How To Get The Classic Windows Starfield Screen Saver On Your Modern PC.

You know what I miss? The classic starfield screen saver application.

Back with Windows 3.1, Microsoft provided a nifty little screen saver that simulated traveling through space. While the screen saver was running, it was as if you were watching through a window on the Starship Enterprise. Little stars would blast past you at warp speed, recreating faster-than-light space travel. The starfield screen saver was a wonderful feature, but unfortunately there's a whole generation of computer users whom know nothing of it.

The last version of Windows to offer the starfield screen saver was XP. As of Windows Vista, the application was terminated. It has also not been included with Windows 7, 8 or 10. I've never seen a reason as to why the folks at Microsoft decided to cut the starfield from future releases, but I think they made a real mistake. The starfield screen saver is as synonymous with Windows as Solitaire and Minesweeper!

But, all is not lost. If you want to put the starfield screen saver on your modern Windows-based computer, there's a simple workaround. You'll need access to a computer still running on Windows XP. Perform a search on the XP system for a file named 'ssstars.scr'. This is the file for the starfield screen saver. Simply copy the file to a jump drive and then place it on the computer you want to use it with. Drop the file in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. Ta-da! You can now run the classic starfield screen saver!

Isn't it so soothing to watch? Boldly going where so many have gone before!

More Than Just A Game.

For those of you that have used practically any version of the Microsoft Windows operating system since 1990 (Version 3.0), you're most certainly familiar with the game Solitaire. We've all known it as a simple card game -- shuffle through the deck, create chains and complete the four foundation piles. But... there's something you don't know about Solitaire.

It was never intended for entertainment or fun.

Windows 3.0 included Solitaire as a tool for easing computer users into the new computing paradigm. On through the late 1980's, many computers functioned via command line operating systems, like MS-DOS for example. There were no windows or screens to click, nor a mouse to point at what you wanted to do on the screen. The user would type a command and enter it into the computer, which would then run whatever task or program that was asked of it. It looked much like the image below. I'm fondly reminded of playing the DOS version of Battle Chess. Man, I loved that game!

Old school computing at its finest.

If you don't remember using a command line operating system, then you're young.

As a way of introducing computer operators to the new functionality of a graphical user interface, Solitaire was included as a means of acclimation. That's right folks, there was a time when computers didn't use a mouse. For you youngsters out there, that must seem ridiculous... but it's totally true. Solitaire, which relies solely upon the computer mouse to be played, did just that -- it taught computer users how to use a mouse. With Solitaire as a simple disguise, you would learn how to click, drag and drop, and so forth. It was all quite ingenious really. And to think, that was a meager twenty-five years ago. Operating a computer mouse is instinctive at this point; we all know how to use one!

Just for laughs, here's a game play video of Battle Chess on DOS. Those sure were the days!