Free Screensavers: 3D, Animated, Aquarium, Matrix, Nature & more

Everyone loves to customize. We customize our homes, cars and even our cubicles at work to make them feel more unique and show our personalities. Did you know you can do the same with your computer?

Does your monitor just go blank when you are away from they keyboard for a few minutes? Today we talk about changing that with popular screen savers. Still have the same boring, blue desktop background since you first installed your computer? We'll talk about desktop backgrounds and wallpaper tomorrow. (You can also add velvet curtains around your monitor or a shag cover for your keyboard, but that type of customization is for a different discussion and a different blog. :)

A screensaver is a computer program originally designed to conserve the image quality of computer monitors by blanking the screen, or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer was not in use. Today, screensavers are primarily used for entertainment or security purposes.

Screensaver software can also be used as a rudimentary security measure. Many screensavers can be configured to ask users for a password before permitting the user to resume work. So if you leave your computer for a few minutes - especially if its at work or other publicly accessible are - you will need to provide a password to access the computer again.

You can start your search online. There are many excellent free screensavers websites. You can also find many screensavers that you can purchase individually or even on a screensavers CD. Most range from few dollars to about $20 per screensaver. Some of the more popular screensavers include 3D screensavers, Matrix screensaver, animated screensavers, aquarium screensaver, nature scenes, holiday theme screensavers, cartoon characters or your favorite movie themes. There are even programs that will rotate your own digital photos as a screensaver.

Once the screensaver is installed:

1. Right click on an empty part of your desktop and select Properties.
2. Select the "Screen Saver" tab.
3. On the "Screen saver" dropdown box, select the screensaver you want to run.
4. Click the "Preview" button to preview this screensaver.
5. If you like what you see, click "Apply" button, then click "OK" button.
6. Next time your computer is inactive for set amount of minutes, the screensaver you just selected will run.
7. Follow the steps above anytime you want to select a new screensaver.

Now that you know what to do, find something truely unique or beautiful to impress anyone walking by your computer.