Screen Savers
Yep, it looks Good !
Screen savers have been a favourite application for many over the years. They are called screen savers because in the days of cathode-ray tubes (CRT) screens, you needed them to avoid damage to your screen. Hence the term `screen savers,' since they literally saved your screen.
The older style CRT monitors had a phosphorous layer on the inside of the screen, and an electron gun (tube) basically shot electrons at this phosphor layer producing pixel illumination. A combination of these pixels illuminated under certain conditions elicits and image on screen.
The older style CRT monitors had a phosphorous layer on the inside of the screen, and an electron gun (tube) basically shot electrons at this phosphor layer producing pixel illumination. A combination of these pixels illuminated under certain conditions elicits and image on screen.
The problem with this technology is a phenomena known as `phosphor burn-in’, this meant that the electrons kept shooting a certain point on screen that would eventually form a ghosting image. It was often referred to as `ghosting.' If a static image was left too long, you could actually burn a hole in your screen, well the phosphor layer anyhow, or at least, so it was thought! Much like the old television sets and what you see when you turn them off, you may see the last image still faintly silhouetted onscreen.
Screen savers were incepted to prevent this burning of the phosphor layer using the continual movement of characters or images onscreen. With the development of liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, screen savers are no longer required since LCD technology is not susceptible to phosphor burn-in.
Screen savers have since become something of a novelty rather than necessity, and many different types of programs have sprung up giving rise to various applications for producing or enhancing them. Most are free for download and others payware. Windows has one such application and is often used to display photos and other images captured from your `My Pictures’ folder.
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Windows also provides you with various default screen savers that are more like entertainment rather than information, still they are amusing to say the least. Some third party screen savers are even more amusing with things like fireplaces, rainforest, outer space, animals and the list goes on.
Below details how to use the Windows default screen savers
Below details how to use the Windows default screen savers
Using Windows screen saver is a simple process, and begins by placing your cursor over an empty spot on your desktop. Now right-click, and select Properties.
There are other ways of accessing the Windows default screen saver program. You could alternately click, Start/Control Panel/Display/Screen Saver. The right-click method is a little quicker and easier, and also the one we reccomend.
You will be presented with the Display Properties window that has several tabs at the top. Each of these tabs allows you to modify your settings according to your personal flair. Because we are talking about screen savers you will need to click the `Screen Saver’ tab.
Under the Screen Saver window you will notice several options. If you want to Use your photos as a `picture slide show’ where the images in your “My Pictures” folder scroll across your screen, click the My Pictures Slideshow from the drop down menu.
You can also click the `Settings’ button to format some options available in your screen saver options window. Here you can adjust things like the time each picture is displayed, to the size and transitions in between each one. Once you have finished customizing your slide show, click OK, and then Apply and OK on the Display Properties window.
Another popular screen saver is the “Marquee,” that employs customizable text that scrolls across your screen. These screen savers are also known as `text banners' and make for great advertisnig. To use the marquee, select `Marquee' under the screen saver options window.
Once in the Marquee setup options window, you can enter your text in the dialog box and also make changes to how it will be displayed. Several options are offered including text size, font, colour, position and the speed of your scrolling message. Once again, click OK, and then Apply and OK back in the Display Properties window for your settings to take effect.
Screen savers come in many forms and the Windows default program has many customizable options that you can change at any time. It is worth playing around with this program and its various settings to become more familiar with its workings. If you have a slow computer that is struggling for resource, it may be worth disabling any screen saver utilities, as they can be memory hogs.