|
DOWNLOADING
Click on an item's name to connect to the download
page/file. In most cases the link leads to the developer's download
page. Before downloading please check if the page contains any special
requirements for your PC or any special instructions concerning the
installation of the file.
After clicking on the download link a window asking the following
question will appear (slightly different in older browsers):
Always choose the option 'SAVE'. This will place the file on your hard
disk where you can virus check it before opening it.
Beginners:
Please look where you save the file. Your browser will not automatically
save your files to a 'correct' folder, you have to sometimes go up and
down the folders in "Save As"-window, until you have found the
one where you want to put them.
The latest versions of Windows usually try to place the
files in 'My documents' or on 'Desktop' where they are easy to find.
All screensavers have been virus scanned before they go
to the listings so in principal they should all be clean. As none of
these files are kept in our servers there is a possibility that their
content might be changed at a later date. This is unlikely but we still
strongly advice scanning them again before installation. And not only
screensavers files, any downloaded files should routinely be scanned.
Always scan downloaded files BEFORE opening them.
Remember to update your anti-virus program regularly, otherwise it will
not be able to protect you from the latest viruses. Registered users
will be notified of the latest updates.
Viruses in downloaded files are very rare these days as
most of current viruses now arrive by email. There is a new annoyance
though and that is adware/spyware. These are commercial 'bundled' files
that can add a toolbar, search companion, or similar to your browser.
Some can even open popups not related to the websites you visit.
If you have any doubts that you might have got unwanted
extras in you your PC, always check first Control Panel ->Add/remove
list and look after anything starting with 'Search..' or 'Toolbar..'.
After removing anything that you are not aware of choosing yourself, use
these two excellent adware/spyware removal programs:
Always use the latest version available and check for updates
frequently. Running these programs regularly is useful even if you have
no knowledge of downloading or installing any extras. When you first
time run AdAware/SpyBot you will be surprised by the quantity of adware/spyware
they find. 90% of these are usually simple tracking cookies you can get
from advertising banners and page counters rather than proper programs.
Once you start using these removal tools regularly their quantity will
quickly reduce.
Most screensavers now have fully automatic installation.
You only need to double-click on the downloaded file and follow the
on-screen instructions.
After installation go to Control Panel -> Display
Settings - (or simply click with right mouse button on the desktop
and choose 'Properties') and choose Screensaver tab. Select your
new screensaver's name in the drop-down list, check the settings
(sometimes you can change speed, number of characters, use a password
etc). Attention: all screensavers don't work in Preview mode. If you are
installing several screensavers just after each other, you might get
error messages. Restarting Windows solves most problems. Windows also
has an upper limit how many screensavers it can handle - it is somewhere
between 50 and 100+ screensavers depending of your hardware
specifications.
ZIP-files
Some downloaded files are compressed zip-files and you will need an
unzipping program. Windows XP/Vista can open zipped files without
problem (by double-clicking on them) but for earlier Windows versions
you will need a unzipping program.
(Windows default settings will not show you the
file type. If you can't see the file extension, you need to go to file
view options and clear the box telling "hide extensions for known
file types").
If you don't have any unzipping program yet, try our
favorite shareware program: WinZip.
There exists many other unzipping programs and you can of course use any
of them. For simplicity our instructions are based on WinZip only.
Double-click on the downloaded zip-file. WinZip-window
will automatically open with the contents of the file visible.
If "Install"-button is visible in the menu bar
of the WinZip-window, simply click on it and follow the instructions. If
there is no "Install"-button visible, check the list of
unzipped files. There should be a readme-file. Double-click on it to see
the instructions. Usually you have to move the scr-file with the other
files to Windows directory. Sometimes exceptionally you are instructed
to extract all the files to a specific directory and to click on the
setup- or install-file only once there. There is a special button in
WinZip-window for "extract"-option. If you find only a scr-file,
move it to Windows directory. Remember to close the WinZip-window when
you have finished with installation.
SCR-files
If the downloaded file is of 'scr' type, you need to move it manually to
c:\windows unless author's instructions tell you otherwise (sometimes
needs to go to c:\windows\system (Win95/98/ME) or c:\windows\system32
(Win2000/XP).
Installation problems
Sometimes during installation, you can get a message : "this
file is corrupted - application cannot be installed" or
"this file is not a valid DOS- (Windows-, Win 32- or ZIP-)
file" (or something similar). This means that something has
gone wrong during the downloading. There is only one thing to do:
download the file again. If after several downloads the file still
doesn't work, it is evident that original file in the server has become
corrupted. Fortunately this doesn't happen very often. Notify the author
of the screensaver about the problem.
Display problems are mostly caused by advanced 3D
screensavers that require good quality graphic cards with plenty of
video memory. Also it is essential you are always using the very latest
video drivers. Go regularly to Windows Update, scan for updates and you
should see on the left side under 'Drivers' any possible drivers you
might be missing. If a 3D screensaver still does not work, it might be
the time to upgrade your graphics card.
Some screensavers do not tolerate energy saving
features. If you notice that a screensaver crashes when the PC is left
alone for a longer time, try disabling low-power standby and monitor
shut-down.
Most of the recent screensavers now have an uninstall
option, but unfortunately there are still many that don't. To see if
there is an uninstall option go first to 'Control Panel' -> 'Add/Remove'
programs. If you don't see the screensaver you want to get rid of there,
then have a look at 'Start' - > 'Programs'. While
uninstalling Windows might give you a warning about a shared file (many
programs use same Visual Basic=VB components). Don't delete shared files
unless absolutely sure. Better to be safe than sorry.
If you could not find your screensaver in the two
locations mentioned above, it is time to have a closer look in the c:\windows,
c:\windows\system, and c:\windows\system32 . All files ending
with scr will show on your screensaver list. Delete those you do
not want anymore. This method does not necessary get rid of all
installed files but at least it gets rid of the main file and the name
on the list. Be very careful not to delete anything else, as removing a
system file might render your PC unusable.
If this manual method seems too complicated or scary to
you, there exists an excellent tool that will look for any scr-files in
your system and you can simply tick off those you do not want any more: Screensaver
Deletion Tool. This tool deletes the scr-files only and thus might
leave some additional files in the system.
It is very important though that you first check that an uninstall
option does not exist in 'Control Panel' -> 'Add/Remove'
programs, or 'Start' - > 'Programs' list. These cannot
be used after you have removed the scr-file.
Good luck and enjoy the screensavers and games!
|
DISCLAIMER:
Anything you download from the internet is always at your own risk. Please
note that the listed software items are NOT produced by us but by hundreds
of authors around the world. Any complaints about individual
screensavers should be addressed to the authors directly.
|
|
