Understanding Your Computer Part III Customizing Your Desktop

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1 Understanding Your Computer Part III Customizing Your Desktop Recycle Bin Windows now has a folder called the Recycle Bin where deleted files are temporarily stored. The Recycle Bin empties on a rolling basis with the oldest files in the Recycle Bin actually being removed for more recently deleted files. You can restore files from the Recycle Bin if you change your mind or accidentally delete a file. To Empty Recycle Bin From the Desktop, double-click with the mouse on the Recycle Bin icon (see picture above) Choose File, Empty Recycle Bin Click on Yes Tip: Files deleted from the MS-DOS prompt, or from a disk or network drive are not saved to the Recycle Bin. If you delete them, they are gone. Restoring Deleted Files You can open the Recycle Bin folder just as you do any other folder and select a file and restore it to its original location. You can also move or copy files from the Recycle Bin to a new location. Double click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop to open the Recycle Bin window Select the file or files you want to restore Right-click the mouse button and choose Restore or choose File, Restore Finding Files The Search tool enables you to look for a specific file or group of related files by name and location. When searching by name, it s no longer necessary to use wild cards to specify your search. In addition you can search by date modified, file type and size. You can also search by the text contained in the file or files. Find a File Using a File's Name Click on the Start button and select Search Choose Files or Folders Type a file name or portion of the name in the Search for files or folders named: field If necessary, click on pull down menu for the Look in field to select correct drive Click on the Search Now button.

2 Other Find Methods You can limit your search for files created or modified within a specific time period. To do so, select the Date option from the Search Option field and fill in the appropriate number of months, days, or date. To restrict the search to files containing specific text then type the text to search by in the Containing Text field. Printing Files Windows prints your documents "in the background," so you can get back to work quickly after you send your document to the printer. Windows also has a new Add Printer wizard that makes setting up new printers fast and easy. Click the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers. To print a file, choose File Print. Click on OK or if you have a shortcut to your printer on the desktop, drag and drop the selected file or files onto the Printer icon on the desktop. Customizing Settings and Shortcuts Taskbar Resizing the Taskbar. Point to edge of Taskbar until pointer becomes a double-pointing arrow and drag to the size you want. Moving the taskbar. Drag the Taskbar to any side of the desktop. Do this by pointing to a blank spot on the Taskbar and dragging it to the new location. Taskbar Options. Several other options for the Taskbar may be found by right-clicking the Taskbar and choosing Properties. Options include Autohide, Small icons, Quick Launch, etc. Minimizing all Windows. If you wish to minimize several windows to quickly get to the Desktop, right-click on the Taskbar and choose Minimize all Windows. Notice there is also an Undo Minimize All on the menu. Customizing Your Start Menu You may want to place your most commonly used programs and/or documents directly on the Start menu so you don t have to go through the Programs menu and submenus to find them. For example, if you use Paint frequently, you can add it to the Start menu. Or if you use a specific database regularly, add it to the Start menu. To add a program to the Start menu: Right-click on a gray area between buttons on the Taskbar Choose Properties or click on the Start button, and choose Settings, Taskbar Click the Start Menu Programs or Advanced tab Click Add to display the Create Shortcut dialog box Click Browse to display the Browse dialog box Find and click the file for the program or document you wish to add Choose Open after selecting the file Page 2 of 7

3 Tip: You can also add a program to the highest level of the Start menu by dragging the program's icon from Explorer or My Computer and dropping it onto the Start button. To edit the Programs menu: Right-click the Start button on the Taskbar and choose Open; Double click the Programs folder. To add a new folder, choose File New Folder; Type the name of the submenu and press Enter. You can now drag folders and program files into this new folder. If you want to copy items instead of moving them, hold down the Ctrl key while you drag the item(s) to the folder. To remove a program from the Start Menu: Follow the same procedure as above to open the Start Menu Programs (Advanced tab) dialog box except click on the Remove button Locate the name of the shortcut that was added to the Start menu (this may require you to open a folder if shortcut was placed within a folder) Click on added shortcut to select it; then click on the Remove button. All items in the Start menu are shortcuts as indicated by the arrow in the lower left corner so deleting icons won t delete the actual programs. Running Programs Or Documents On Startup If you want the same program (or document) to start up every time you start Windows, then add the program shortcut to the StartUp folder. The StartUp folder is found in the Windows Start Menu Programs Startup folder. When documents are in the Startup folder, Windows starts the document s program and then loads the document. Right-click a gray area of the Taskbar and choose Properties Select the Start Menu Programs tab Choose Add, then Browse and select the program or document to add to the Startup folder Click Open and click Next Select the Startup folder, then click Next Enter a new name if you wish or leave the default and click Finish. Customizing Your Desktop The Control Panel in Windows has several settings that can be changed or customized to fit your computing needs. Access the Control Panel by clicking on the Start button, select Settings, and then Control Panel. Double-click with the mouse on an icon to open a window for the properties. Page 3 of 7

