I downloaded this app, and tried it out. Personally, I rather like the options that it provides, though I probably wouldn't pay for a screensaver normally, as I hardly ever have them running (never really leave the computer for longer than five minutes unless I'm eating, sleeping or other duties). It'll stay, simply because it's possible to cue up your own backgrounds, music and choose your own flame styles. Pretty "hot", actually. Works perfectly well on administrator account under Win XP sp3. The help box is really easy to dismiss, and there's even a checkbox in the options to state whether it's turned on or off when the screensaver starts up. The multiple monitor support is also a checkbox, and works on my ATI Radeon 9550 with both heads.

All in all, about a 9/10. Pity about the bass.dll problem.

Hmmmm Thanks Grace, I believe that is essentially what I said...
I have it installed on win7 64bit and it works fine. Settings change to what I set them too. the only problem I have is it won't load a M3u playlist. I get an error. But it will accept an individual mp3

@ #35 Yourpalal,
The Incredimail / Magnetic screensaver site you promoted is loaded with spyware and adware. They collect data about you and sell it. Just part of the EULA..........

OUR USE OF THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE
IncrediMail will only use information that is provided in order to provide Users with importantinformation about the Software (such as upgrades, modifications, etc.)and to announce new products and services available to Users.Except as necessary to perform the functions of the Software and/or Site, IncrediMail will not share, sell or lease any personally identifiable information about any Userto any unaffiliated third party for any purpose without that User's permission.

Non- Personally Identifiable Information
IncrediMail will use certain non-personally identifiable information provide by Users for the following purposes: To create aggregate, non-personal, demographic reports about the Users of Magentic. Provide Users with certain content that may be of interest to that User based on the information the User provides.

GENERAL USAGE PATTERNS
IncrediMail may gather information related generally to Users' use of the Software, and Site including without limitation: current wallpaper, current screensaver, Magentic manager open and close time, Magentic tray startand end time. This information, which will only be collected and maintained in aggregate, anonymous form, will be used to, among other things: Provide IncrediMail with a better understanding of how Users use the Software and the various features thereof; Help IncrediMail to create and provide new services and offerings to Users; and Conduct and publish aggregate, anonymous, market research results.

COMPUTER SETTINGS
Magentic may collect settings, technical and other information from Users' computers, such as a computer's operating system, browser versions used, various communication parameters and other information related to the operation and interaction of the Software, subject to the provisions herein. This information will neither contain nor be linked to any personally identifiable information.

CONSENT TO PROCESSING
Users, including without limitation, Users in the European Union, fully understand and unambiguously consent to the collection and processing of their non-personally identifiable information, in the United States.

Pretty neat screensaver...Got to change the audio to my own music though...Not bad, but not for 19.95.

Now you have got to try this....I didn't read all the comments, so I hope I am the first with this idea..Install the flaming screensaver, then load up Google Earth...In about 1 minute you will have instant Armageddon......wow.....

@53 if you hit the f1 key the first time the option screen stops popping up when it lauches

#53, Damon, see my comment #23. You'll have to leave the one which Fantastic Flame Screensaver installed if you want it to work. This issue illustrates numerous problems with Windows and software developers. Bass.dll is under constant development, and newer versions have better support for newer versions of Windows. However, the developer didn't think ahead, so the interface to the DLL changes with each version. That means that other developers who use bass.dll have to write their code for a specific version of bass.dll. Therefor, they need to install bass.dll to their own folder and not a shared folder.

There are actually two Fantastic Flame Screensavers, a waste of space and problematic. There's one in Program Files, and another in Windows (\System32 if you moved it). The screensaver should have called the one in Program Files instead of duplicating it. You can put the version of bass.dll which Fantastic Flame Screensaver installs into \Windows in \Program Files\Fantastic Flame Screensaver and that version, which is called by the direct links and tray icon, will work even if there's another version of bass.dll in \Windows(\System32). However, the .SCR in \Windows(\System32) won't work without its own version. This isn't an issue unless some other bozo developer put another version of bass.dll in \Windows(\System32). As I stated, the various versions of bass.dll all appear to be incompatible. So the bass.dll developers screwed up, Microsoft screwed up, and the application developers screwed up. Ultimately, I blame all of this on Bill Gates personally. People who claim that it's not Bill Gates' fault personally are fools. He's the college dropout who never learned anything about software development. Windows is a product of his lack of the most basic knowledge of software development, of the most basic design of operating systems, and of his lack of knowledge of programming languages. Microsoft isn't successful because of software development practices. Microsoft is successful because Bill Gates bought a clone of CP/M-86 which he sold via IBM as PC-DOS and later to PC-clones as MS-DOS, the start of the Microsoft monopoly of the OS of PC-compatible computers. I won't go into the rest here.

