Compatible with you
In Windows 7, you can customize just about everything on your computer to make it look and work exactly the way you want. It’s fun and easy to experiment with the various themes, and to try out the cool transparent look in windows, the taskbar, the Start menu, and other parts of Windows 7. You can also set items to open with one click instead of two, and make other changes to the taskbar, toolbars, Start menu, and Desktop items, so you can get to what you need faster. Here are 5 tips that will help you make your PC your own.
Change the overall look
The Desktop background, icons, sounds, screen savers, mouse pointers, and so on are all part of a theme. Windows 7 comes with a few themes. Others are available for download, and you can also create your own theme by modifying an existing one.
Change the theme
Click the Start button, type pers in the Search box of the Start menu, and choose Personalization from the menu to open the Personalization window. Or you can right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize.
Select the theme you want.
If you don’t see a theme you like, click Get More Themes Online, find a theme you like, and download it.
Preview the theme. If you don’t like it, choose a different theme.
When you have the theme you want, close the window.
Create a slide show as your desktop background
Another way you can personalize your computer is to choose an image you like for the background of your Desktop. The image can be a single color, a pattern, or your favorite picture or photograph. You can also choose to display your pictures as a background slide show.
Create a background slide show
If the Personalization window isn’t already open, right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, and choose Personalize from the shortcut menu.
Click Desktop Background in the Personalization window, and choose the type and source of your images.
If you don’t want to use a selected image, point to it and click the check mark to clear the image, or click Clear All to deselect all the images.
Point to each image you want to use and click the check box to select the image, or click Select All to include all the images at this location.
Specify how you want the images to appear on the screen.
Specify how often you want the images to change.
Select this check box if you want the images to appear in a random order. Clear the check box if you want the images to appear in the order in which they appear in the window.
If you’re using a laptop, check this box to disable the slide show when using battery power, or clear it if you want to see your slide show despite the drain on the battery.
Click Save Changes and, in the Personalization window, save the modified theme.
Customize the taskbar
The taskbar is a really handy navigation device, and you can make it even more useful by customizing it to your work habits. You can specify which items you want to be displayed on the taskbar and how you want them displayed, and you can even hide the taskbar when you aren’t using it and then make it reappear when you need it.
Customize the taskbar
Click the Start button, type taskb in the Search box of the Start menu, and choose Taskbar And Start Menu from the menu to display the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.
Select this check box to prevent the taskbar from being moved to a new location or to prevent the taskbar and the toolbars from being resized.
Select this check box to hide the taskbar when you’re not using it. The taskbar will reappear when you move the mouse to whichever edge of the screen contains the taskbar.
Select this check box to show small icons on the taskbar.
Click and select from the drop-down list the location where you want the taskbar.
Click and select the way you want similar items to be displayed and what to do when the taskbar is crowded.
Select this check box to make all windows transparent when you move the mouse to the Show Desktop button at the right end of the taskbar.
Click Apply if you’ve made any changes.
Customize the start menu
The Start menu is your main resource for organizing your programs and files and getting your work done in Windows. You can customize the Start menu in several ways: You can set which action is the default for the power button, you can choose whether your recently used programs and files are displayed on the Start menu, and you can select which items are shown as submenus or links, or are not shown at all.
Set the power button and privacy defaults
Click the Start button, type start in the Search box of the Start menu, and choose Taskbar And Start Menu from the menu to display the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.
On the Start Menu tab, click the Power Button Action button, and select the default action from the drop-down list.
Select or clear the check box to show or hide the list of recently used programs on the Start menu.
Select or clear the check box to show or hide on both the Start menu and the taskbar the list of items that you’ve recently opened.
Click Customize to display the Customize Start Menu dialog box.
For items that are in folders, specify whether you want an item displayed as a link or as a menu, or not displayed. For other items, select the options you want.
Specify how many recently used programs you want to be displayed, and how many items are displayed in the Jump Lists.
Click if you want to remove all custom settings.
Click OK, and then click OK again to close the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.
Share your customizations
Now that you’ve personalized your computer, don’t be greedy—share with a friend! You can do so by creating your own theme and including your customizations of the background, window colors, sounds, screen saver, mouse pointers, Desktop icons, and so on. You do this by creating a theme and then saving it as a theme pack. The theme pack is a single file that contains all the settings you made, plus any additional resource files, such as background images. When you share this file with friends or colleagues who are running Windows 7 on their computers, all they need to do is double-click the file, and all your creative work will be at their disposal.
TIP
The theme-pack file contains any pictures that you’ve included, so if the theme incorporates a large slide show of high-resolution photos, the theme-pack file will be very large. Try using a few lower-resolution photos to reduce the file size.
Share your theme
Right-click a blank spot on the Desktop, and choose Personalize to display the Personalization window.
Create your personal theme, modifying as many elements as you want, and then save the theme.
Right-click the theme and choose Save Theme For Sharing. In the Save Theme Pack As dialog box, name and save the theme-pack file.
Share your theme with others by transferring the theme-pack file to them. Tell them to double-click the file if they want to install the theme on their computers.
For more great tips, buy Windows 7 Plain & Simple by Jerry Joyce and Marianne Moon.