5 tips for customizing your computer
We've poured through the pages of the New Riders Publishing book, Windows XP Killer Tips, for some customization tips to liven up the way your computer looks. These are tips that you'll want to share with your friends.
Create a photo screen saver
You can create a custom screen saver slideshow from a folder of photos.
| • | Right-click the desktop, click Properties, and then click the Screen Saver tab. |
| • | Next, select My Pictures Slideshow on the Screen Saver drop-down menu. |
| • | Click Settings, then click the Browse button to select the location of your pictures folder, and then click OK.  |
Remember a folder view
Okay, you've found the perfect folder view. The view just seems to work for everything. Wouldn't it be nice if you were able to apply that view to all your folders with just a click of the mouse? You can.
| • | To give all your folders the same view, open the folder with the view that you want to apply. On the Tools menu, select Folder Options. |
| • | Next, click the View tab and then click the Apply to All Folders button. You'll be asked to confirm your request. |
| • | Click Yes, and now all the folders on your computer will have the same view.  |
Change your desktop background
There's something about sitting and staring at the same desktop background day in and day out that just sucks time from me. Honestly, I easily forget the day of the week after a couple hours in front of my computer. Don't let this happen to you (it's too late for me). Change your desktop background occasionally.
| • | Right-click the desktop and then click Properties. |
| • | Next, click the Desktop tab and scroll for a new background, or click Browse to search your hard drive. You can preview your selections in the desktop preview. |
| • | Click to highlight your new background and then click OK.  |
Change your theme
You can easily change the entire look of your desktop in Microsoft Windows—backgrounds, pointers, colors, icons, you name it.
| • | Right-click the desktop and then click Properties. |
| • | Next, click the Themes tab and click the Theme drop-down menu. |
| • | Scroll for a new desktop theme and when you've found that perfect one, click OK.  |
Create a custom theme
What's the point in having a theme for your personal computer if you can't make it personal? Here's how to customize a personal theme.
| • | Right-click the desktop and then click Properties. Next, click the Themes tab, click the Theme drop-down menu, and select a theme to start with. |
| • | While you're still in the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop, Screen Saver, and Appearance tabs to make new choices for these items. Click the Apply button each time you make a change (clicking the OK button will close the dialog box). |
| • | When you're finished, go back to the Themes tab, click Save As, give your new theme a name, and then click Save. |
These tips are from the book Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson, ISBN 073571357X. Published here with the permission of Pearson Education, Inc.
