Screen savers protect monitors from burn-in.
The correct term for the desktop background picture displayed on your computer is wallpaper, not screen saver, as many people believe. A screen saver is a graphical routine that can activate during periods of inactivity on your system and usually consists of moving images, scrolling text or a slide show.
Background
The original purpose of animated screen savers was to avoid "burn-in" on CRT displays. When the same still image remained on the screen for an extended period, the picture could eventually become permanently "ghosted" on the screen, remaining there even when powered off. This kind of burn-in is sometimes evident on older ATM machines. Burn-in is less of a problem on most modern screens, but screen-saver functionality remains a feature of most computer operating systems.
Wallpaper
Unless you use a work computer where access to the feature has been restricted, you can change the wallpaper on your computer to an image or pattern of your choice. Windows, Mac OS and most other operating systems come with a range of images you can use, or you can use your own image files or photographs if you prefer.
Configuration
Various configuration options relating to wallpaper and screen savers are available via your operating system options. Wallpaper options can include the ability to stretch or tile images that will not fit the entire screen, or to periodically cycle through different stored images.
A range of configuration options is usually available for screen savers, including setting the period of inactivity before which the screen saver will activate, and whether a password is required to use the computer again after the screen saver has started --- a feature often used in offices or shops to prevent unauthorized access to computers.
Downloads
A huge range of additional wallpapers and screen savers is available online, covering various themes and interests. However you would like to decorate your computer's operating system, you are likely to find something appropriate online.
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