Customizing Your Computer Desktop Your Way

After Windows opens, the screen area you see is called the Desktop, and it's settings can be changed as you like it. Everyone likes their own working space to be arranged the way they want it.

There are probably several "icons" or picture shortcuts right on your desktop, that you can click on without ever going to your Start Menu. These proliferate like rabbits!

Try to live by a rule: "If I don't use it EVERY DAY, (or almost every day), it DOESNT belong on my Desktop." You know, just like all the excess paper, pens, and "stuff" that accumulates on your real desk!

Unfortunately, it seems every time a new program, or printer, or anything is installed to your computer, it automatically puts an icon (or two or three!) right on your desktop.. so you won't "forget" it!    It does not have to stay there. You can delete the icon, without deleting the program from your computer.

However, there are a few that HAVE to stay. You really need to keep the icon for the Recycle Bin. (I think so the computer can find it!)
I use my Internet browser, my email and calendar every day so they definitely stay.
The choice is yours. All of them exist, organized, on your "All Programs" menu.

For the Daring:

Ready to Customize things the way YOU want them?? After all, it's YOUR computer.
To Delete unwanted Shortcut Icons:
(BE SURE THAT IT IS A Shortcut! It should have a tiny ARROW on the lower left corner. If it doesn't, DON'T DELETE IT!)

1. Put your mouse on top of the icon.
2. Click the RIGHT button of your mouse.. catch that?.. the RIGHT button.
3. Move the mouse to the word "DELETE"
4. Click it with the Left Button.
5. The Pop Up Dialog Box says that you are not removing the program, just the icon..
6. so you must click on the "Delete the Shortcut" button to agree.

Icon Placement

Have you found out that you can hold and drag those little icons all around ? What fun! You can arrange them just as you would arrange pens, paperclips, etc. on your real desk.
Then you get serious and want them to stay where you put them, but every time you turn the computer on again.. there they are, over on the side again! Don't despair, help is here!
Put your mouse pointer on an empty space on the screen, and click the RIGHT button. At the top of this pop-up menu, it says "Arrange icons", then slide the mouse over to find several choices, by name or type, but it's the middle two that make a real difference. "Auto arrange" puts them where Microsoft wants them. No matter where you move them, they will pop back. To stop that, click on it to UNcheck it, then choose what is best for you.
If you click on "Align to Grid", a check mark will show, and your icons will still be lined up neatly, but more or less in the order and place that YOU choose.

---

Sorting Shortcuts by Name

When the name label starts with "Shortcut to" in order to arrange them by name you will want to remove the words "Shortcut to".

1. Put pointer right on the label, and right click, then slide down to "Rename".
2. Place the pointer at the very beginning of the name, and press the Delete KEY on the keyboard for each letter until the unwanted words are gone.
3. then move the pointer away from the words to an empty space and click it once.

This is how you tell the computer that you are done with that operation.

---

The Mystery of the Disappearing Icons

If you've had some of your icons disappear, you need to know about this: one of the most annoying things anyone at Microsoft ever thought of, the automatic "Desktop Cleanup". If you don't use a particular icon frequently, it will be removed and placed in a folder called Unused Icons, which you will probably never notice or open.

To stop this unpermitted manipulation of our Users Rights:

1. Place your mouse pointer in an empty part of the screen.
2. Click the RIGHT mouse button.
3. Move to the bottom item: "Properties", and left click on it.
4. In the Display Properties box, click on the 2nd tab: Desktop
5. Near the bottom, there is a button "Customize Desktop"
6. At the bottom of the General tab page, there is a box labeled "Desktop Cleanup"
.
7. Read what it says, and then uncheck the box, by clicking on it.

To realize why that is there, many programs put up icons that you will never use. Eventually your screen is a bigger mess than your real desk. This will "clean up" an overcrowded desktop. The only icons on your screen should be important ones, such as the Wastebasket, and the ones that YOU use every day, or at least every week. Anything else you can get from a Menu, and keep your desktop clean. You make the decision for each one.

---

Decor

Also on the "Desktop" tab is where you can change the background to your favorite picture (if it's already in your computer) or a different color, or some jazzy psychedelic effects! Try all of it out, so you can see how it works. I find that it's easier on the eyes to keep the background fairly plain, but plain is boring.. so find a happy compromise. The color patch choice is for the color of the labels under the icons. If it's a photo you want, you can find the file when you press the browse button. When you like it, then press Apply and take a look.. You can even have a slide show of ALL the photos that are stored in My Pictures..(Be careful, there may be some there you don't want showing when a neighbor drops by!)

