Screensavers: Electronic eye candy

Originally designed to protect your monitor from damage, today we tend to take the humble screensaver for granted. After all, you don't actually need screensavers these days, do you, what with flat-screen monitors being all the rage?

Well, there was no question that old CRT monitors were prone to suffer from 'burn-in', where a monitor that routinely displayed the same static text or image for prolonged periods could end up with a permanent ghost-like impression 'engraved' on the screen's internal phosphorous coating.

Screensavers were designed to prevent burn-in by displaying a random, ever-changing pattern during periods of inactivity. These days, CRT monitors are far less susceptible to the problem and TFT monitors should be exempt altogether. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that theory doesn't always match reality, and some intensive computer users still report the shadowy signs of burn-in.

The best screen-saving measure of all is turning off your monitor during extended periods of idleness. Automatic shut-downs can be easily configured in the Windows Power Options Properties screen, which is accessible via the Screen Saver tab of Display Properties (right-click on the Windows Desktop and choose Properties from the pop-up menu).

Still, screensavers can serve a purpose, particularly for short breaks when you remain beside your computer. The very best are fascinating, soothing or informative, and if nothing else they help to keep your on-screen content private. If you don't find one that you like, you can always make your own.

AquaReal
Pretty, photo-realistic fish, swimming around in a gorgeous aquarium adorned with coral and offset quite beautifully against a background of gently morphing lighting. You can tickle and feed your fish, swap angelfish for clownfish, and add your own background music to complement the built-in bubble sounds.

AquaReal is similar in concept and execution to the Marine Aquarium screen saver included in the add-on Plus! pack for Windows XP. However, this one can also function as full-motion wallpaper - it uses the Windows Active Desktop feature - and this sets it apart.

A free but basic demo version is available with a handful of fish, but you'll have to shell out to fully stock and fine-tune your virtual aquarium.

The hardware requirements are also pretty demanding - we had to download graphics card updates and the latest version of DirectX to get it working at all - so we'd suggest experimenting with the demo first to find out if your system can cope.

Website: www.digifish.us
Price: Free unlimited demo; $20 (about £11) for the full version

EarthView
Like AquaReal, EarthView works as both a Windows Desktop background and a screensaver. Similarly relaxing, it shows you planet Earth in real time as viewed from 10km out in space, updating frequently to track the movement of sunlight across the globe.

You can choose to view selected towns and cities, with or without local times, and set the level of cloud cover to suit. You can also select between photographic, scientific and artistic impressions of the planet and alternate between flat map and globe views.

In fact, EarthView comes with a bamboozling array of configuration options and it's undoubtedly very clever. Truth to tell, though, once you've watched a full 24-hour progression from day to night and back again, the novelty wears a little thin. The paid-for version of this screensaver buys you greater map detail and the option of downloading real cloud data from the internet.

Website: www.desksoft.com/EarthView.htm
Price: Free 15-day demo; $20 (about £11) to buy

Drawing Hand
If you've ever pondered the mechanics of the artistic process, now's your chance to see it in action. The Drawing Hand screensaver is, er, a hand that draws. Sit back and watch as King, a lion, takes shape on your screen. From the initial outline sketch to the final furry flourish, every brushstroke and charcoal smudge is captured. As a learning process, arguably, or just for curiosity's sake, it's quite entertaining.

However, there's a definite limit to how many times you can bear to see the same maned moggy materialise on your screen, so you'll soon want to download fresh drawings from an online gallery of over 200, ranging from fine art to fast cars. The software will nag you until you buy the full version, which costs about £14. To turn your own drawings into screensavers, try the related program called ArtStudio, available from the same source.

Website: www.drawinghand.com
Price: Free demo; $25 (about £14) to buy

Electric Sheep
More artwork here, but this time it's strictly hands-free. This screensaver "realises the collective dream of sleeping computers from all over the internet", which is a cute way of saying that your computer hooks up to a server and joins a communal number-crunching exercise. It's similar to those distributed-computing models where hundreds or thousands of computers work together to solve problems or analyse data.

Here, though, the output is a sheep, which is to say a fractal flame, which is to say an animated image randomly generated by a lot of very long numbers. View the web gallery to get a flavour of what's in store. Geeky, yes; pretentious, perhaps; but we have to say that some of the creations arriving on our screen were beautiful and mesmerising. An always-on broadband connection is essential.

Website: http://electricsheep.org/index.cgi?&menu=about
Price: Free

The Matrix Screensaver
This is just one of many Matrix screensavers, in fact, but reputedly it's one of the best. It's certainly straightforward, with green computer code that drips down the screen Matrix-style and a good deal of pseudo-scanning. If you tell the software your name in the settings section, it periodically sends you messages: "Wake up Bert ... The Matrix has you ... Follow the White Rabbit ...", and similar referential bunkum.

Without question, this is one for serious fans of the movies but we include it here to illustrate that film-related screensavers are in abundance. In fact, these are often designed by film buffs to prove they can do better than the official screensavers released by the studios, and sometimes they succeed. However, do be wary of spyware and viruses.

Website: www.meticulous-software.co.uk/downloads.htm
Price: Free

Online News
Altogether more useful is Online News, a shareware screensaver that grabs news headlines and displays them in a large, clear font in boxes on your screen. It uses the relatively new and increasingly popular Rich Site Summary technology that enables news providers to feed constantly updating headlines to any compliant application.

Should you notice a headline of interest, you can select it with the keyboard arrow keys and up pops a short summary of the story still within the screensaver. If you want to learn more, press the F5 key and the relevant web page opens in your browser, deactivating the screensaver in the process.

The real attraction is that you can choose your own news sources to suit your interests: news, technology, entertainment, sport or whatever. You do, however, have to be connected to the internet while the screensaver is running. Although it's still in development, we found it immediately addictive.

