I have so many screen savers that sometimes I wish someone invented a rotation device for them. I will add this to my collection. Thanks,

OK, I posted some comparative images of Garden Flowers 3D, the AMD/ATI Chimp and Nature Demos, and Astro Gemini 3D Waterfall on BladedThoth's forum:
http://forum.bladedthoth.com/viewtopic.php?p=275#275

Oops, sorry, since my computer's dead, I couldn't conveniently check things. It's the ATI Chimp Demo or some such which has the DX9 graphics. The ATI Nature Demo is a DX8 demo. Clearly, the Astro Gemini 3D Waterfall was based on the ATI Nature Demo, although in that case, Astro Gemini's screensaver was generally much better than the ATI demo.

I generally like screensavers, I hate the comments. It's always the same--a bunch of people post the same useless and incorrect comments without ever reading any of the other comments. Screensavers have their uses, they can be run standalone. The Astro Gemini Screensaver Manager isn't spyware, it doesn't replace the Windows screensaver manager. The screensavers and managers don't do anything bad to your computer at all, they don't install any hidden files. The Astro Gemini Screensaver Manager 2.0 sets itself to be the default screensaver anytime it is run; it then manages your other screensavers. You can deselect its update options if you don't want it to access the Internet. You can uninstall it. You can leave it and change your default screensaver with the Windows screensaver manager. The Astro Gemini screensaver shortcuts launch the screensavers via the Astro Gemini Screensaver Manager, which then sets itself up to be the default screensaver. You can change the shortcuts to launch the screensavers directly.

Numerous users are always trying to blame GOTD offerings for everything bad that happens to their computers, their lives, and the weather. Some of the offerings can screw up your computer. The screensavers are generally innocuous.

There is a pervasive lack of rational thought when it comes to the GOTD offerings. Perhaps it's due to helicopter parents who never taught their children to think for themselves; pehaps it's just a bunch of people who are too lazy to think. Here's an example: I recently installed a new version of my disk defragmenter software. After the first use, the next time I rebooted my computer, it told me to insert a system disk. If I used the same lack of common sense expressed here daily, I would panic and blame the disk defragmenter for having completely destroyed my computer. But unlike most of the people who post here, I choose to use my brain, I choose not to panic and assign blame when bad things happen, but instead, analyze the situation. A second reboot yielded the same result, so it wasn't something transient. Next, I checked the BIOS, and it only saw one out of four drives. First, I only defragmented two of the four drives. Second, there's nothing a defragmenter can do that would make physical drives become invisible to the BIOS (it could make logical drives unavailable to Windows). The BIOS can get clobbered by malware, but only by stopping Windows, it takes time, and the computer would become completely dead, i.e., the BIOS would be gone. The BIOS CMOS RAM can get clobbered, so I popped the CMOS/clock battery and discharged the CMOS. No change. Since the only visible drive was an IDE drive and the other drives were all SATA, the conclusion is that the SATA controller on the motherboard failed. That's right, the computer can be functioning fine one moment, and a few seconds later, it can be dead. Components fail, coincidences happen. It didn't have anything to do with the new disk defragmenter version which I had recently used, or the GOTD software which I had installed prior to the reboot.

As for Garden Flowers 3D, as with any screensaver, whether it appeals to you is a highly subjective matter. Different people like and dislike completely different screensavers. This one doesn't appeal to me. From a graphics and animation perspective, it's quite poor. For a DX9 screensaver, it's terrible. After I get my computer problems straightened out, I'll post comparative images with a years-old ATI Nature Demo, which has outstanding DX9 graphics, including plants, trees, water, butterflies, etc., and isn't static like this screensaver. It will be some time before I post very much.

I used this, for a whole two days, and removed it because it messed with my .Net framework, caused programs not to open and made Commodo Firewall throw up errors *and shut down while I was away from my PC*. Screensavers should be just that - not dial home and then screensave, while borking everything else in the process. I won't be downloading any of these again - not even for free - maybe if they paid me.

