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Easy Customizations to Personalize Your PC
It's hard to
imagine that life in front of a computer could be anything but fun.
Nevertheless, when you sit down to work or play, there is - the same old
computer screen, the same file and folder color schemes and the same old
sounds. Before you know it the incredibly exciting world of personal
computing becomes as humdrum as running your dishwasher. Of course, we
exaggerate, but you get the point! Fear not, we have some solutions:
Change Your Wallpaper
It's the Simplest and quickest way of all to change the feel and texture of
your desktop environment. It only takes a few minutes to change your desktop
background (wallpaper), and it will give your computer screen a whole new
look. You can find tons of free wallpaper sites on the Internet. Better yet,
you can use digital photos of your friends and families. Here's an easy
9-step process to change your Windows wallpaper.
1. Right-click on your desktop
2. Select Properties from the bottom of the popup menu. This will bring up
the Display Properties window
3. Click the Desktop tab
4. Click the Browse button
5. Select the image you want to use.
6. Click OK
7. Click the drop-down box beneath Position
8. Select Stretch. This fits your image to the size of the screen
9. Click OK
As
simple as that! You have brand new wallpaper to enjoy (until it's time to
redecorate again).
Customize Your
Display Properties
If revamping your wallpaper isn't enough change for you, here's a dandy
little procedure that can also enhance or change the look and feel of your
desktop. Customizing your Display Properties is just about as easy as
redecorating your wallpaper. Here's how it's done:
1. From the Themes tab of your Display Properties you can
select a number of reconfigured arrangements, such as color and button
styles. If you have Microsoft Plus! it will present you with a list that
includes dozens of different themes.
2. From the Appearance tab, you can choose the Windows Classic or the Windows
XP style, choose a color scheme and select a font size.
3. The Settings tab allows you to increase or decrease the screen resolution
to let you get as many pixels onscreen as you can handle before the text and
images on the screen become too small to see without having to squint.
4. The Screen Saver tab allows you to choose one of more than a dozen various
screen savers.
5. The Settings button gives you the capability to adjust how fast the screen
savers will reset and the size of the objects they place on screen.
Redecorate! Change
your wallpaper and your home theme. Change the look and feel of your desktop
using Display Properties.
Customize Your Toolbars
Each application you install comes with its own toolbar layout, none of them
precisely configured for the way you'll use the program. It's easy to
customize your toolbars so they meet your needs better than the
manufacturers' default toolbar layout. Here's how:
The next time you open
an application, select the View or Tools option from the toolbar and look for
a command along the lines of "customize". This command will take
you through the steps necessary to make your toolbar fit your needs. Some
applications, like Word, are especially easy to customize, allowing you to
drag additional command buttons onto the toolbar and delete the ones you
don't need.
You can make your
applications intuitive to your needs by customizing their toolbars.
Add A Library of
Sounds
It's truly passé to restrict your PC listening to the default sound library
of dings, beeps and clunks that the manufacturer initially loads onto
Windows. It's easy to add your own sonic flourishes to the interface. In
fact, you can change the default error sound in Windows from the
all-too-familiar clunk with a completely customized sound, even a recording
of your in-shower falsetto rendition of an operatic aria with the right
technology. However, here are some simple ways to add new sounds to your
Windows interface:
1. Go to you Control Panel
2. Look through the Windows Program Events list under Sound and Audio
Devices.
3. Click the Sounds tab in the window that pops up. You'll notice entries
such as Asterisk, Default Beep, Exclamation, Start Windows, Exit Windows and
New Mail Notification.
4. Browse the Web to mine more sounds, or record your own sounds as WAV files
using Sound Recorder, which you can find at
Start/Programs/Accessories/Entertainment
5. Now that you've acquired a pocketful of compelling new sounds, return to
the Sounds and Audio Device Properties window
6. Select each sound you'd like to change from the list
7. Click the Browse button
8. Select your custom WAV file
9. Click OK
That's all there is
to it, and you'll be amazed at how far a few customized sounds will go toward
making Windows more fun.
Change Folder Options
Here's another great way to spruce up your PC environment - by changing your
folder options. It's just as easy to do as redecorating your computer's
wallpaper. Try these easy steps:
1. Open any folder on your computer (My Documents is a
good choice).
