How to Manually Activate the Screensaver on Windows XP

Back in the day, screen savers were used to prevent images from burning into your computer monitor when not in use. While this is no longer an issue with contemporary LCD monitors, they're still fun to look at and hide the information on a screen while you're away. If set up right, you can even program your system to prompt for a password when trying to shake a screen saver. Manually activating your screen saver in Windows XP is easy to do, but it requires a bit of set up.

Instructions

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar.

2. Select Search from the Start menu.

3. Click "All Files and Folders" on the Search menu.

4. Type *.scr into the "All or part of the file name:" box and click the Search button.

5. Find your screen saver in the search results. Preview and make sure it's the right one by double-clicking it. Right-click it when you've found it, select "Send to", and then click "Desktop". This creates a shortcut on the Desktop. Use the shortcut to activate your screen saver at will.

Tips & Warnings

• Edit screen saver options by right-clicking the Desktop, clicking "Properties", and using the Screen Saver tab in the Display Properties menu.

References

• Microsoft.com: Windows XP - Instantly Activate a Screen Saver
• Microsoft.com: Windows XP - Set Up Your Screen Saver
• Microsoft.com: Windows XP - Tips and Tricks