DESKTOP & CONTROL PANEL
Beginners & Beyond SIG
By Yvonne Davenport
Beginners Kaffee Klatch, Sun City Summerlin
Overview
Usually located along the bottom of the screen, the Taskbar has four major sections:
1) the Start button;
2) Quick Launch;
3) buttons that refer to all open windows; and
4) the System Tray (now called the Notification Area). In addition, there are other Toolbars (Address Bar, Links, Desktop, and New Toolbar) that many people find to be indispensable.
The Taskbar is a convenient tool that assists the user in quickly and easily navigating the Windows operating system. It gives you rapid access to the programs and tools you frequently use. It pays to take some time to customize your Taskbar to create a computing
environment that fits your personal needs.
The default location for the Taskbar is along the bottom of your Desktop, but you can position it on either side or even at the top of your Desktop. Left-click and hold your mouse pointer on an empty area of the Taskbar and drag it to the new position. If the Taskbar will not move, it might mean that it is “locked.” To unlock it so that it can be moved, right-click on the Taskbar itself and verify that “Lock the Taskbar” has been unchecked. To restore the Taskbar to the bottom of the display, simply drag and drop it to its original default position.
You can resize the Taskbar by clicking and expanding or collapsing the edge that faces into the middle of the Desktop. Position your cursor over the inside edge of the Taskbar until you see a two-headed arrow. Then drag (using your left mouse button) its edge to make it larger or smaller.
You can change the Taskbar’s settings by right-clicking on a blank space on the taskbar and then left-clicking on “Properties.”
If you always want to see the Taskbar, click the Always On Top checkbox.
On the other hand, select the Auto-hide checkbox to hide it. Quicken or Excel users, for example, will find it advantageous to use Auto-hide. (If you choose Auto Hide, the Taskbar reappears when you move your mouse near the bottom of the screen.) Generally, intermediate and advanced users have their Taskbar set on Auto-hide.
Rather than have a program that you use regularly positioned on the desktop as a shortcut and taking up desktop space, many users prefer to place their frequently used files on the Quick Launch Bar. This bar is that part of the Taskbar that is generally located immediately to the right of the Start button. Your Quick Launch toolbar will probably already have some shortcuts, but you can add as many web sites, program and document shortcuts as you want. You can easily remove icons that you no longer need from Quick Launch. The Quick Launch Toolbar gives you single-click access to frequently used features, programs, commands and the desktop. (A cautionary note: double-clicking on a Quick Launch icon may cause your computer to open a file twice, once for each click. This may have a negative effect of slowing down your launch.)
• Right-click a blank area on the Taskbar
• Point to Toolbars
• Left-click Quick Launch to select it.
To Place a shortcut to frequently used items on the Quick Launch Toolbar
• Place a shortcut to an item on the desktop. If it is not already there:
1. Click on the START button.
2. Point to ALL PROGRAMS.
3. Find the target program the right-click on it.
4. At the drop-down menu, point to SEND TO.
5. Click on DESKTOP (CREATE SHORTCUT)
6. Right-drag and drop the shortcut icon to the Quick Launch Toolbar
7. At the special popup (contents) menu, click on Move.
• Drag and drop the icon
• While dragging, a black line will indicate where the icon will display after it is moved
• Right-click the shortcut icon
• Click Delete
• Click Yes to send the shortcut icon to the recycle bin
• Right-click a blank area on the taskbar
• Click Toolbars
• Click Quick Launch to deselect it.
• The Quick Launch Toolbar will no longer be displayed on the taskbar
How to Change the Size Of Objects And Text
On Your Screen
To increase or decrease the size of objects and text on your screen
1. Right-click on a blank area on the Desktop.
2. Left-click on Properties. This action will open the Display Properties dialog box.
3. On the Settings tab, click Advanced.
4. On the General tab, in the DPI setting list, click the dots per inch (dpi) setting you want to use.
5. If you choose Custom Setting in the DPI setting list, you can set custom options in the Custom DPI Setting dialog box either by selecting one of the percentage options in the drop-down list or by clicking on the ruler and dragging the pointer to specify a setting.
