Personalizing Windows 7
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
In this Chapter
- Getting to Know the Windows Control Panel
- Changing the Look of Your Desktop
- Organizing Shortcut Icons
- Changing the Way the Start Menu Works
- Resetting the Time and Date
- Setting Up Additional Users
When you first turn on your new computer system, you see the Windows desktop as Microsoft (or your computer manufacturer) set it up for you. If you like the way it looks, great. If not, you can change it.
Windows presents a lot of different ways to personalize the look and feel of your desktop. In fact, one of the great things about Windows is how quickly you can make the desktop look like your desktop, different from anybody else’s.
Getting to Know the Windows Control Panel
Virtually all of Windows’ settings are configured via the Control Panel. You open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button and selecting Control Panel.
Figure 4.1 shows the Windows 7 Control Panel. You can click a major category, such as System and Security or Network and Internet, to access related configuration settings. Or you can click one of the key settings under a major heading to go directly to that setting.
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After you click through the various links, you eventually end up with a specific configuration utility displayed onscreen. Each type of configuration setting uses a different utility; you may see a full-fledged window full of controls, or a smaller dialog box with a few options to check. Whatever you see onscreen, select the options you want; then click OK. This applies the settings you selected.