SaverNow

SaverNow is a straightforward piece of software that gives you the possibility to seamlessly control your desktop screensaver from the system tray. It comes loaded with a couple of intuitive options that can be figured out by all types of users.

Setting up this application is a fast job that shouldn't give you any trouble. Although this it not mentioned, SaverNow gets integrated into the Windows autostart sequence, so it automatically runs at every system boot. This option can be disabled from the settings menu, though.

Once launched, it creates an icon in the taskbar notifications area and sits there silently when not in use, so it doesn't interrupt your regular PC activity.

Double-clicking this icon immediately enables and disables SaverNow. You can open its right-click menu to quickly select a screensaver from a list or launch it, or let the app start a random screensaver instead.

You can show time or custom text in a screensaver and configure font properties, as well as pick the preferred resolution, size, rotation speed and type (e.g. spin see-saw, wobble, tumble), along with the surface style between solid color, texture and reflection.

It's possible to display specular highlights, customize the solid color, and choose a local BMP image file to apply as the texture or reflection. 3D hardware rendering can be enabled or disabled.

The software utility lets you restrict other users' access to the computer by setting a password required for exiting screensaver mode, create a delay time before activating the screensaver, and suspend computer activity or switch to standby mode immediately.

Moreover, you can map the mouse left and right buttons to any command from the SaverNow menu (separately for single and double click). Menu commands can also be executed when moving the cursor to any corner of the screen. You can set the tool to show a random screensaver at startup, on each activation or every 10 minutes, as well as edit the default paths to the system screensavers directory. For example, you can point out a personal folder with custom screensavers.

It worked smoothly in our tests, without hanging, crashing or prompting error messages. Unsurprisingly, it had minimal impact on PC performance. To sum it up, SaverNow provides users with rich and practical options for taking over their desktop's screensaver. Plus, it's free.