Windows Tweaks

Way back in January I mentioned several things you can do to customize your Windows. We really just scratched the surface. Here are some more ways you can have more fun with your computer.

Customize your desktop

Windows comes straight out of the box with a picture of a field and some sky on the desktop. I guess that’s supposed to be soothing. Some versions come without the field and sky, but with the logo of the computer manufacturer on the desktop instead. What a nice ad every time you do anything at the computer!

You can change the background. You can have a picture you like instead of the one that comes built in. You can have no picture at all! Either way, it’s easy to do.

Right-click on a vacant spot on your desktop. Click on “Properties”. If you click on the “Themes” tab now, and use the drop-down menu under “Theme” you’ll see that you have at least two choices of themes. “Windows XP” is the famous field and sky. “Windows Classic” is more like Windows 98 --- a solid colour background. You might have one called “Toshiba” or “Dell” or “Compaq”. You can preview each theme by selecting it from the drop-down menu. If you see one you like, just click on “Apply” in the lower right hand part of the tab, and you’re away.

If you don’t like any of these themes, it’s easy to modify the desktop settings to create one of your own. With the Display Properties tab still open, click on “Desktop” and scroll through the choices for “Background”. If you see something there you like, use the “Apply” tab to select it. If you want a photo of your dog or your spouse or your grandchildren or the car you want to buy, use the “Browse” button to locate the photo on your computer and select it. You can then use the “Position” button to decide how it fits on your screen. You’ll be able to see a preview before you “Apply” any choice you make. And you can always come back here and change things around again.

I don’t like a photo on my desktop, so I’ve selected “None” from the “Background” list. Then I clicked on “Color” and selected a nice, calm blue-grey.

While you have the “Properties” tab open, you can click on “Screen Saver” and choose one you like. Feel free to play around with the settings for the screen saver (some have more choices than others), but I encourage people to leave the Power settings in the bottom half of that box alone unless they know what they’re doing.

When you settle on a combination of settings you’d like to try for awhile, click on “Themes” again and click on “Save As…”. Give your theme an informative name, like “NoPhoto” or “DogPicture”. That way you can come back again, modify something, and easily revert to this combination if you don’t like the changes you make. When you’re got a combination you like, click on “OK” and you’re good to go.

Change the sound scheme

Are you tired of hearing that sound that Windows makes when you start up? Would you like a different sound? Would you like no sound at all when Windows starts up?

You can change (or silence) any sound Windows makes for an “event”. Here’s how:

Click on Start
Click on Control Panel
On the “Pick a category” pane, click on “Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices”
Under “Pick a task…” click on “Change the sound scheme”

That will open up the Sounds and Audio Devices property sheet. Make sure you’re on the “Sounds” tab, and have a look at the list of “Program events”. Use the scroll bar on the right to scroll through the events. If you see a little speaker icon next to an event, it has a sound associated with it. To hear that sound, click on the little right-facing arrow between the box that shows the sound location and the box that says “Browse…”.

If you want to change the sound for that event, use the down arrow in the “Sounds:” box to select another sound. If you want silence for a particular event, use that arrow, go all the way to the top of the list and select “None”. You’ll notice the little speaker thing will go away. If you want to silence all the event sounds, just select “No sounds” in the “Sound scheme” drop-down box near the top of the tab.

Don’t be afraid to use other sounds you may have acquired along the way for an event. I have Jack Webb from “Dragnet” for one of my reminders, and I have “Superchicken” for my email arrival sound. And now you can see why I change sounds around from time to time!

As with your desktop, use the “Save As…” button to give your combination a helpful name in case you want to make changes and revert to this scheme later. “OK” your way out when you’re satisfied with your choices.

Now, isn’t that better? Your screen is nicer to look at, and you only have the sounds you like.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.