Editing Screensaver (section)

=== Microsoft Windows ===
On older versions of [[Microsoft Windows]] the native screensaver format had the potential to install a virus when run (as a screen saver was just an ordinary application with a different extension). When any file with the [[file suffix]] ".scr" was opened, for example from an [[email attachment]], Windows would execute the .scr (screensaver) file automatically: this had the potential to allow a [[virus (computer)|virus]] or [[malware]] to install itself. Modern versions of Windows can read tags left by applications such as Internet Explorer and [[code signing|verify the publisher of the file]], presenting a confirmation to the user.

On August 5, 2006, the [[BBC]] reported that "free screensavers" and "screensavers" respectively were the first and third most likely search terms to return links to malware, the second being [[BearShare]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 12, 2006 |title=Warning on Search Engine Safety |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4765199.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224174032/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4765199.stm |archive-date=2009-02-24 |access-date=2010-06-07 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

By launching the "bubbles" screensaver executable through the <code>bubbles.scr /p65552</code> command-line parameter, it runs as [[wallpaper (computing)|desktop wallpaper]], the bubbles are smaller, and there are more bubbles on screen.<ref name="Khanse">{{Cite web |last=Khanse |first=Anand |date=March 18, 2019 |title=How to Run Screensaver As Wallpaper in Windows 11/10 |url=https://www.thewindowsclub.com/run-screensaver-as-wallpaper-windows |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121010518/https://www.thewindowsclub.com/run-screensaver-as-wallpaper-windows |archive-date=2022-01-21 |access-date=2022-01-21 |website=TheWindowsClub.com}}</ref> The user must use the [[Task Manager (Windows)|Task Manager]] to stop the screensaver.<ref name="Khanse" />