screensaver is an animated image that is displayed on an inactive personal computer screen once user inactivity has been sensed for a certain period of time. Screensavers were originally supposed to prevent burn-in (i.e. the burning of an image into the phosphor inside the cathode ray tube after hours of the same image being displayed).

Windows Vista comes with its own built-in screensavers that you are able to select from. You can also find many screensavers that you can download from specific sites.

A good screensaver is said to have certain characteristics, including:

  • A dark background – To save on power that is consumed by the display.How to Install a Screensaver in Vista
  • Constantly moving objects or scene – To avoid pixel burning.
  • Sensitive – should not prevent you from using the computer

Most screensavers are based on the following platforms:

  • Sprite based
  • Flash based
  • Slideshow based
  • Video based

How to Get a Screensaver

If you want to use screensavers other than the ones loaded on to your Vista operating system, then you will have to download it from the Internet or have a friend send you one. Then you have to install it.

There are possibly millions of screensavers you can get on the Internet. Some of them are free and others you have to pay for. There are even some that are called "shareware' in that you can only use them for a short period of time and then you will have to delete it from your computer.

Spyware Cautions

When downloading screensavers off the Internet be careful there are no other third party software embedding in them. These may contain a spyware that will track your Internet usage and collect your "online habits" and either send this information to a centralized server or present some advertisements to you. And in some cases they will not uninstall from your system completely.

Download the Screensaver

Decide which screensaver you want. Locate the "download" option on the website (It may also say "download screensaver") and click it to start the download.

You will then be prompted to choose either of two download options:

  • OPEN from the current location, or
  • SAVE to disk

Click Save to disk. You then have to choose where you want to save it. You can save it to the Windows folder for easy locating.

How to Install a Screensaver

Make sure the new screensaver is in the Windows folder so that it will appear on the screensaver selection list.

Right click any blank space on your desktop.

  • Select Properties
  • Go to the Screensavers tab, you should see a drop-down list
  • Select the screensaver you downloaded
  • Click Apply
  • Click Ok