XP

Tutorial 4

Microsoft Windows XP

Personalizing Your
Windows Environment

New Perspectives on 1
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Types of Desktop Icons

New Perspectives on 2
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Creating and Storing a Document
on the Desktop

• Right-click an empty area of the desktop, and

then point to New on the shortcut menu
• Click the type of document you want to create
• Type a name for the document that appears on
the desktop as a document icon

New Perspectives on 3
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Opening a Document Stored
on the Desktop

• To open a document that is stored on the

desktop, you double-click its icon

New Perspectives on 4
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Creating a LOG File

• Notepad automatically inserts the date when you

open a document only if the document begins with
.LOG in uppercase letters

New Perspectives on 5
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Using Shortcuts

• Shortcuts are quick ways to access an object

on your computer without going to its
permanent location

New Perspectives on 6
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Deleting Shortcut Icons

• If you delete a document icon, you also delete

the document
• If you delete a shortcut icon, you don’t delete the
document itself because it is stored elsewhere
• To delete a shortcut, click the shortcut icon to
select it and then press the Delete key

New Perspectives on 7
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Using the Control Panel

• The Control Panel is a window that contains

specialized tools you use to change the way
Windows looks and behaves
• All of the Control Panel tools provide access to a
dialog box that lets you select or change the
properties, or characteristics, of an object

New Perspectives on 8
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Control Panel

New Perspectives on 9
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Control Panel Categories

• Appearance and Themes

• Network and Internet Connections
• Add or Remove Programs
• Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices
• Performance and Maintenance
• Printers and Other Hardware
• User Accounts
• Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options
• Accessibility Options
New Perspectives on 10
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Opening the Appearance and Themes
Category

• In the right pane of the Control Panel, click

Appearance and Themes

New Perspectives on 11
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Changing Your Desktop’s Background

• In the Appearance and

Themes window, click
Change the desktop
background
• If necessary, click (None) in
the Background list if it is not
already selected
• Click the Color list arrow and
choose the color you wish to
set as your background color

New Perspectives on 12
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Changing the Appearance of Desktop
Elements

• Open the Display

Properties dialog box
• Click the Appearance
tab in the Display
Properties dialog box

New Perspectives on 13
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Screen Savers

• 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
• You can select how long you want the computer
to sit idle before the screen saver activates
• Windows XP provides a wide variety of screen
savers

New Perspectives on 14
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Activating a Screen Saver

• Click the Screen Saver tab in the Display

Properties dialog box
• Click the Screen saver list arrow, and then select
your desired screen saver
• Click the Preview button
• When you’re finished previewing the screen
saver, move the mouse and then click the OK
button

New Perspectives on 15
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Activating a Screen Saver

New Perspectives on 16
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Changing the Screen Resolution

• Open the Appearance

and Themes window,
and then click Change
the screen resolution
• Drag the Screen
resolution slider to the
left or right, to select the
desired resolution

New Perspectives on 17
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Viewing the Color Settings

• Click the Color quality

list arrow to display the
list of color palettes and
select the desired color
quality
• Click the OK button

New Perspectives on 18
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Moving and Resizing the Taskbar

• Make sure the taskbar is unlocked. To do so, right-

click any blank area 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 area on the
taskbar, hold down the left mouse button, and drag
the taskbar to a new location
• To resize the taskbar, move the mouse pointer over
the taskbar border until the pointer changes, then
drag the border to the desired width

New Perspectives on 19
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Moving and Resizing the Taskbar

New Perspectives on 20
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 Setting Taskbar Appearance XP
Properties

• Right-click a blank area in the taskbar, and click

Properties on the shortcut menu

New Perspectives on 21
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Working with Taskbar Toolbars

New Perspectives on 22
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Displaying a Taskbar Toolbar

• Right-click a blank area of the taskbar, point to

Toolbars, and then click the name of the toolbar
you want to edit

New Perspectives on 23
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Creating a Custom Taskbar Toolbar

• To create a new toolbar, right-click a blank area

of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click
New Toolbar
• In the New Toolbar dialog box, click the folder or
object you want to turn into a toolbar, and then
click the OK button

New Perspectives on 24
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Adding an Item to the Start Menu

• Right-click a blank area of the taskbar, and then click

Properties on the shortcut menu
• Click the Start Menu tab in the Taskbar and Start
Menu Properties dialog box, and then click the
Customize button
• Click the Advanced tab in the Customize the Start
Menu dialog box
• In the Start menu items list, select the file, folder, or
object that you want to add to the Start menu
• Click the OK button
New Perspectives on 25
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Selecting Start Menu Settings

• Control Panel • My Network Places

• Enable dragging and • My Pictures
dropping • Network Connections
• Favorites menu • Printers and Faxes
• Help and Support • Run command
• My Computer • Scroll Programs
• My Documents • Search
• My Music • System Administrative
Tools

New Perspectives on 26
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP
 XP
Removing a Start Menu Item

• Right-click a blank area of the taskbar, and then

click Properties on the shortcut menu
• Click the Start menu tab on the Taskbar and Start
Menu Properties dialog box
• Click the Customize button to open the
Customize Start Menu dialog box
• In the Start menu items list, deselect the item that
you want to remove, and then click the OK button

New Perspectives on 27
Tutorial 4
Microsoft Windows XP