Windows Tutorial 3 Personalizing Your Windows Environment Microsoft Windows 7 Objectives Access desktop icons and gadgets on the desktop Create and use shortcuts on the desktop Use the Control Panel Customize the desktop Activate a screen saver Change display settings New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 2 Objectives Manage the desktop with Aero tools Pin items to and modify the taskbar Customize taskbar toolbars Change Start menu settings Pin items on the Start menu New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 3 1
Accessing Common Tools on the Desktop New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 4 Displaying Standard Desktop Icons Right-click an empty area of the desktop, then click Personalize on the shortcut menu In the left pane of the Personalization window, click Change desktop icons In the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, click to select a check box for each icon you want to add to the desktop Click the OK button New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 5 Displaying Standard Desktop Icons New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 6 2
Using Windows Gadgets Gadgets offer information at a glance and offer similar tools to those you might find on a physical desk: Calendar Clock CPU Meter Currency Feed Headlines Picture Puzzle Slide Show Weather Windows Media Center New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 7 Using Windows Gadgets Right-click the desktop, and then click Gadgets to display gadgets currently installed on your computer New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 8 Using Shortcuts You can create shortcuts to access drives, documents, files, Web pages, programs, or other computer resources such as a printer New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 9 3
Using Shortcuts New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 10 Personalizing with the Control Panel To open the Control Panel window, doubleclick the Control Panel icon on your desktop. If the icon does not appear on your desktop, click the icon on the Start menu New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 11 Personalizing with the Control Panel New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 12 4
Personalizing with the Control Panel New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 13 Selecting a Theme Open the Control Panel window and switch to Category view, if necessary. Click Appearance and Personalization. Click Personalization. Click a theme. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 14 Changing the Desktop Background Open the Control Panel Click Appearance and Personalization Click the Change desktop background link New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 15 5
Changing the Desktop Background New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 16 Changing Desktop Colors and Fonts Windows Color and Appearance allows you to change the properties of window elements Click Window Color in the Personalization window New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 17 Activating a Screen Saver A screen saver blanks the screen or displays a moving design whenever you haven t worked with the computer for a specified period of time New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 18 6
Changing Display Settings Screen resolution refers to the clarity of the text and images on your screen Items appear sharper and smaller at a higher resolution New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 19 Managing the Desktop with Aero Tools New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 20 Modifying the Taskbar The taskbar contains three sections: Start button Middle section Program buttons Notification area Current time and date Program icons System status information New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 21 7
Pinning Programs to the Taskbar If the program is already running, right-click the program button, and then click Pin this program to taskbar. Or If the program is not running, click the Start button, locate the program in the Start menu, right-click the program icon, and then click Pin to Taskbar. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 22 Moving and Resizing the Taskbar Make sure the taskbar is unlocked. To unlock it, right-click any blank spot on the taskbar, and then click Lock the taskbar on the shortcut menu to remove the check mark. To move the taskbar, click a blank spot on the taskbar, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the taskbar to a new location (the top, bottom, left, or right edge of the desktop). To resize the taskbar, point to a taskbar border until a resize pointer appears, and then drag the border to a different height or width. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 23 Moving and Resizing the Taskbar New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 24 8
Setting Taskbar Appearance Properties Right-click a blank area on the taskbar, and then click Properties New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 25 Working with Taskbar Toolbars One way to customize the taskbar is to use it to display toolbars New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 26 Creating a Custom Taskbar Toolbar To create a custom toolbar, right-click a blank area of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click New toolbar In the New Toolbar choose a folder window, click the folder or object you want to turn into a toolbar, and then click the Select Folder button New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 27 9
Customizing the Start Menu To customize the Start menu, right-click Start button on the taskbar, then click Properties; click the Customize button New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 28 Pinning an Item to the Start Menu New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 29 Selecting Start Menu Settings New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows 7 30 10