Windows Xp Tips & Tricks

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Windows Xp Tips & Tricks

Speed up menu display

Microsoft Windows XP uses many visual effects to provide a rich, friendly interface. One of these settings allows menus to fade into view when you open them. This visual effect is so smooth that you may never have noticed it; however, the effect does cause menus to take a little longer to appear.
On a fast computer, this shouldn’t be an issue. But on a computer that isn’t responding as quickly as you’d like, you can make menus display faster.
To speed up menu display
1.
Click Start. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
My Computer shortcut menu with Properties selected
2.
Click the Advanced tab. In the Performance area, click Settings.
System Properties dialog box Advanced tab with Settings button selected
3.
On the Visual Effects tab in the Performance Options dialog box, clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box.
Visual Effects tab in Performance Options dialog box with Fade or slide menus into view selected
4.
Click OK.
5.
In the System Properties dialog box, click OK.
Advanced tab in System Properties dialog box with OK selected
Now when you click a menu, it will appear almost instantly.
Set your windows so they all have the same view
Published: September 7, 2006
Microsoft Windows XP lets you show the contents of folders in a variety of ways, such as a simple or detailed list of the files, or as thumbnail images. Each folder in My Computer or My Documents can have its own view. That’s useful for folders like My Music or My Pictures, because you can look at your digital photos in Thumbnails or Filmstrip view, and see your song titles in Tiles view. But changing the view for every folder can be time-consuming.
If you prefer to have all your folder contents displayed in a particular way, you can save yourself some time by changing the view for all the folders on your computer at once.
To set your windows so they all have the same view
1. Click Start, and then click My Documents.
Start menu with My Documents selected
2. Click the Views button, and then click the view you want to apply to all folders.
Note: For more information about views, read Specify how folders open.
My Documents window with Views menu displayed
3. Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
Tools menu with Folder Options selected
4. Click the View tab, and then click Apply to All Folders.
View tab in Folder Options window
5. Click Yes.
Folder views dialog box
6. Click OK.
View tab in Folder Options window with OK button selected
The next time you open a folder, it will be displayed using the view you chose. To restore your original folder settings, repeat steps 1-3. Then, in step 4, click Reset All Folders.
If all the walls in your home are white, stop reading. If you’ve never accessorized an outfit, customized your car, or pierced your body, this article isn’t for you. But if you like adjusting your environment to fit your mood and sense of style, you’ll likely enjoy the number of ways Microsoft Windows XP lets you change the look of your operating system.
You can change everything at once by choosing a theme. There are themes for hundreds of movies, TV shows, sports teams, games, cars, musicians, and anything else people get enthusiastic about. Or you can totally customize the appearance of Windows XP by tuning individual settings.

How to change the theme

Themes can change every aspect of your computer’s appearance, including colors, sounds, pointers, and the desktop background. To change your theme, first find one that appeals to you. The Microsoft Download Center has many themes, or you can search the Web. To find a theme on a particular topic, search for “Download XP Themes topic.” After you download a theme, just install it as you would any other program.
After you’ve installed a theme, you can change it manually.
To change a theme
1. Right-click your desktop, and then click Properties.
Desktop shortcut menu with Properties selected
2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Themes tab. Click the Theme list, and then select the theme you want to use.
Theme drop-down box on the Themes tab in Display Properties dialog box
3. Windows XP shows a preview of the theme. If you like how the preview looks, click OK. Otherwise, click Cancel. Go back to step 2 and choose another theme.
Themes tab in Display Properties dialog box with OK button selected
The new theme takes effect immediately.
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How to tune your screen’s

appearance

Themes can change every aspect of your computer screen’s appearance. Sometimes you just want to change one or two things, like the color of your windows or the font size.
To tune the appearance of Windows XP
1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
Desktop shortcut menu with Properties selected
2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Appearance tab.
The Appearance tab in Display Properties dialog box
3. To change the colors used in your screen’s appearance, click the Color scheme list and then click a new color.
The Color schemes drop-down box on the Appearance tab in the Display Properties dialog box
4. To change text size, click the Font size drop-down box, and then click a new size.
The Font size drop-down box on the Appearance tab in the Display Properties dialog box
5. Click the Advanced button.
Appearance tab in Display Properties dialog box, with Advanced button selected
6. In the Advanced Appearance dialog box, click the Item list to select what aspect of the appearance you want to change. The most important items are:
• 3D Objects. The color of buttons and windows.
• Desktop. The color of your desktop if you don’t have a picture.
• Active Title Bar. The color, size, and font on the title bar of the window you’re currently using. You can fade between two different colors.
• Icon. The size and font of the icons on your desktop.
• Inactive Title Bar. The color, size, and font on the title bar of the windows you aren’t currently using. You can fade between two different colors.
• Menu. The size of the text in menus.
• Scrollbar. The width of scrollbars.
• ToolTip. The size of text that appears when you hover your pointer over an object.
After you’ve set all your Advanced Appearance settings, click OK.
Advanced Appearance dialog box with OK button selected
7. In the Display Properties dialog box, click Apply to test your settings. Click Cancel, and return to step 5 to change any settings you don’t like.
The Appearance tab in Display Properties dialog box, with Apply button selected
8. Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box.
The Appearance tab in Display Properties dialog box with OK button selected
If you get tired of your computer’s new look, you can always change the theme again, or you can select the Windows XP theme to return to the familiar blue. If other people in your home use your computer but don’t share your sense of style, you can set up accounts for each of them. Then everyone can have a look all their own.

