Can I get a virus from a screen saver?

Did a search on this question and didn't get any hits. Thinking of downloading a free screen saver concerning Easter bunnies and wondered: Can I get a virus doing so? I have Avast, Zone Alarm Free, Ad-Aware 6 and Spybot 1.3.

 

To answer your question, yes you could get a virus from any file you download from the web
However if you are downloading from a reputable site and you make sure you scan the file before you open it, its highly unlikely

 

Most definatley. screensavers are just executable files with a different extension : for example, .exe runs exactly the same as .scr and .pif (well, nearly the same) and many viruses use this to disguise somthing you wouldnt normally run if it were a .exe file. Scan every file you download!

 

How do I do that?

Now I am really going to show my ignorance: Will some user of Avast please tell me how to scan a file? I see how to scan a folder, but not an individual file. And thanks for the answers and the warnings about screen savers!

 

I don't have Avast, but most with most AV programs, right-click on the file itself, and one of the options in the pop-up menu will be to scan it with whatever AV software you have installed.

Otherwise, just scan that folder.

 

Now, why didn't I think of those two answers from G.T. and Major Attitude? (I know why ... don't tell me). Thanks!