Does your monitor appear a tad dark and dingy even after you've switched the brightness to its maximum setting? Some graphics adapters -- usually newer and higher-end adapters with 3D capability -- have an additional brightness control as part of the graphics adapter controls. Right-click the Windows Desktop and select Properties. On the Settings tab, click the Advanced button. Examine each tab for a setting labelled 'Gamma Correction' or something similar. Adjust it to your liking.

FIGURE 1: Backing up your hard drive selectively or in its entirety is easy when you use Windows' Backup utility.

FIGURE 2: To get four-channel sound, select the proper speaker setup in Control Panel.