Work with shortcuts

You can’t be in more than one place at a time, but—with shortcuts—your files can. Shortcuts are links to programs, documents, files, or Web sites that you can add to your desktop or Start menu. Rather than searching through folders or the Internet every time you want to open a particular file or Web site, simply create a shortcut.
You may not know it, but you use shortcuts all the time. When you click the Start menu, every icon you see is a shortcut. The icons on your desktop are also shortcuts. Without these shortcuts (which are created by Windows or the programs you install), you would have to do a lot of extra work every time you wanted to open a program or empty your recycle bin.
You open a shortcut exactly as you would open a file: by double-clicking it. When you open a shortcut, Windows locates and opens the original file. If you delete the shortcut, the original file is still right where it was.
Find out how to:
• Add a shortcut to your desktop.
• Add a shortcut to your Start menu.
• Add a shortcut that links to a Web site.
• Change a shortcut icon.

How to add a shortcut to your

desktop

If you use your desktop frequently, you should consider adding shortcuts to your favorite files to your desktop.
To add a shortcut to a file on your desktop
1. Browse your My Documents folder and subfolders to find the file you want to create a shortcut for.
2. Right-click the file you want to link to from your desktop, click Send To, and then click Desktop.
File shortcut menu with Send To selected and Desktop selected on submenu
Your file stays in the same place, but you now have a shortcut to that file on your desktop. Notice that the icon on your desktop has an arrow in the lower-left corner. This arrow indicates that you are clicking a shortcut and not the actual file.
A shortcut icon on a desktop
If your desktop gets cluttered with too many shortcuts, you can organize and clean up your desktop.
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How to add a shortcut to your Start

menu

In addition to being able to add shortcuts to your desktop, you can also add shortcuts on your Start menu. Shortcuts to your favorite files can appear alongside your programs.
To add a shortcut to your Start menu
1. Browse your My Documents folder and subfolders to find the file you want to create a shortcut for.
2. Drag the file to the Start button and hold it for about one second.
3. When the Start menu opens, drag the file to the location where you want to add it.
4. Drop the file where you want the shortcut, and a shortcut icon appears.
A shortcut being dragged onto the open Start menu

How to add a shortcut to a Web site

In addition to linking to files on your own computer, you can create shortcuts to your favorite Web sites. Double-click the shortcut, and the Web site will open in your browser.
To create a shortcut to a Web site
1. Open the Web site in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. Click and drag the Internet Explorer icon in the Address bar (next to the URL) to your desktop or to the Start menu.
Pointer dragging Internet Explorer icon in Address bar
For more detailed instructions, watch the video Creating a desktop shortcut to a Web site.
Watching the video requires that you have Windows Media Player.
Play video Watch the video now.

How to change the icons in your shortcuts

Shortcuts include a picture called an icon, which can help you find a program or file faster. For example, the My Computer shortcut shows a computer icon, and the Recycle Bin shortcut shows a trash can icon.
Examples of shortcut icons
When you change your Windows theme, the new theme might include a set of custom icons that complement the look of the new desktop. For example, a jungle theme might change your My Computer icon to a giraffe. If you want, you can change one or more icons to something more interesting to you.
The method for changing an icon depends on the icon type. You can:
• Change a system icon.
• Change any other icon on your computer.

How to change system icons

To change system icons
1. Right-click your desktop, and then click Properties.
Desktop shortcut menu with Properties selected
2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab. Then click Customize Desktop.
Desktop tab in Display Properties dialog box, with Customize Desktop button selected
3. On the General tab, click the icon you want to change. Then, click Change Icon.
The Desktop Items window with Change Icon button selected
4. Click the Browse button, and select the folder to which you saved your icons. Click the View Menu button, and then click Thumbnails.
The Change Icon window with Thumbnails selected on menu
5. Click the icon you want to use, and then click Open.
The Change Icon window with Open button selected
6. Click OK.
Change Icon window with OK button selected
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 to change other icons. When you are finished changing your icons, click OK twice.
The General tab in Desktop Items window with OK button selected

How to change non-system icons

To change icons other than system icons
1. Find icons that suit your sense of style. For example, enter “download Windows icons” in your favorite Internet search tool.
2. Download the icons and save them to your computer.
3. Right-click the shortcut for which you want to change the icon, and then click Properties.
Shortcut menu for shortcut on All Programs menu with Properties selected
4. On the Shortcut tab in the Internet Explorer Properties dialog box, click Change Icon.
The Shortcut tab in Internet Explorer Properties dialog box with Change Icon button selected
5. Click the Browse button.
Change Icon window with the Browse button selected
6. Select the folder to which you saved your icons. Click the View Menu button, and then click Thumbnails.
The Change Icon window with Thumbnails selected on menu
7. Select the icon you want to use, and then click Open.
The Change Icon window with Open button selected
8. Click OK.
The Change Icon window with OK button selected
9. In the Internet Explorer Properties dialog box, click OK again.
The Internet Explorer Properties dialog box with OK button selected
10. Repeat steps 3 through 9 to change additional icons.

Increase the clarity of text

You can make text much easier to read on your computer screen by enabling ClearType. This technology, included with Microsoft Windows XP, changes the way fonts look on your screen to make them easier to read. The following sample shows standard text on the left and ClearType text on the right.
Example of standard text on left and ClearType text on right
Example of standard text on left and ClearType text on right
To enable ClearType
1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
Desktop shortcut menu with Properties selected
2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Appearance tab.
Display Properties dialog box Appearance tab
3. Click the Effects button.
Pointer on Effects button in Appearance tab in Display Properties dialog box
4. Click the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts check box (if it is not already selected), click the down arrow, and then click ClearType.
Effects dialog box with ClearType selected
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