# downloading a screen saver

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 19, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821 "2005-11-19T17:43:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lillith\_Fair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lillith\_Fair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lillith_Fair)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821/1 "2005-11-19T17:43:39Z")

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I tried to download a screen saver and now I don’t know how to make it work. Obviously I should have saved it to a different place?

Sorry to be dumb…please answer me someone!

Because I am a

:wally

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821/2 "2005-11-19T17:49:24Z")

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Put the file (should have a .scr extention) in your Windows folder. It should come up as an option in your Display settings window.

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**Author:** ![Lillith\_Fair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lillith\_Fair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lillith_Fair)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821/3 "2005-11-19T18:03:32Z")

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Thank you so much.

I know, some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have a computer, and I’m probably one of them.

I really am good at some things.

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**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821/4 "2005-11-19T18:15:47Z")

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Just as a warning: you should be extremely cautious about what screensavers you download and run on your computer. A screensaver is a program that can pretty much do anything that you could do, such as delete files, install spyware, trigger an email worm, etc. It is a popular method of transmission for such nastiness because people don’t realize a screensaver is a program, so even if they’re heeding warnings about running untrusted .exe files, they don’t necessarily know the same warning applies to untrusted .scr files.

The google ads for this thread link to four seperate “free screensaver” sites, and I wouldn’t trust any of them.

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**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-a-screen-saver/331821/5 "2005-11-19T18:35:27Z")

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> [@Lillith Fair](#):
>
> Thank you so much.
> 
> I know, some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have a computer, and I’m probably one of them.
> 
> I really am good at some things.

You’ve done really good already by asking about this. That’s better than most do.

Just keep on keeping on and listen real closely to what ntucker said. You are not dumb. You are not a putz.