6. Click OK.
7. At the “Change DPI Setting” dialog box, click OK.
8. Click OK at the next dialog box.
9. Click Yes at the next (General) dialog box.
10. Click Close at the “Display Properties” dialog box.
11. Click Yes at the “System Settings Changes” dialog box
12. Restart your computer when prompted.
Notes:
• If you want to increase the size of text on your screen to make it more readable, use Font size on the Appearance tab in Display Properties.
• The Font size option enables you to enlarge the fonts used in window headers, icon
labels, and menus.
• The font size options are based on the current theme, visual style, and color scheme. For some themes, styles, or schemes, you may only have one font size option.
MANAGING THE START MENU IN WINDOWS XP
Have you ever looked at a computer screen and wondered just where you should start? Many programs are ambiguous and leave you with more than a few questions. Wonder no more! The Start button in the lower-left corner of the Desktop tells you exactly where to begin.
From your Windows XP Start menu, you can:
1) display a list of your programs (All Programs);
2) “pin” or add frequently used programs for easy access;
3) open recent documents;
4) change your computer’s settings from within the Control
Panel;
5), search for files and Websites;
6) seek advice from Microsoft’s Help and Support;
7) surf the Internet;
8) place your computer on standby or in hibernation; and
9) shut down or restart your computer.
The Start menu is the key to running your Windows operating system. You can gain access to nearly any aspect of your computer from the Start button. Because your Start menu reflects the programs and contents of your computer, it’s doubtful any two Start menus and submenus will look exactly the same. You might be surprised at how swiftly you can get to what you need by tweaking the way your Start Menu is set up.
The fastest way to access your Start Menu is to press one of the Windows keys, two of which are located on your keyboard on either side of the space bar and adjacent to the Alt keys. Some older notebook (laptop) computers have the Windows key situated near the upper right corner of the keyboard. If your keyboard does not have a Windows key, pressing the Ctrl and the Esc keys together will accomplish the same task. Once the Start Menu is opened, it can be closed simply by pressing the Esc key or by clicking on the Start button.
Begin by putting some of the things you need to get to most often [such as recently opened documents, Control Panel applets (mini-applications), and the contents of the My Computer folder], onto the Start menu as expandable menus so that you can get to them quickly.
To activate this option:
1. Right-click the Start button
2. Choose Properties. (Properties=Features)
3. On the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
4. Select the Advanced tab.
5. Deselect Open Submenus When I Pause On Them With My Mouse, which will keep you from accidentally starting programs as you search for others.
6. In the Start Menu Items box, under Control Panel, select Display As A Menu. This action will put an expandable Control Panel menu on your Start menu, from which you can choose any of the Control Panel applets. Several of the selections provide the choices Display as a Link and Display as a Menu. These options will be explained and demonstrated during the presentation, using the CONTROL PANEL as an example.
7. Enable Dragging and Dropping. This option will enable you to move folders and files around on the Start Menu and in All Programs. Enabling this feature also permits the use of the right mouse button!
8. Either enable or disable your Favorites menu, according to your personal choice. This is the same list of Internet Websites that you have identified as Favorites within the Internet Explorer browser.
9. Enable Help and Support to give you immediate access to Microsoft’s Help and Support Center.
10. Under My Computer, select Display As A Menu. This action puts an expandable My Computer menu on your Start menu, from which you can quickly access the contents of any of your drives.
11. Under My Documents, select Display As A Menu. This action puts an expandable list of all the folders and files you have stored in My Documents.
12. Under My Music, select Don’t display this item unless you have all your music files stored in the My Music nested folder of My Documents and want to have immediate access to all the files contained therein.
13. Deselect My Network Places. You don't need it unless you constantly add or troubleshoot network connections.
14. Under My Pictures, select Don’t display this item unless you have all your photograph files stored in the My Pictures nested folder of My Documents and want to have immediate access to all the files contained therein.
15. Under Network Connections, select Don't Display This Item. You don't need it unless you constantly add or troubleshoot network connections.