Thank you for this giveaway, and I do appreciate all your efforts and some of your great giveaways. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM! On my 22" inch LCD, it does not come across as being a tranquil flower garden but more like some fake silk flowers and paper flying butterflies that are far from realistic. The animation is rather odd, with constant repetition of annoying bugs and what appears to be a grasshopper dropping dead on the left side, over and over. Animation is static with no change in pattern. The waterfall and music are even worse. I removed it, rate it as on the most amateur screensavers I've seen. For now I'll stick with VISTA's bubbles.

this is the 1st screensaver i got from here and well it wont even open. since i cant c the screensaver i uninstalled it. and after uninstallation it left 1 icon on desktop and one in my start menu

All I can say is at least it's not a registry cleaner for some inocent person new to the computer who ends up distroying it by trying things they don't know how to fix. Pretty however, downloaded, checked it out on win xp works, removed. Would love to see some graphic programs for a change however.

Program downloaded and installed and activated fine, but I can't get it to run.

Nice music, but it just turns my screen black, and no pictures will come up. windows xp.

This screensaver installed on my Vista 32 bit Home Premium with no problems. Thanks to comment #33, I uninstalled the Astro Gemini screensaver manager, using Glary Utilities obtained through GOATD, and have no problems running all three of the screensavers that I have from this company through GOATD.

The uninstall did leave an Astro Gemini directory behind with subdirectories for the manager and for each of my screensavers. These directories did not display in Vista's start menu, but did show up in my file manager, Xplorer2. Clicking on the executable in this directory returned an errormessage telling me to reinstall the screensaver. However, when I clicked on the desktop icon for the Garden Flowers screensaver, it ran as before. I deleted the entire Astro Gemini directory, rebooted, and all of my screensavers still run. I am able to change their settings through Vista's screensaver manager, accessible by right clicking on the desktop and choosing personalize. I do not know why others are having problems with this.

Now it appears that I have finally been able to rid my computer of a phone home programme that has been randomly trying to launch my dialup connection and has disrupted games and backup proceedures in the past few weeks. I have been unsuccessfull in my attempts to find out what programme has been calling up my dialler; but, now that I have uninstalled the screensaver manager, the dialler no longer appears at bootup, for which I am thankfull.

Thanks to other comments here, I found some nice TV test patterns http://www.moderntv.com/modtvweb/special/freegif-bw1.htm. Thanks to Reshade, which was given away here a few days ago, I was able to blow these images up for use as wallpaper.

I am rather taken by the glowing persimmon shadings of the main flower, find its gentle sway to be entrancing and slightly hypnotic, and am pleased by the soothing music. It's not a Vermeer, but I did not pay a million dollars for it, so don't expect museum quality. I don't meditate on it and contemplate the mysteries of life; it is merely a pleasant diversion.

As to those who think we don't need screensavers, I have news for you. You don't need your computers, either. If you require one at your place of business, your employer will supply you with one. Your personal computers are merely a matter of convenience. I suggest you shut them down immediately, and give them to me.

I like useless things.

I wish they would stick to using a key code instead of this activation on the day of the download only, because my main computer is down and this older system can't run most of these programs. Even though I can download to a cd I am missing out cause of this activation thing.

I avoid all screensavers ( especially freebies ) like the plague for security reasons. Call me boring but I will stick with ( xp built in ) a blank screensaver set at 10 minutes. Percentage of risk = Nil !!

Excellent. Looks great on a 1650 x 1050 screen.

>Tibber

"This free software site is purely for the feedback of any softwares so the companies can work abit more on it with your helps.
They expected as you do get them for free but give them some feedback on the problem you might have encountered. It not for those who abit peckish and moan when they find a software they are not happy with and bite the hand that feed you, if something here u don’t like just keep quiet, go away and stop sounded being so ungrateful."

Bug reports are for beta testers. First, people are supposed to say what they don't like about the software here - what use is a comments section that only permits one viewpoint? Secondly, if we "bite the hand that feeds us", we don't get any more shoddy, clunky, home-phoning Astro Gemini screensavers. How is that a bad thing? Let the hand-biting begin!