Website: www.coolscreensavers.com/onlinews.html
Price: Free demo; $15 (about £8) to buy

FireMagic
If, on the other hand, you prefer to switch your brain off while your computer has a break, consider FireMagic or one of many, other similar screensavers. In a nutshell, your screen goes up in synthetic flames, consuming any open windows in the process. Although old-school in design and gimmicky in the extreme, FireMagic is actually rather well done.

It also affords a welcome level of control, including a range of themes, sound effects, different colour palettes, fireworks and fireballs and the option to add your own scrolling, flaming text. Paying the $18 (£10) registration fee gets rid of the omnipresent nag screen that invites you to reach for your credit card.

Website: www.fpsoftlab.com/firemagic.htm
Price: Free demo; $18 (about £10) to buy

My Pictures Slideshow
Finally, don't overlook Windows itself. It comes with a selection of (dull) ready-made screensavers but you can also use the My Pictures Slideshow to display a series of your personal pictures as a screensaver. Select this option from the Screensaver Options window and navigate to your My Pictures folder or any other folder that contains digital images.

In fact, it's worthwhile creating a special folder for your pictures at the outset, as you don't get the opportunity here to include or exclude specific images. Play around with the options - it's worth checking the transition effects box - and that's it: Windows will showcase your pictures in sequence whenever the screensaver kicks in.

Price: Free (included with Windows)

SECURITY
There are three potential problems with screensavers and you should take them all seriously. First, a screensaver is a software application like any other, so it can carry, or be, a virus. Always use your antivirus software to scan downloaded files before installation, and never install a screensaver that arrives by email (typically a file with an .exe or .scr extension).

Second, it is relatively common for screensavers to be bundled with spyware and other nasties, particularly if they're free. Use a utility like Ad-aware to find and destroy any such junk.

Finally, take it as read that some screensavers are simply badly put together and can crash your computer or mess up your power saving settings. At the first sign of trouble from a new screensaver, be done with it.

SETTING UP A SCREENSAVER
Activating a new screensaver is usually a straightforward business. First, you need to check that your computer exceeds the stipulated hardware requirements, as some of this software is surprisingly demanding.

Next, download and save the program file from the distributor's website. These files are frequently supplied in a compressed format (like .zip), in which case you'll need a utility like WinZip to extract them.

Windows XP can do its own unzipping. Once you have the file on your computer, we strongly recommend a virus scan. If it gets the all clear, double-click the file to launch the installation procedure.

You may find that you now have a new Desktop icon with which to control the screensaver directly. If not, right-click anywhere on the Desktop, select Properties and open the Screensaver tab. Here you can select your new screen saver from the drop-down menu. The Settings button is used to configure the screensaver and the Preview button shows you the end result. Play around until you like what you see.

Finally, adjust the 'wait' period to suit. For instance, if you set this to 10 minutes, the selected screensaver will start after 10 minutes of no mouse or keyboard activity. Generally, a screensaver switches off as soon as you move the mouse or press any key.

However, some of the more advanced screensavers are designed for interaction. If you want to tickle your aquarium fish you need to use the mouse; to select stories with Online News, you need to use the keyboard. In such cases, the Escape key usually deactivates the screensaver.

There is plenty of shareware software around that lets you make your own original screensavers. Here we have a look at one of the simplest, Ultra Screensaver Maker 2.1, which you can download here. The software can be used freely for a 15-day trial, after which you'll be expected to pay $20 (about £11) to register. We think it's well worth it.

STEP 1
Download the software, scan for viruses, and install it. In the opening dialogue box, enter some information about this new project. This will help you identify it later when, potentially, you have dozens to choose from. Any text entered in the Footer field will be displayed whenever the screen saver is active. Use the Test button throughout these steps to see a quick preview of the finished article and make sure the software is working.

STEP 2
If you want pictures in your screensaver, click on the Images button on the left and browse to the appropriate folder. To select several pictures hold down the Ctrl key as you click on each one. Next, use the Up and Down buttons to shuffle the order of the pictures. Select the Shrink and Zoom to Fit option in the Image size field, to ensure all pictures will be shown full-screen regardless of their native size.

STEP 3
Now click on the Sounds button and add a soundtrack to your screensaver. Select a few MP3s and set the pause duration between tracks. The Shuffle option adds a little randomness to the playback, which is very welcome as you'll soon grow tired of hearing the same song start up at every screensaver session. You could also use sound effects files. It is perhaps worth considering any colleagues at this point, for nothing annoys folk more than an idle PC blaring out pop tunes.

STEP 4
You can also incorporate movie files in your screensaver. If you want your screensaver to consist of nothing but a home movie, you can skip the preceding steps and import the movie here. Flash animations can also be added, as can scrolling text with or without effects. Experiment freely. Just one warning: in our experience, very large movie files can cause the software to hang.

STEP 5
When you're happy with your project, click on the Make button to save the screensaver. Ultra Screensaver Maker gives you a choice of file formats here: a useful self-installing executable file or a simple screensaver file with the standard.scr extension. If you opt for the latter, be sure to save the file in the same Windows folder as your existing screensavers. Use the Windows Search utility to find other files with a.scr extension and note their location. In Windows XP, this should be C:\Windows\System32; in Windows Me, it's C:\Windows\System.

STEP 6
To activate your screensaver manually, right-click on the Desktop, select Properties, open the Screensaver tab and locate it in the drop-down menu. There is no navigation button here with which to find screensavers, which is why it's so important to save the.scr file in the correct folder. If you opted for the self-installing file in step 5, you can just double-click the .exe file to install it automatically. Do view this window anyway, if only to determine how quickly the screensaver should start after a period of inactivity.