How do you turn it off. The screen saver looked fine, but there was no way to stop it? Clicking the mouse, hitting any key, including "escape" key, nothing would turn it off. Even control-alt-delete would not restore my regular screen. Had to hit the "power off" button to restore normal function of computer. Then Got rid of this ting fast! Hope I didn't damage the computer, you are not supposed to turn it off by pushing the power button.

Summary: First good screensaver in years.

Sit in front of a computer all day and you like a little visual stimulation once in a while: that's how I see screensavers these days. Most others apparently disagree, as since around 2002, new screensavers have become glorified slideshows.

The three excellent "abstract" screensavers are all four MBSS screensavers, Maelstrom, and Kaleidomorph. If you like screensavers, I've just save you a lot of work; just Google them.

The current offering is the first to approach this level in years.

This is rather fun. It is a keeper thank you. I am running windows 7 64bit and have no problems. It is nice to have a small collection of good screensavers so you don't get bored.

I know screen savers these days are little more than toys, but I like this one. Though $19.95 is beyond what I would pay for screen toy. This does really a pretty intelligent job of choosing where to burn. My current wallpaper is an old dead tree on the top of a barren hillside. And it outlined all the limbs and trunk, made it look like the tree was burning. I should also mention, that this one had no problems at all working on a dual screen setup. Other GOTD screensaver offerings have not been so well behaved in that area.

@ Karali (54)
You need to click THE CHECK BOX (not just the name) on the left next to visuals. Then it works properly !

Installed on Win. 7 (x64) and XP (x32). On both computers - it works only with default Background and Flame Style. When set to another Background/Flame Style it resets automatically.
Does anybody experience the same problem ?
Can anybody help ????????

It's not bad for a screen saver. It's been around for years. They haven't really updated the graphics that I can tell, but it still has a nice effect on the desktop screen capture.

The only thing I'd change is the ability to change the directory where you store your alternate images. I have thousands of wallpapers saved in folders on a different drive. I don't want to have to copy them to c:\Windows\Background Images to have them used as alternates.

Along with #52, I am also running Windows 7 x64; I can check, uncheck, restart, recheck, fold, spindle, mutilate any of the boxes in the configuration screen without anything chaging.

I gotta admit I kinda like this. It adds flare (lol) to your desktop. I wanted to mention that I also use dual screens (switching between 2x 23" LCD's, a 21" tablet, and a 52" Bravia as needed) and I have experienced no issues. Various screensavers perform differently. Some show only on main desktop, some spread over both screens leaving the main image etc. centered on the gap between screens (annoying) but this shows the image on each screen. Now if only I could find one that allows a DIFFERENT image for each monitor...

um, this is okay but an uninstall for me. As screensavers go, it one has a good array good options. However, screensavers are also matter of personal taste -- and this one just doesn't work for me.

The array of options notwithstanding, I just found it boring. You can control the flames, colors, objects etc... it is still just something flaming on the desktop.

If you like this sort of thing, go for it... after all, it is free. :)

Usually when I see another screen saver I *Groan* But this one is differnt. I Love it.
to Outsdr #21 You need to click the box on the left next to visuals you want and unclick the ones you don't. Then the changes take effect.

@ #18 Fubar, I looked in my System32 folder and bass.dll have a date created and date modified of 1/21/2007. Does that mean I do not need to re-download it?

@ #21, I also do not like the the black dialog box that pops up every time the screensaver activates. It might as well be a nagware screen.
Regarding not being to change options, make sure you uncheck all the options that are checked by default. A lot of them are already checked.

@ anyone concerned about viruses. I doubt we will find viruses in software here. I am more concerned about adware and spyware. My Bit Defender wouldn't have let this install a virus but some adware or spyware could slip by it. Using Adaware, Spybot Search and Destroy and Malwarebytes is a good idea after any giveawayoftheday.com installation. (I am not implying this site allows spyware or adware. It's just a good idea to be on the safe side.)

This is cool, but does not work with Windows 7, 64 bit. It only works in the default mode. You cannot change the flames or colors. Nice, but will uninstall. Thanks, anyway.

Will not run with a Limited User account. Admin required for XP Home. This should be an option for all users in the Installation.
Runs great with Admin privileges and love the graphics and options. Cant run on children's machines because I will not allow Admin on theirs.
(Tired of fixing them)

I don't often comment, but after trying this screensaver out, I felt I had to.

Screensavers are a dime a dozen, and usually one doesn't stand out much more than another. This time around, I found the screensaver to be pretty awesome. I played around a bit with the settings, and there are a lot of cool and unusual effects to choose from. I really liked the background music you can have it optionally play as well. Very relaxing and soothing.