>Jeffro

"#41 (Lockett) - they’re actually not lady bugs (although they’re similar in the way they look), you’re talking about japanese beetles. They’re a plague here as well (SE Ohio) every year. They stink, bite, and come by the millions. I still have live beetles in my house from last fall."

Sure. Ladybugs look so similar to those little scarabs. Maybe you should look at a few pictures of ladybugs and japanese beetles for comparison:

Ladybug: http://www.pestproducts.com/images/9spot.jpg

Not a ladybug: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/japanese-beetle/jbadult.gif

Also, ladybugs don’t bite.

@72 Lockett

Thanks anyway ... :)

@76 Jeffro

Jeffro,Japanese beatles don't seem to have any dots.

@65,78 Kiril,Diana
I guess romance is in the air (or the power of a ladybird screensaver)
;-)

to #65 Kiril

I think we need to take this to the forums ;)

An interesting statistic, that could be placed immediately after the "User Rating", would be an acutual count for the number of downloads and a count for the number comments.

Then we would be able to compare these values with the thumbs up and thumbs down value - would be interesting to know the correlation.

For example, today on the English webpage, the count is +81/-241 and 68 post excluding this one. On the French the count is identical with the posts at a count of 12.

I believe the pages for other languages (verified French and Spanish only) members cannot vote as the count shown is identical to the English webpage. Also you post is posted immediately on these pages, there is no waiting in "limbo" for "Mr. X" to verify it - give a "minus" here for free speech and a "plus" for other webpages.

Wonder what is going to happen to this post. (Got a copy)




As for screensavers I do not see any use for them as if there were running on my computer I would not see them as I would be doing something else - I can not imagine someone sitting in front of his computer screen looking at a redundant screensaver. The only one that I would even consider would be the option of presenting my photo collections (as a slideshow)- and even then? As for me I am saving memory, screen use and energy by having "none" under this option of the dispaly properties.

#41 (Lockett) - they're actually not lady bugs (although they're similar in the way they look), you're talking about japanese beetles. They're a plague here as well (SE Ohio) every year. They stink, bite, and come by the millions. I still have live beetles in my house from last fall.

# 5.Extremely realistic, colorful graphics;”
To think that one must either be blind, never have seen a flower for real or a complete 'moron'.
Comment by Belgian Dude.
# 13: The reason why there are so many “thumbs down” is that people want to give the signal that they don’t want screensavers at all.
Comment by Dlira.


This free software site is purely for the feedback of any softwares so the companies can work abit more on it with your helps.
They expected as you do get them for free but give them some feedback on the problem you might have encountered. It not for those who abit peckish and moan when they find a software they are not happy with and bite the hand that feed you, if something here u don't like just keep quiet, go away and stop sounded being so ungrateful.

There are people out there that still use screensavers? Wow....
I will pass, thanx.....

I like screensavers.Since I work from home,my computer is on for about 18 hours a day,and during the times I'm not on it,it's quite pleasant to see pretty pictures on the screen.HOWEVER,the Astro Gemini crap is just that...crap.I must disagree with #33. I've downloaded screensavers from them before and had a very different experience.If you delete the AG pgm,it DOES disable the screensaver.I would venture a guess that you may not have uninstalled it if you still have the screensaver.Astro Gemini,I have discovered,is notorious adware(at best).When you do try to uninstall it,you'll find it leaves numerous footprints that you have to track down to get rid of.That said,I really appreciate GOTD,including the screensaver offerings.I'd just avoid anything from AstroGemini.

>~Robert~

They have nine spots. Sorry.

>Larry(LSL?)

If you must spam, be courteous and do it in the forums. Your utility actually sounds interesting, but I(and most others here) hate intrusive advertizing.

