Chapter 5 deals with how to customize the desktop environment in Windows 7. While concepts are familiar, there are some more bells and whistles, including Aero.
Right-clicking an open area of desktop and selecting the Personalize command opens the Personalization window. If the sys admin permits, you can change your desktop background (wallpaper), sound choices, screensaver and "Windows color" (the color used for window titles and the command bar) from the defaults.
The intensity as well as the color of the Window titles and command bar can be modified, and custom colors can be mixed. Selecting the Advanced Appearance Settings link brings up the Window Color and Appearance dialog box. However, both sys admin restrictions and the use of Aero may render this non-functional.
The Sounds Personalization box is in a familiar format to users of previous versions of Windows, but there are a lot more (and a lot more interesting!) preset sound schemes. You can also import sound files to create a custom sound scheme.
Screen savers have evolved from being a means of protecting the CRT from burn-thru to a quick way to hide the desktop and have an attractive appearance when the computer is not being used. Photos from the Photo file can be imported to create a single slide or a slide show of images to be used as a screensaver, as well as more familiar screensavers from previous versions of Windows. The timing of the slide change, the order in which the slides are displayed, and the amount of time before the screensaver is invoked can all be modified. The selected screensaver can also be previewed.
Similar to previous versions, a customized Mouse Pointer may be selected by clicking the Change Mouse Pointers link. The selections include a mouse pointer customized to Windows Aero. Most mouse pointers are provided in various sizes. Using the Apply button allows a preview before deciding on a version. Custom schemes can be created and schemes can be deleted.
Clicking on a theme in My Themes applies that theme, and clicking on another (for example, the default that you should have saved before starting this chapter) will re-apply that theme.
Clicking on the Display link allows for settings to adjust text size globally, adjust resolution of images, adjust brightness of images, calibrate color, change display settings, connect the computer to a projector, adjust ClearType text, and set a custom text size in dots per inch (dpi). This is a bit more elaborate that what was available in WinXP, but is not that different. Advanced settings on the Adjust Resolution screen are best left alone if you don't know what you're doing.
Win7 is set up to only show the Recycle Bin on the desktop. The Change Desktop Icons link permits other icons to be put on the desktop (unlike Start Menu in WinXP) and icon appearance can be changed to a variety of thumbnails. You can also choose whether or not the theme will override your selection of desktop icons.
Desktop themes can be deleted (thank goodness!), as can desktop icons.
The taskbar can be customized, just as in previous versions of Windows. By default the taskbar is locked; it must be unlocked in order to make any changes. The taskbar can be moved from its default location at the bottom of the screen to the top or to either side. Shortcuts can be pinned to the taskbar. Pinned programs can be started by clicking the pinned image, rather than searching on the desktop or through the menus. Programs can also be unpinned from the taskbar. Like previous versions, you can set the taskbar to auto-hide when you're not actively using it. This is useful if you want to use the entire screen for a window.
By default, Win7 hides button labels and cascades buttons for multiple windows of the same program. The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box allows for changing to individual icons and combining only when the taskbar is full or for always using individual icons. Note that labels only display if a program is running even when labels are activated. As with previous versions, the taskbar can be resized.
Win7 has a variety of toolbars that can be added to the taskbar. You can also create custom toolbars. Toolbars can have displayed or hidden titles. By default, toolbars display in a collapsed format; they can be expanded to full size by double-clicking the dotted vertical bar on the left side of the toolbar. Chapter 5 demonstrates the various uses of the Address toolbar by displaying the contents of a folder, displaying a web page, and searching on the Internet using the Address toolbar. Toolbars can be removed from the taskbar by right clicking the label to display a shortcut menu, selecting Toolbars, and clicking off the toolbar to be removed. To lock the taskbar once you're done modifying it, right-click an open area of the taskbar to bring up the shortcut menu and select Lock the Taskbar.
The notification area is on the right end of the taskbar and contains the date/time, various shortcuts to icons and indicators for your computer, and very probably a Show Hidden Icons indicator (a small upward triangle). The SHI reveals other shortcuts that are available but which the admin has decided should not be displayed openly in the notification area (sometimes for reasons of space, sometimes because not everybody would use the shortcut). Right-clicking an open area in the notification area brings up the shortcut menu with the Customize Notification Icons command. You can choose to show the icon and all notifications, hide the icon and all notifications at all times, or only have the icon show if there are notifications. There is also a link to Restore Default Icon Behaviors (thank goodness!).
As with previous versions of Windows, it is possible -- and a bit easier -- to customize the Start Menu. By default, the Computer command is a link on the Start Menu; you can ask it to display as a menu, or tell it not to display at all. (Similarly, the Control Panel, Documents, and Downloads can be modified.) You can select the number of recent programs to display in the Start Menu. The Use Default Settings button restores the defaults.
The Folder Options dialog box (off the Organize button on the Computer window) gives the option whether to open each folder in the same window or in its own window, Again, a Restore Defaults button restores the default of each folder opening in the same window. And Chapter 5 reminds us of how to log off and shut down the computer.
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