2. Move the cursor to any edge or corner of the window until the cursor turns
into a double arrow.
3. Resize the window the way it works best for you.
4. From the View command on the toolbar, choose whether to view each file or
folder as a thumbnail, tile, icon, listed entry or detailed entry. Note: if
you select Folder Options from the Tools menu, you can choose options from
the General tab, such as whether you want every subfolder displayed in a new
window.
5. Click the View tab. A list of options pops up. You now have the choice to
hide certain files, display file extensions and remember the specific view
settings for each folder.
6. Click the Apply to All Folders button (it's located near the top of the
window). Now you will be able to apply the size and shape of the folder
you're working in, as well as its other settings to all the folders in
Windows. By performing this final task, you will create a uniform look
throughout your system.
Folder Options give
you the opportunity to add your personal touch to Windows Folders.
Customize Startup
Applications
Over months of use your desktop accumulates a small battalion of icons all
lined up in your system tray at the bottom of your Windows desktop. These tiny
icons represent applications that are currently running. Some of these
programs are essential (FireWire, antivirus and antispyware utilities, for
example). However, you may not need the rest, such as Instant Messenger
programs, RealOne, etc. So, banish them from your system tray! Here is a
simple icon banishment procedure:
1. Click on the unwanted icons in order to open their
applications.
2. Look in the Option for a selection that reads something like, "Load
every time Windows Starts."
3. Clear the checkbox beside the "Load every time…" option.
4. Look under Start/Programs/Startup for any applications. Each program in
this folder will load automatically when Windows start. If you find any
applications in this folder that don't need to be loaded into your system's
memory all the time, it's a good idea to delete them.
5. After rebooting your PC, select the Run command from the Start menu.
6. Type msconfig
7. Click OK
8. Click the Startup tab in the System Configuration Utility that will appear
onscreen.
9. Look through the programs that are set to load into memory every time
Windows starts. If you can disable this auto-load feature in the options menu
of each unnecessary program, do so. Otherwise, simply clear the check box
beside it and click Okay.
Now, when you boot up
Windows, only the applications that you want to run in the background will
load into memory. This will enhance your system's performance. And when you
want to quickly access any of the programs you chose not to auto-load, you
can add them to your quick-start menu at the bottom left corner of your
screen. You can accomplish this by creating a shortcut to the program on your
desktop by right clicking on the program name in your Start/Programs list and
drag the shortcut icon into the quick-start menu area. The icon will appear
there. The program will always be just one click away!
Create Customized
User Accounts
Obviously, not everyone shares the same tastes. So, if you share a computer
with other members of your household, the customizations you've made might
not be greeted with unanimous approval. That's why Windows XP has made it
possible to create customized user accounts. XP's User Accounts enable each
user to customize the Windows configuration without affecting any other user
accounts on the system. Creating new, customized user accounts in Window is
easy. Follow these steps:
1. Select Start/Setting/Control Panel/User Accounts
2. Click Create an account
3. Type the name of the person who will be using the account
4. Click Next
5. Select Limited as the account type
6. Click the Create Account button. This adds the account to the man User
Account Window
Click on the icon for
the account. Now you'll be able to add a password for the account, link a
digital image from your hard drive to it, or change the account type. Once
everyone using the terminal creates user accounts, each individual can choose
his or her own wallpaper, screen savers, window sizes, as well as desktop
icon and Start menu layout. All users can customize personal file folders and
install applications that are exclusively available to them.
Minimize Noise
Another powerful way to change your system environment is to keep noise to a
minimum. You'd be surprised at how dramatic change of pace it will be to put
a cease to the humming, whirring and groaning that adds to your daily white
noise quotient. Following are some simple tricks to cut down system noise:
1. Add rubber vibration absorbers to the case fans.
2. Replace case fans with ball-bearing models that will produce far less noise
3. Perhaps rig your PC with a new power supply that features larger fans that
don't have to spin as much (and make as much noise) as the smaller one.
* IMPORTANT! Back Up Your Files
If you do not want to lose all the great customizations you've made, we
recommend that you backup your files.
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