What is wrong with you people?
Okay yah if you looking for faults you will find them
If your looking for something to complain you will find something to complain about.
I have two Parakeets and one Cockatiel by the way those are birds and I have one Yorkshire Terrier. The birds love the music. They sing and talk during the time this screen saver plays. My puppy is memorized by all the activity. So if these animals like it that much then its really awesome. You know animals are much smarter then most humans giggling no puns intended. It has a nice clock and I love the water running from the large container. I took the advice and run my uninstaller that yah I got from here and it did indeed leave this screensaver in tack when I removed the manager from my HD. I use screen savers when I am home and not only when I am away. This one gives comfort to my animals though when I am away. Animals have feelins too and the feeling of being alone is one of the most causes of death. So to speak GATO has helped to save Sugar and Tweety(Parakeets)October(Cockatiel) and Kacy(YorkShire Terrier)lives.
Thank you for this screensaver. We love it!
Grins N Giggles
SassyDebb'

useless, company doesn't support their products even with paying customers

oh, boy .... jumping for joy....
I am a computer tech, A+ Certified, the need for screen savers is about as needed as a third eye, would be nice to have but over all, not.

the need for "screen savers" have been eliminated for many years now, even the CRT glass faced monitors are made in such a way that "screen burn" has been virtually eliminated.

as posted in the forums, about the only thing a "screen saver" is good for now is relaxation, but as for the Astro Gemini products...... well let's just say that the fact that they have given away all of their products on here, tells me they must not be doing to well, and my personal experiance with their customer service and support, SUCKED, my wife bought one of their halloween savers, and we had tons of problems, our last message to them was never answered and that was befor christmas, the others took at least 3 to 4 weeks for a lame hearted responce, so go for screensavers if you like, but count on problems from Astro Gemini products

Re.: The screensaver: I might be missing something, but on my computer all this does is show a single scene (the fountain) and a few insects. It is also very redundant - like a 20 second video tape in endless loop mode. This little ladybug has followed exactly the same path 10 times in the last couple of minutes. Maybe after it runs awhile there will be some variation, but none yet.

BuBBy: Re comment #46 - Not that I mind, it's sometimes even helpful, but do you allow advertising in these comments? Not bad, I guess, so long as it doesn't get too intrusive.

Thanks for all the great stuff, both here and on Game Giveaway of the Day. You've got my wife hooked, and ruined our productivity! :)

re: download of the day
i DLed and previewed astro gemini garden flowers and give it a thumbs up. it's a bit cartoonist yet the vibrancy of color to me is its salvation. the music part i did not preview as my preference is for the image not the sound.
i particularly enjoyed the moon cycle ss which was offered a short while back though sadly i lost it while performing a system restore due to some issues with QT. the detailing and rotation (of the moon)was amazing; i am thinking about buying that one!
off topic re: lady bugs
regarding the comment from the Missourian concerning lady bugs infiltrating the hacienda we here in MD experience this as well. it is amazing how they manage to squeeze themselves into the tiniest cracks and crevices of trim mouldings, ceiling lights, heat registers and switch plates only to pop out irregularly when the mean temperature rises. i've even found them nestled under roofing shingles when reroofing my house. i've managed to control them by scrupulously sealing crevices.
re: GAOTD staff
i'm assuming yours is not an easy job. thank you all for all the software showcases. i personally appreciate your efforts and have benefited greatly.

1) It's a screen-saver.
2) It's works.
3) If you like flowers, go ahead. If not, then don't.

Mild thumbs up for it being what it is, a functional screen-saver for Florists and Allergy ridden enthusiasts.

#42, Diana:"...Kiril, I like your humor..."

Really? Then, marry me and be my Lady D! :)

Well first of all I am so tired of people saying
"I'm tired of people giving it a thumbs down 5 minutes after it's out. You should try it first"
First of all, not everyone has dialup. It took me 1minute and 12 seconds to download and install this sorry excuse for a screen saver
Secondly, most people here already know that any screensaver that Astrogemini comes out with is low quality and a big resource hog.
Lastly, I don't want to see only good comments here. I want to see the good and bad so I can make a decision on wether or not to download based on peoples experience.
If you don't want to hear the bad comments don't read the comment section, just as easy as that. I'm sure GAOTD didn't put it here so we could all put good comments only, think a little before you post.

I like it but on my dual-monitor computer the screensaver only displays on the main monitor.