I give this a definite two thumbs up!

Hey, I would like to say I was pleased with the overall screensaver.
You can change the picture and flame type also you can add your own music.
So far I have not found any cons. The fire is very realistic.

Rating: 4.2/5


A great screensaver to "freak-out" your roommate, friend, or relative with.

~J

I actually was a bit surprised when I installed this. It does remind me of Doom. Is OK for a screensaver, which I really don't use this very often, I usually just used Blank. Will be sure to use the pumpkin one in a few weeks for halloween. Thanks GOTD.

very cool! nice graphics, no alarms going off so far!

Thanks GAOTD, I really like this screensaver, and all the options I have when I set it up. A real free treasure, that will amuse and amaze me. And it's FREE. Outstanding

damit now my secret is out. i have the free one on a flash drive for years i put it on computers that i work on and build to sell. that was a good perk for me. i think it is the best screen saver out there. only because that is the only one that i would use. get it while you can it woks really good. i turn the music off cant stand the music i want to hear the fire. jeff

It is rare that a screen saver works on both monitors on a system that has dual monitors like mine, this one does - Thumbs Up for this one!

Installed great on Windows 7 32 bit. Nice little novelty, but as others have said who ever sees a screen saver? I do like it and will keep it, I've added Highway to Hell to it. The song fits the screen saver!!!

Thanks GAOTD

How much RAM does it eat?

Downloaded and installed on Windows7 home prem with no problems, it activated right away. I am not one for screen savers but this is a nice one! Has all kinds of settings to get the perfect burn for your desktop, the combinations of colour, pictures, and sounds are never ending. I have set not to call home also no reason to have that.

Thanks GAOTD and Laconic this is a keeper for me. Have a great day all and enjoy!

Well here's my input.

It's a great screensaver and was pleasantly surprised to see that GotD had it up for grabs. I've had the demo a couple of times, but never bit the bullet and shelled out the twenty or so bucks it cost. I'm happy I've waited.

The screensaver itself has tons of options, the flames look realistic enough and truth be told, this will make an awesome Halloween screensaver which isn't too far away. (There's a pumpkin image already included.)

It's also a light weight screensaver so it doesn't draw tons of processing power. Just a great all around (and fun) screensaver!

Actually, I'd love to have this. Alas, dual screens. Flash screen savers won't work - and this must be flash.

I usually don't use screensavers but thought I'd give this one a try. Very interesting! It's really different and I'll put it to use. Thanks Laconic and thanks GAOTD

I have to say, I am not a screensaver fan at all, actually I never use them, since I want to see on the fly if for example there is new email etc. But due to the nice grafics I made an exception and installed the Fantastic Fire Screensaver and - wow! I love it! It comes with so many different setting options for flame intensity, color, style...and one can use own background pics and own music.
It brings some fresh wind to the desktop and is a real eye catcher.
Thank you GAOTD and Laconic Software.

As for WOT - meanwhile it should really be known that it is not a reliable source. People spread things based on half-knowldege, other uninformed people parrotting without getting true educated information and research based on knowledge. Paranoia adds its own dynamic.
If you take a few minutes to read Laconic's website, you will find, that they explicitely say, that only the heart gadget and the FREE version of the flame screensaver contain adware, which is the "Relevant Knowledge" thing, that is even listed as trustworthy, because it can be safely uninstalled without affecting the software itself.
In fact I have downloaded their cute heart gadget (of course by deactivating my screaming Avira) and right after that found "Relevant Knowledge" separately under the software uninstall list. Uninstalled without problems while the heart gadget isn't affected and works just fine as cute eye candy (which can be set to several actions on doubleclick, like opening a file, or launch a program, website etc.).
The fact they say it open on the website that Relevant Knowledge is included makes it even more trustworthy (besides it is only the two containing it, not the full version that we have here):

A necessary note: Fire Heart Desktop Gadget and Heart On Fire Screensaver come bundled with Relevant Knowledge research tool to help us keep these software titles free. Important things to know:

* Relevant Knowledge can be uninstalled independently from our software, using your Control Panel.
* Relevant Knowledge is listed as "trustable" by TRUSTe, a major software analyst, but can be erroneously detected by some antiviruses as a spyware. Antivirus editors have been contacted to remove Relevant Knowledge from their lists.

Please refer this link to see Relevant Knowledge in the "Trustable Software" list.

The problem with a novelty screensaver is just that; it’s a novelty. Not to say that they’re useless, but as novelties hardly anyone see’s them except the user. Now where’s the fun in that? So unless while rummaging through some drawer or boxes, you discovered ”souvenirs” from a long ago Grateful Dead concert you, your parents, older brother or sister, etc, attended; you’re better off sticking with those boring screensavers your PC came with. They get the job done, and you won’t adding this screensaver to a list that’s probably already long and boring enough as is on your PC.

