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This is, in my opinion, the coolest screensaver found in any version of Microsoft Windows. It was included with the first two desktop computers I ever had, the first of which ran Windows 95, the second of which ran Windows Millennium Edition, and both of which I used regularly until 2003, when I acquired my first desktop computer that had Windows XP installed; it thus forms a part of my earliest memories of Windows, and of computers in general.
I can still remember, as a little kid, being completely captivated whenever this screensaver appeared on my CRT monitor, and thinking it somehow magical that my computer seemed to be playing a game by itself, and exploring a virtual maze without any input from me. The maze also had objects randomly scattered throughout which made the whole thing more interesting, including gray-colored polyhedra that, when touched, flipped the entire maze upside down (i.e. the ceiling becomes the floor, and vice versa). There were even a few instances in which I set the screensaver to 3D Maze (if it wasn't already set to it), reduced the wait time before the screensaver should appear to the shortest possible value (which was one minute), and then waited for it to appear simply so I could watch it. Although I am aware that it is possible to alter some settings of the maze (e.g., the textures of the walls, floor, and ceiling), back then I didn't know of this, and so I would always witness the maze at its default settings—the red brick walls in particular I remember very clearly.
When I upgraded to Windows XP, I was slightly disappointed to learn that 3D Maze had been removed from the set of screensavers included with the OS. I largely forgot about it for more than decade, until the mid-2010s, when I was reminded of it and then proceeded to download it and set it as my computer's screensaver; even today, when I was writing this page, it is still the screensaver that I use, with all settings left at the defaults.
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This page last modified on 26 March 2021.