Dear doggie #46

Look at the 'realistic' bee, look at the 'realistic' ladybug, look at the those 'realistic' flowers. Do you truly want to compare those with the Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa?

How you could even think of alluding to Leonardo in the same post as this overpriced piece of superfluous badly executed software, let alone actual doing it, is beyond me and anyone else who can tell the difference between art and crap.

I do not think of everyone else as a moron. I only think that when words such as "Extremely realistic" are used to describe graphics such as these then the one doing the describing is taking it's clients for being stupid. Perhaps you like to be taken for a ride, to be lied to but I for one don't. FYI, next time you post here you would do well to actual mention something about the program instead of hurling childish insults around just because you feel offended by someone pointing out your lack in taste in graphics.

Of a screensaver that is this big the least one could expect is that it looked not only decent but had realistic animations. It doesn't have either. It's bloated, badly drawn, badly animated.

Look at comment #38
"The colors are very brilliant but the textures and overall movement of the bugs is sketchy at best. The textures are paperlike and seem very flat; this is most noticeable if you watch the butterflies bounce across the screen. The movement of the bugs seems very linear and unrealistic, especially the lady bug on the right."

And that's by someone that likes the screensaver but at least he is honest enough to give it a fair appraisal instead of fawning over it just because it's 'free'.

It IS a very nice ScreenSaver. I like the clock. But not realistic. I don't usually use a ScreenSaver, but this is nice.

BuBBy

Save it for the forum. This area is for comments on the software being offered

As always, thanks GAOTD for the offering, but this is simply not a very good screensaver. Graphics are mediocre, animated figures do exactly the same handful of things over and over, "music" is, well, just awful. There are so many SS's out there now that are far superior. Can not imagine paying $20 for something like this.

Oh come on, folks, it's better than another giveaway from SmartPC!

"fragrance of lush garden flowers on your desktop."

I must be missing a plug-in or something for that part.

Very nice screen save :) Thank you very much. I have to say with all the complaining I have seen on this board, it's a wonder yous even provide anything at all anymore for free.
Some people are just never satisfied even when anything is for free. Anyhow, I appreciate everything GAOTD. provides even if I do not download everything that is offered.
Thanks once again.

Here's a nice compromise for #16, and it's free too.

http://www.tech-pro.net/greensaver.html

Thanks I kinda like this one(but I like ladybugs)

LOL- I saw the ladybug and the bee crash into each other. That was great.
#27 Kiril's 'lovely tiny bugs' made my day. :)

I'm not going d/l but it looks ok; myself I have a free fishtank with an added background of a tiger licking his paw under water.
Each to his/her own :-)

YES..YES..YES.. GAOTD ROCKS!!!!!! THANK YOU GUYS!!!!

(lol)...I agree #24 bubby comment was hilarious and had me rolling.

It's a nice screensaver and since only couple (too many :-) of my hobbies is gardeing and photography, my rating might be biased :-) I do like several of astro gemini screensavers, so just a thanks to GOTD and Astro for todays post and of course to Bubby, who's comments makes this site worth stopping by everyday.

@ # 33, TK_M:
Thank you. Both items are uninstalled, now. :)

“# Extremely realistic, colorful graphics;”

To think that one must either be blind, never have seen a flower for real or a complete moron.

Comment by Belgian Dude — February 17th, 2008 at 3:22 am

Dear Belgian Dude, when one is 9years old, as I suspect you are, it's perhaps not uncommon to think of everybody else as a "moron." A famous Italian painting called the Mona Lisa, that's just a picture too. Why would any moron go to see that when there's a real girl sitting right next to him in his kindergarten class.

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@Locket

About those ladybirds:
How many dots did they have?(Our natives *had* three)
Or didn't you care to notice?

It looks to me you are describing a bad *Birds* movie that is meant to be humorous.

Re comments such as "I don't like screen savers" "I am bored with this kind of thing" or (ever worse) "I till try it" -- does the world really need to know what your preferences or intentions are? I myself intend to go downtown later to do shopping, maybe get a haircut as well. Does this knowledge benefit you?