Screensavers

Have you ever wondered why do we call them screen savers? Do they really save our screens? We’ve done a bit of research and found out that, due to changes in monitor technology, the term screen saver has become a misnomer in recent years. Let’s see why.

A good safe screen saver can be hard to find. They have become popular programs for viruses and malware to piggyback on, and many may require or attempt to force the installation of unwanted toolbars and software. These days, many people do not even use screen savers for their originally intended purpose, often simply setting their computer to shut off the monitor after idling for too long. But, there are several really fascinating and useful screen savers out there for those who enjoy them, and I have tracked down a sampling of some really fun and safe to use screen savers for your perusal and enjoyment. Read on to see my findings.

In a previous tutorial, we have shown how easy it is to use Windows Live Photo Gallery 2011 to create a slideshow as a screensaver. The same is possible with the free image viewer application called Irfanview. But, to add to the fun, you can also save the slideshow as a standalone screensaver that can be shared with friends and family and run on other computers.

After sharing the top 7 screen savers for Windows 7 found on the Internet, it is time to show how to create your own screen saver. I’m sure you have some awesome pictures on your computer so, let’s use Windows Live Photo Gallery 2011 and create a screen saver with them.

In one of our previous tutorials I've shared how to customize Windows 7 themes, including how to set your screen saver. Because of the small range of screen savers offered by default with Windows 7, I decided to search the web for other, better looking ones. Unfortunately most of the screensavers found were not free or, were free to download but you had to register and pay to use them after some time. Some are installed with some additional software such as unwanted toolbars, programs and even viruses, while others, even if they are announced to be compatible with Windows 7, do not actually work on this operating system.
Surprisingly, there's a lot of complexity in finding, downloading and installing such trivial software as screen savers. That's why I will share with you the top seven screen savers I've found, which you can safely install without getting your computer infected.