4 Common Control Panel Icons Display Icon To adjust settings such as desktop color and background, use your right mouse button to click anywhere on the desktop, and then click Properties, or from the Start menu choose Setting, Control Panel. Changing Windows Appearance -- right-click the Desktop, choose Properties, and then select the Appearance tab. You can select a complete color scheme or assign specific colors to individual items. Select from the Item list and then choose from the Size, Font and Color lists to customize the selected element. Some options are only available for certain elements. Notice that some of the color schemes also come in Large and Very Large versions which will increase the size of all screen elements. Wallpapering your Desktop You can add a graphic or picture to your Desktop. Windows comes with a variety of desktop designs that you can use as is or modify using Paint. You can also use scanned images as wallpaper if you like. Wallpaper images are created from files stored in a bitmap format. These files end with a.bmp extension. You can edit.bmp formats with the Windows Paint program or create your own bitmapped images in Paint to use as wallpaper. Background Patterns If you prefer you may choose a background pattern instead of wallpaper. While not as intricate as wallpaper designs, a background pattern consumes much less memory. Screen Savers There are a variety of screen savers that come with Windows. A screen saver displays a changing pattern on the screen after you haven t touched the keyboard or mouse for a specific period of time. You can specify that time period and also choose the type of screen saver you want. To select a screen saver, right-click the Desktop, choose Properties, then select the Screen Saver tab. Screen savers are modifiable, as well. Click on the Screen Saver tab, choose the screen saver to be modified and then click on Settings. Page 4 of 7

5 Fonts Windows provides quick access for previewing or printing a font sample before you commit it to a document. To preview and/or print a font sample, double click on the Fonts icon from the Control Panel. Double click the font you want to view or print. You can also view fonts grouped by similarity by choosing View List Files by Similarity. Creating Shortcuts on The Desktop You can create a shortcut on your Desktop to virtually anything accessible by your computer. For example, you can create shortcuts to programs, documents, World Wide Web pages, printers, disk drives, document templates, etc. Shortcut icons on the desktop act as pointers to programs or documents that you don t want to put directly on the desktop. Shortcuts display a small curved arrow at their lower left corner. Deleting a shortcut icon does not delete the file to which it points. To create a shortcut on your Desktop for a program or document: Right click in any blank area of the Desktop Choose New Shortcut to open a shortcut wizard In the Wizard s first dialog box, choose Browse and select the program or document file for the shortcut Click on Open and choose Next Choose a name for the shortcut, then choose Finish Example: Backup File/Folder onto Floppy Disk On Desktop, double-click with the mouse on the My Computer icon Locate file/folder to be backed up onto floppy disk Insert floppy disk into drive Drag file/folder to floppy drive icon Release mouse button Deleting a Shortcut To delete a shortcut from your desktop, drag it to the Recycle Bin. The original item will still exist on the disk where it s stored. Before you delete shortcuts, however, make sure you still have a way to start your application such as the Start menu. Shortcuts, like documents in the Recycle Bin, may be restored as long as they are still contained in the Recycle Bin. To restore a shortcut, click on the shortcut to restore and choose File Restore. Keyboard Shortcuts You can create keyboard shortcuts if you prefer to keep your hands on the keyboard while opening a program or document. The keyboard shortcut will always consist of the keys Ctrl+Alt+(a key of your choosing). Page 5 of 7

6 Example: To create a keyboard shortcut for Paint: Right-click the shortcut icon on the desktop and choose Properties Select the Shortcut tab, then click the Shortcut key text box to position your cursor inside it Enter in a letter of your choosing such as P The Ctrl-Alt combination will be added for you. Now from anywhere in Windows you could enter in Ctrl+Alt+P to open the Paint application. Properties Most everything in Windows has a property sheet. To see a property sheet for an item, rightclick on the item and choose properties. You can change properties including: C changing the file that is opened by the shortcut C changing the default directory for that application C adding a shortcut key (see above) C controlling whether the window opens up as minimized, maximized or in a window C changing the icon used to represent that shortcut C control default settings of the Recycle Bin. Property sheets are accessible from various locations such as the Desktop, My Computer, or Windows Explorer. Adding Window Applications Or Components The Add/Remove Program Wizard will step you through installing or uninstalling new software and adding or removing Windows system components and accessories. To use the Wizard, Click on the Start button and highlight Settings Click on Control Panel In the Control Panel double click on Add/Remove Programs From there either click on the Install/Uninstall to add or remove a Windows application, or Click on the Windows Setup tab to add or remove a Windows component or accessory. Page 6 of 7

7 Add New Hardware Wizard The Add New Hardware icon in Control Panel opens a "wizard" that helps you install new hardware devices on your computer. Windows uses Plug and Play technology to make this process easier, even for devices that do not support Plug and Play. To use the Wizard: Click on the Start button and highlight Settings Click on Control Panel In the Control Panel window double click on Add New Hardware Click on the Next button to choose whether you want Windows to detect the new hardware or if you want to select it from a list. The Wizard will step you through the remaining steps. Page 7 of 7