16. Select Printers and Faxes to give you quick access to printer troubleshooting.
17. Select the Run command to give you quick access to such resources as
Microsoft configuration (msconfig) and the Registry Editor (regedit). You can even access a Website from this location by typing in the site’s URL (uniform resource locator).
18. Select the Scroll Programs option. With this option selected, a program list too tall for the screen will become scrollable rather than spreading out to the side and covering more of your screen.
19. Select Search so that you will have easy access to the Microsoft utility that allows you to search for missing folders or files.
20. Select Set Program Access and Defaults so that you can establish which programs you want to use as your defaults, e.g. Internet Explorer or Firefox; Outlook Express or Thunderbird; iTunes or QuickTime or Media Player.
21. Under System Administrative Tools, select Don’t display this item.
22. Under Recent documents, confirm that the List my most recently opened documents is checked. This will add a My Recent Documents item to the Start menu, which will expand to display your 15 most recently opened documents.
23. Click OK twice.
Windows XP makes an effort to load the Start menu with programs Microsoft engineers think you will (or should) use most frequently. For example, it not only puts links to your Web browser and email program at the top left of the Start menu, but assumes you'll want to use Internet Explorer and Outlook or Outlook Express, even if you have other options installed (Mozilla Firefox or Mozilla Thunderbird, for example). Immediately beneath these two items, it automatically adds links to what are supposed to be your most recently and frequently used programs. Unfortunately, sometimes those include links to promotional programs that you will never use at all.
To limit Windows' automatic selections:
1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Choose Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Customize.
4. Under Programs, set Number Of Programs On Start Menu to a lower number, such as two (which will eliminate most of Windows' automatic selections but clue you to any programs you may not notice you're using
often).
5. If you use programs other than Internet Explorer for browsing and Outlook or Outlook Express for email, specify those programs under Show On Start Menu. Click OK twice.
To pin specific programs to the Start menu:
1. Click Start.
2. Select All Programs.
3. Locate the icon for the program you want to add to the Start menu.
4. Right-click on the program icon.
5. Click on Pin to Start Menu.
6. The program is now affixed to your Start menu.
7. Repeat the procedure to attach other programs.
8. Click on Start to close all Start Menu windows.
Pin to the Start menu only those programs you use very frequently. If you need to remove a pinned program to make room for another, right-click the program in the Start menu and choose Remove From This List or Unpin from Start Menu. You can change the order of the programs on the pinned items list by dragging a program to a new position.
Pinning can be habit-forming and before you know it your Start menu may be overcrowded with program links. You can free up a little more space by switching to small Start menu icons. Automatically, the listings in the Start’s primary menu are big and bold so you can easily see them. However, you can make these listings smaller to keep the Start menu from consuming so much room. To achieve this option:
1. Right-click on Start
2. Click Properties
3. Select Start Menu on the Start Menu tab
4. Select the Customize button
5. Select the General tab
6. Select Small Icons
7. Click OK twice..
If this action doesn’t seem to make any changes to your icons, you may need to change your Display properties.
1. Click Start
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select the Display icon
4. Select the Appearance tab
5. Select the Effects button
6. Deselect the checkbox next to Use Large Icons so that its check mark
disappears.
7. Once you click OK to save the changes and close the dialog box, you should notice a difference.
Change the Way All Programs Opens from the Start Menu
1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Click Properties.
3. On the Start Menu tab, click Start menu, and then click Customize.
4. On the Advanced tab, select the Open submenus when I pause on them
with my mouse check box.
The next time you click Start, and point to All Programs, you will see a list of available programs.