---

Something Useful

Next Tab: Screensaver
Most of our monitors now don't actually need a Screensaver, but people still love them, and I have found a great use for a particular one. Click on the tiny down arrow, and choose the Marquee. Then click on Settings. In the Text box, I write myself a reminder.Don't forget to OK, to save it. It sure beats my memory.. and each time I leave the computer (on), and come back to it a few minutes later.. there it is.

---

More Decor

Now, the next thing to play with is the Appearance.. this means the color scheme of Windows.. You can change it to a cool green or pink or silver, when you get tired of blue. Or maybe you are color-blind to one color and so prefer another.

Experiment!

---

Something to know about

I would recommend you to look at the "Effects" that have been set for you. These will be a real drag on your computer's memory, and can slow down your computer.. I prefer to uncheck them.. except for the Fonts: this refers to the size of the text under your icons on the Desktop.. not anywhere else.

Take a look at all the ITEMS you can change. You can kill a whole day playing with this stuff! It's also a great place to make everything more readable for yourself.

---

Now that you're a pro in making changes, we'll tackle some of the technical stuff.

---

The Settings tab is where you can change the resolution of your screen to a different size.
Resolution is what defines how clear and sharp, but also the size of what you see. Our monitors were built to show images at a particular resolution, but we can make objects bigger by pulling the slider to the left, to a lower setting. Unfortunately, that also means that the edges will be a little fuzzier. Putting the slider to the highest point, will make them crisp and sharp.. and MUCH smaller! It is a compromise between the two, so you have to try the settings out to find out which is best for your eyes.
This also affects how much of an area can be seen in a window.. somewhat as a magnifying glass will make an object bigger.. but you can only see a small part of it.

There are a lot of other settings that can appear in this area, depending upon what kind of a graphics card (hardware) that is in your computer. Do not play with these .. leave it set to the defaults.
These are the basic ways to customize your computer to look and work as you want it to do, but you can spend HOURS playing with these..

USER ACCOUNTS

One of the most important changes you need to do is usually done right at the beginnning, when your computer is being set up, but you can change it now.

Even "newbies" need to understand User Accounts.

#A1: Your very best protection to prevent your computer from being changed by Trojan Horses, malware, and cyber miscreants is to leave the Administrator account as just that, and name yourself a second Limited account for your regular, day to day, online use.
This is done through the Control Panel, User Accounts.
Very few people do this, or even know to do it.. and that is why there is so much mischief out there.

********************************************************************

2. Do you live in a household where more than one person uses the same computer??? A lot of us do.. and it can cause some problems in peaceable living.
The way we use our computers becomes a very personal thing, with preferences, and privacy issues. Microsoft has given us a way to "protect our space" and still have it "Our Way": a separate "User Account" for each person. With this, I can sign on to the computer, which tells the computer who I am, and the computer re-arranges it's display, customized for me alone. And Lord Help the intruder who messes up my settings! (Do you have grandchildren who use your computer?? …need I say more?)

Each User account has its own log in Picture icon, and it's own password. Don't tell anyone this password. It's your privacy lock. There is a Guest account for the occasional… uh, Guest! Make a separate account for your spouse, each of the kids.. AND Granma if you all use the same computer.

Each user can change the display settings, the icons on the desktop, the pictures of the desktop, etc., etc. to suit themselves, and the other user will still be able to see it as they want to. Very handy when one has a vision problem, and one doesn't. A user account establishes the rights and privileges assigned to each user. You need to limit what other people can do to your computer.

How do you get an User Account?

You must be logged on as an administrator to use User Accounts in Control Panel. One person is designated the Administrator of the computer.. There should be only ONE. This person is the one who makes new accounts, sets passwords, and installs software.

Switching Users

Switching is a way for one person is logged on to the computer to "close" his side of the computer, allowing someone else to log on for a guick use, and be able to "hold the place" of the original user.
Instead of closing down from the Start Button, press LOG OFF, then press SWITCH USER, which takes you back to the original Windows LogIn screen.

I hope this hasn't been too confusing to you.. but if so, get a friend to read it, and see if they can figure it out.
Would you like to leave a comment or question?

If this site is helpful to you, you can support it by clicking on any ad that interests you,
or refer it to a friend.
Thank you.

Return to top