Make Your Life A Little Easier

You can easily change Windows XP settings to create a computing environment that makes your life a little easier. You absolutely do not have to accept the default settings. You can try something different, and if you don't like it, you can try something else or go back to the way things were. (Wouldn't it be nice if real life was a little more like that?)

Screen Resolution
We've talked before about changing the text size in your browser (http://rlis.com/columns/column76.htm), but wait...there's more! You can change the way things appear on your monitor, adjusting so that you can see more windows, or so that you see fewer windows, but each is larger.

What?

Most monitors support more than one screen resolution. "Resolution" is expressed as the number of pixels on the entire screen. The higher the number of pixels, the more information you can display on your screen and the smaller each item appears. That's a "high" resolution. Lower screen resolution makes items appear larger and can benefit people with vision impairments.

You can easily try this and see what you like. If you're at all hesitant, begin by setting a Restore Point. (To learn more about System Restore, browse here.

When you are ready to adjust your screen resolution:

Right-click on a blank spot on the Desktop
Click "Properties"
Select the "Settings" tab
Use the Screen resolution slider to change the settings
Click "Apply"
When prompted, click "OK"

Your screen will go black for a few seconds. (Best not to panic.) You'll have about 15 seconds to confirm or reject the change.

When you set a screen resolution, that's the resolution for everyone who uses the computer, even if people have different logons. So you might want to warn your family before they sit down to the computer...or you might want to see how long it takes them to ask what's different!

Mighty Mouse ("Here I come to save the day...")
If you are left-handed, or if you simply have trouble using your right hand, you can easily reprogram your mouse so the button functions are reversed. Even if you use your right hand to operate the mouse, you can slow things down or speed things up until you're comfortable with them.

To explore these settings:

Start Control Panel Classic View Mouse Buttons
If you want to work left-handed, check the box to "Switch primary and secondary buttons" and then click "Apply." You can also change how fast you have to Double-click by using the slider on that same tab.

Clicking on the Pointer Options tab, will allow you to change the speed and other behaviours of the mouse pointer. Some people prefer to have "trails" behind the arrow. Some want the pointer to "snap," or to be able to press a key and find the pointer. If you have a Logitech or other "brand name" mouse, you might have more or different options. Don't be afraid to try different things! Just remember to click on "Apply" and then "OK" to save your changes.

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