Back in the days...
Do you remember the Matrix screensavers from back in the day? Green characters cascading down your screen while your PC idles away. Everyone had one at some point. And somehow — it was just cool.
The idea hit me during one of those moments where you should really be doing something else: What if the characters weren't random glyphs, but instead IMMUTABILITY, RANSOMWARE RECOVERY, ZERO-TRUST RESILIENCE and VEEAM DATA CLOUD VAULT?
As some of you may know, I have absolutely no clue about coding — but every now and then I get crazy ideas. This one is for you.
From One Idea to Almost 100 Versions
What started as a small weekend experiment turned into a real project. I had the idea, the direction, the requirements — and with Claude as a coding partner, we built it step by step. Every version tested, verified, adjusted. Comments added, fine-tuning done. Across multiple evenings and iterations.
Then, somewhere around version 35, another idea: What if there was also a Star Wars Opening Crawl?
Done. Today, VeeaMatrix doesn't just have Matrix rain with Veeam terms — it also features Episode XIII: The Rise of Cyber Resilience, a perspective-projected Star Wars crawl, complete with static intro phase and starfield background. Because sometimes it just has to be.
Settings
The settings offer a wide range of options.
Color Profiles
7 built-in profiles. Customize, load, done. Custom profiles can be saved and reloaded.
General, Font & Misc
Color adjustments, font size and type, speed and direction, word mode (Matrix Rain or Star Wars Intro), editable watermark, Light/Dark mode for the UI, DE/EN toggle, CRT scanlines for the authentic retro look, complete settings profiles save and load — and of course Reset to Default for when you've gone a bit overboard.
Built-in Terms
A large selection of predefined terms from our daily backup and cyber resilience world. See for yourself and adapt it to your own needs!
Word Effects
7 different effects (Scroll, Fade, Build, Scramble, Scan, Zoom, Glitch). Size, speed, how many words should be visible at once? All adjustable. If you want, you can also completely hide the Matrix Rain during the effects.
CRAWL (Star Wars-style Intro)
Font size, speed, optional star background. Three built-in templates (Episode IV, Spaceballs, Veeam Edition). All are editable, custom templates can be provided. Veeam is all about options.
Veeam 100 Names / Community Feature
Falling across your screen are not just Veeam terms. My personal favourite feature — embedded in the Matrix rain, you can display the names of all current Veeam Vanguards, Veeam Legends and Veeam MVPs 2026 (our Veeam 100 members)!
Misc / Notes
Veeam 100 Names: Have you found yourself yet? And for everyone else who's curious: how do you actually become part of the Veeam 100 family? *klick* 😊
The names can appear in the classic RAIN effect or be displayed and built up using any of the other word effects — the choice is yours!
Easter Eggs
Would it be a proper project without a few Easter eggs? Have you found them all? Take a closer look at the Color Profiles, the CRAWL templates. And, well. Find a few more yourself... 🕵️
Installation & Windows Warnings
Since the files are not commercially signed, browsers and Windows will flag them initially. This is normal behaviour for any unsigned file! But — the full source code is on GitHub, nothing is hidden, and I'm not providing you with any additional ransomware; there's already enough of that out there.
Two steps fix it:
Browser
During download in Edge: ... > Keep > Keep anyway / Chrome: arrow > Keep
Windows
Right-click VeeaMatrix.scr > Properties > tick Unblock > OK
After that: right-click > Test for an instant full-screen preview, or > Install for system-wide installation.
Ready for the Matrix rain?
Download the single .scr file — no installer, no dependencies.
Download: VeeaMatrix.scr → https://github.com/markushartmann-dev/veeam-matrix-screensaver/raw/main/VeeaMatrix.scr
Source & Changelog: https://github.com/markushartmann-dev/veeam-matrix-screensaver
How was this built?
I didn't write a single line of code myself. But I had the ideas, tested every version, decided what worked and what didn't, set new directions, and fine-tuned details until it felt right. Across multiple days and currently almost ~100 iterations.
Claude typed. I decided.
What's Next?
🎵 Audio — a subtle digital hum or typing sound in the background?
🎬 More CRAWL templates — which franchises are still missing?
🖥️ Per-monitor profiles — different colour themes on different screens?
📋 Term catalog updates — which Veeam terms are still missing?
What would you like to see? Drop it in the comments or reach out directly. This project runs on ideas like these!