Change the Way You View the All Programs Menu
Windows XP gives you a choice of how to view the All Programs menu. You can display your programs in one long list, which requires scrolling up or down to see all the items. As an alternative, you can have your programs displayed in columns across your Desktop. To select or deselect a scrolling list of programs:
1. Right-click on the Start button
2. Click Properties
3. Click the Start Menu option
4. Click Customize
5. Click the Advanced tab
6. Select/deselect the checkbox next to Scroll Programs
7. Click OK twice.
The Start Menu can include a My Recent Documents folder where you can access a list of the most recent files you have opened. To activate this option,
1. Right-click on Start
2. Click Properties
3. Select Start Menu on the Start Menu tab
4. Select the Customize button
5. Select the Advanced tab
6. Select the box for List my most recently opened documents
7. Click OK twice..
From time to time, you might want to clear out the contents of the Documents menu. To do this,
1) right-click on Start,
2) click Properties,
3) select Start Menu on the Start Menu tab,
4) select the Customize button,
5) select the Advanced tab,
6) select the Clear List button,
7) click OK twice.
Organize Your All Programs Menu,
a Subset of Your Start Menu
Windows XP has placed several standard folders in the Start menu and its
submenus. As you have installed programs, new folders and icons have appeared in the All Programs menu. You are not stuck with the Start menu’s default configuration, however. You can rearrange its folders and items in the menu to best suit your needs.
Change the Order of Your Programs
If you don’t like the way programs are organized within the submenus, move
them around.
From the All Programs menu, change the order of items or submenus by dragging and dropping them to a new location on the menu.
Note: If you are unable to move programs, you will need to enable
dragging and dropping:
1) right-click on Start,
2) click Properties,
3) select Start Menu on the Start Menu tab,
4) select the Customize
button,
5) select the Advanced tab,
6) select the box for Enable dragging and dropping opened documents, 7) click OK twice.
You can also sort the list of All Programs menu items alphabetically by rightclicking any item on the list and selecting Sort By Name. To move a program to a submenu (Accessories, for instance, is a submenu), right-drag the item over to the desired folder until that folder expands, displaying its contents. Drag the item into that folder’s submenu, and then release the mouse button. You are now given the choice to Move, Copy, or Cancel.
1. Open the Start menu, then go to All Programs.
2. Move to the Folder or File that you wish to delete.
3. Right-click on the object and then select Delete.
Rename a Folder or File from the Start Menu
1. Open the Start menu, then go to All Programs.
2. Move to the Folder or File that you wish to rename.
3. Right-click on the object and then select Rename.
4. Assign a new name to the folder or file.
Move Items from Your Desktop Directly to the Start Menu
You can drag items from your Desktop directly into the All Programs menu. Frequently accessed programs, as well as folders and documents, can be displayed on the All Programs menu and its submenus.
1. Drag the item located on the Desktop over to and on top of the Start button
2. When the menu opens, drop the item into the desired folder. (Keep in mind, however, that placing the item in this new location is only a shortcut to the original file. If you move the original file, your menu shortcut may not
work.)
1. Click Start, and then click Search.
2. Click All files and folders.
• If you do not see All files and folders, you have probably changed your default search behavior.
• Click Change preferences.
• Click Change files and folders search behavior.
• Click Standard, and then click OK.
• Click All files and folders.
3. Type part or all of the name of the file or folder, or type a word or phrase that is in the file.
4. If you do not know either piece of information or want to narrow your search further, select one or more of the remaining options:
• In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network you want to search.
• Click When was it modified? to look for files that were created or modified on or between specific dates.
• Click What size is it? to look for files of a specific size.
• Click More advanced options to specify additional search criteria.
5. Click Search.
The Taskbar displays the windows (folders and files) that are open on your computer. For example, if you have a program open, you will see a Taskbar button that displays the program’s icon and the name of the file that is open. Folders will also appear on the Taskbar as buttons. To switch from one open item to another, just click its Taskbar button.
When you have multiple items open, the Taskbar will adjust the size of all of the buttons based on the amount of available room on the Taskbar. The “active” window will appear as a dark blue button. All other open windows will appear as lighter blue buttons. [In previous editions of Windows, the taskbar buttons appear as light gray and dark gray.]