Neat-o new SS, works fine on Vista SP2,32, This app is ON FIRE!! (no pun intended)....um, yeah, when they say this in the intro, it always means they really DO intend to slide some low-level, nerd-ee, goofy pun past us. It's an OK SS, if you have spare RAM to BURN (OH no,...no pun intended) but wouldn't be laughing at their retail price of $19.95!! (unless you have so much extra $$$ to Burn!)
There are so many free alternatives, besides software; there are sites like Magentic that have 100's of SS/wallpaper & are organized by category:
http://www.magentic.com/splash/splash.aspx
But overall, thanks GOTD TEAM, it's refreshing to see what will appear each day to look at & discuss with other GOTDians. I've learned so much here, & a special shout-out to whoever keeps shuffling the deck for variety, as well as regular contributors like Bubby, Ashraf, Fubar, & others, as well as a lot's of thanks & gratitude to Mike, who often answers many peoples concerns here in a selfless, thoughtful way. with a unique blend of technical know-how, & common sense, while always keeping it on a mature level.

Well crap. Wish this was tomorrow so I could download it at work. I used the free version a while back and thought it was pretty cool.

"AWESOME AND OUT OF SIGHT DYNAMITE" I LOVE THE GRAPHICS AND THE INSTRUMENTAL BACKGROUND; WORKS GREAT ON WINDOWS XP HOME (SP3.)

THIS IS DEFINITELY A KEEPER FOR ME!

THANKS AGAIN GAOTD FOR ANOTHER GREAT GIVEAWAY.

Nifty. Works on XP Pro Sp3. I wouldn't normally buy a screensaver, but it is free today, so why not?

Sorry,but not worth 20 bucks.."It is what it is" if you try for the 20 dollar big hit with all the bells and whistles,and you're gonna get nickled and dimed to death .I see this as a great cell phone,er,,mobile device app(showing my age there).Sell this as an app-not a screen saver, in a stripped down version at "normal"app prices and you've got a never-ending gold mine,you can keep introducing diff flame effects every month for another dollar or so and the kids(of all ages) will eat it up. I can see my kids showing this off(on their phones) to their friends to much fan fare . A buck or 3 off of millions of mobile device owners(and some desktop owners too)would make one helluva revenue stream, and sequels are never-ending Now ,how exactly do I get this thing to come on manually and stay on-I'd like to use it as a privacy device on my R+D desktop when there are others in my offices-THANX again GOTD,you guys RULE! P.S.-I just hope you rerun all the great rippers,recorders,encoders and hard drive tools soon-I've got a new monster build just about done-and its killin me(and the machine) to have to put all the good stuff on my old Pent4 HP!!

Not bad at all! The wind for the flames could be more dynamic but that's about it. Very nice options for adjustments and personalization.

Additionally, when I disabled the system tray quick launcher, the screen saver would no longer activate.

'was really realistic without devouring up my computer's memory. I'd recommend it.

Roaring Siren

Tried to go to the Laconic site. WOT warned me it's dangerous, and Trend wouldn't let me go there.
Others like this software, but, being a cautious type, why take the risk?

#9 When will you people learn that you can't trusr WOT. So many good sites have been flagged as bad with that worthless thing. If someone is mad at a site, they tell WOT the site has a virus or trojan. Download into a folder and scan it with your anti-virus.

Hello.
This is a really nice screen saver... I like it because you can set it to change the colors and background images, as well as the music and sounds...
It is going to be a keeper. By the way, McAfee didn't complain about it !
Thanks GOTD and Laconic Software for this present.
Windows Vista Ultimate 64x SP2 and XP Pro 32x

@2: Mathematically generated flames look like they were lifted from Doom or Quake.

That's true, and that's why I like this screensaver. It has some "oldschool" feeling. :)

Anyway, I've scanned the sceensaver with Avira and no virus is found.

An interesting note to my previous comment (it hasn't cleared moderation as I type this). Fantastic Flame Screensaver references BASS_ChannelSetAttributes in bass.dll, but the entry point in the latest version of bass.dll is BASS_ChannelSetAttribute. This illustrates the problem of dumping files into shared folders, which is due to the total lack of design and basic OS functions in Windows. Most people view virtualization as the solution, but that's an inefficient hack to cover bad (or no) design.

Normally I don't download any screensaver but Fantastic Flame Screensaver sort of intrigued me and after testing it I decided to keep it!

The feature-rich configuration panel should provide the appropriate settings to match the mood of every day of the week... Plus I am expecting a pretty cold winter and a bit of (free of charge) fire is always welcome ;)

Thanks to GAOTD and to Laconic Software!