Screensaver Developer Resource

This site collects together all of the information you might need to build you own screensaver. It is not a guide on graphics programming or a tutorial for any particular programming language.

What is a Windows® screensaver?

The screensaver is a programme which is activated by windows. From a programming perspective it is a windows executable with specific properties to make it respond to the operations required.

A screensaver has to:

Display full screen
Preview full screen (test)
Preview in small window (32 bit only, see right)
Lock the screen and prompt for password (not NT or XP Pro)
Provide the capability to change the screensaver password (not NT or XP Pro, see right)
Install : If you develop as a standalone .SCR file then this can be handled by the operating system, otherwise you will require a installation utility.

Writing screensavers without writing code

If the idea of developing or programming is a bit scary or you are short on time then there are tools available to speed the process.

Programming details

Here is a bit of help in writing screensavers in VB, C and C++. To create a screensaver using these instructions will require some programming skills and appropriate development tools.