In previous versions of Windows, users who liked to keep many windows open simultaneously had to figure out which tiny taskbar button represented which window. As new windows opened, each taskbar button was reduced to fit, leaving no room for the windows’ titles. Windows XP offers a better way: taskbar grouping. With this feature, when the taskbar fills up, Windows consolidates taskbar buttons from a single application (examples: several Websites or several Word documents) under one taskbar button. A number on the button indicates how many application instances it contains. Clicking the button displays a list of windows. Right-clicking an item in the list displays the same shortcut menu that you'd see if the window had its own button. With this menu, you can move, resize, or close the window.
In addition to reducing taskbar clutter, task grouping offers some other benefits that aren't immediately apparent. The menu that appears when you right-click the group button provides several useful commands. With a single click, you can:
1) Display all windows in the group without affecting any other open windows;
2) Minimize all windows in the group; and
3) Close all windows in the group.
To enable taskbar groupings, right-click an unoccupied area of the taskbar and choose Properties. Select Group Similar Taskbar Buttons.
By default, taskbar grouping comes into play only when the taskbar fills up. Even if you have multiple windows open from the same application, if there's room for a separate button for each window, that's what appears. You can also increase button space by removing the clock from the taskbar. If you don't need Windows to display the time of day, you can probably squeeze at least one more button onto the bar by unloading the clock. Right-click an unoccupied area of the taskbar and choose Properties, then clear Show the clock.
The Address toolbar will add an Address bar that is similar to the one in your Web browser, e.g. Internet Explorer or Mozilla’s Firefox. This bar makes it possible for you to quickly get to a specific Web address without first launching your Web browser. Just type in the address of the Web site you want to access and then press the ENTER key to have your Web browser automatically launch that Web page.
Place Web Favorites on the Taskbar
The Links toolbar will list your special selection of hyperlinked Web sites you have stored from your Internet Explorer Favorites list. (Firefox bookmarks will not work with this function.)
To Display the Links Toolbar on the taskbar:
1. Right-click a blank area on the Taskbar
2. Point to Toolbars
3. Click Links
To add a Web hyperlink to the Links toolbar:
1. Go online via Internet Explorer to access the web page that you wish to store
2. Click Favorites
3. Click Add to Favorites
4. Click Create in
5. Click on Links (folder)
6. Click OK.
A second way to add a Web hyperlink to the Links toolbar:
1. Go online via Internet Explorer to access the Web page that you wish to store.
2. Right-click on any blank area of the Web page itself
3. Click on Create Shortcut
4. Click on OK.
5. The shortcut will now appear on your Desktop.
6. Right-drag the shortcut to the Links Toolbar.
7. Click on Move.
Be Careful of Taskbar Clutter
If you use all of the features mentioned so far, your Taskbar may begin to become cluttered. One solution is to drag and drop icons and buttons from your Taskbar to the Desktop. Another solution is to hide most of each toolbar’s contents by dragging the vertical separator (two vertical sets of dots (note 1) back and forth to allocate your total available space between the Quick Launch area and the active application buttons/selected toolbars. Note that if you have a toolbar with hidden contents, a double chevron will appear immediately to the right of the toolbar in question. Simply click on the chevron and the hidden contents will appear in a popup menu. If you want all of the features to be visible on your Taskbar, you can increase the size of the Taskbar by dragging its inside border toward the center of the window.
note 1
If the Lock the Taskbar option is activated, the vertical dots will not appear. To unlock the Taskbar, right-click on the Taskbar and left-click on Lock the Taskbar to deselect this function.
If you want to have a desktop that is free of all icons, but yet have all of them immediately available to you on the Taskbar, follow these steps:
1. Right click on a blank area of the desktop.
2. Click on Arrange Icons.
3. Deselect Show Desktop Icons. This action will clear all icons from the
desktop. To restore the icons to their previous desktop locations, simply click on Show Desktop Icons again. (The button acts as a toggle on/off switch.)
4. Right-click on a blank space on the Taskbar.
5. Move up to Toolbars, and then select Desktop.
This action will place a Desktop tab on the Taskbar and give you ready access to all the Desktop icons that you made invisible during the first three steps.
This function (right-click on a blank space on the Taskbar, hover over Toolbars, then left-click on New Toolbar) provides you with a way to add a frequently used folder or file to the Taskbar.