Different people have different needs and preferences, so Windows 95 allows you to change the way your computer works and displays information.
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You can make some of these changes using the Control Panel.
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To view the Control Panel, you first click the ^UStart^u button.
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Then you point to ^USettings^u, and choose ^UControl Panel^u.
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You can also open the Control Panel by double-clicking the ^UMy Computer^u icon on your desktop and then double-clicking the ^UControl Panel^u icon.
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To use any of the options in the Control Panel, you double-click the relevant icon.
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The icons in the Control Panel vary according to the devices you have installed on your computer.
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The ^UDate/Time^u icon allows you to set the date, time, and time zone that your computer uses.
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You can also do this by right-clicking the digital clock at the right-hand side of the Taskbar.
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You choose the ^UKeyboard^u icon to adjust the sensitivity of the keyboard and the cursor blink rate.
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The ^UMouse^u icon allows you to adjust the properties of the mouse and the pointer to make each easier to use.
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To reflect regional standards, the ^URegional^u ^USettings^u icon allows you to adjust the display of
ò numbers
ò measurements
ò dates
ò times
ò currency
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If you use the English (British) setting, dates are displayed with the day before the month.
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But if you use English (United States), the month comes before the day.
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Windows 95 uses a default scheme for the colors and designs you see on screen.
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But you may want to change this scheme to something that suits you better.
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To change the appearance of your screen you first need to double-click the ^UDisplay^u icon in the Control Panel.
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Alternatively, you can right-click the desktop and select ^UProperties^u in the shortcut menu.
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The Display Properties dialog box is displayed with the ^UBackground^u tab selected.
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You can use the options in the Background tabbed page to make the desktop more interesting by placing a design on it.
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You can either use a ^Rpattern^r or ^Rwallpaper^r.
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A pattern is a design using black and the color of the desktop.
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Wallpapers use their own colors.
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Suppose you want to add a pattern to the desktop.
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You first need to select the pattern - say ^UThatches^u - from the Pattern list.
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You can create your own patterns by clicking the ^UEdit Pattern^u button.
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A sample of the pattern is displayed in the preview area.
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To use wallpaper, you select an option from the Wallpaper list.
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If you select both a pattern and wallpaper, the wallpaper is displayed on top of the pattern.
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To display the wallpaper in the middle of the desktop only you click the ^UCenter^u radio button.
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You choose ^UTile^u if you want the wallpaper to cover the whole desktop.
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Once you have chosen a pattern or wallpaper you click ^UOK^u.
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The design you selected has been added to the desktop.
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To return to the default desktop you repeat the procedure, but this time you select ^UNone^u from the Wallpaper and Pattern lists.
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A screen saver is a moving graphic image that is displayed on your screen if you don't use your computer for a specified period of time.
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Screen savers are used to prevent images becoming ^Rburnt^r ^Rin^r when left on a screen for a long time.
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Although many screens no longer have burn-in problems, often people still want to use a screen saver, perhaps just for fun.
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Suppose you are tired of seeing your computer screen and decide a screen saver will be useful.
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You first need to select the ^UScreen Saver^u tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
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You select the screen saver you want to use from the Screen Saver drop-down list.
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A preview is displayed in the preview area.
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At the Wait field, you type the length of time you want your computer to wait before displaying the screen saver.
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You could also use the arrow buttons at the Wait field to change this setting.
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For example, if you type ^R1^r the screen saver will be displayed after your computer has been inactive for one minute.
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If you want your screen saver to provide you with some security you can assign a password to it.
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You do this by checking the ^UPassword protected^u checkbox, and using the ^UChange^u button to set (or change) your screen saver password.
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This means that whenever the screen saver is displayed you will need to enter your screen saver password before you can resume using your computer.
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You click the ^USettings^u button if you want to customize your screen saver further.
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If your monitor is Energy Star compliant, you can switch it to standby or switch it off using the ^ULow-power standby^u and ^UShut off^u ^Umonitor^u checkboxes (with their associated "minutes" boxes).
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For example, with the present settings your screen saver turns on after one minute, your monitor goes into standby mode after 15 minutes, and it shuts off after 20 minutes.
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When you have finished choosing a screen saver and setting the energy saving features of your monitor, you click ^UOK^u.
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After your computer has been inactive for the specified time the screen saver is displayed.
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And you can only resume using your computer by typing your screen saver password and clicking ^UOK^u.
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Windows 95 uses a default scheme for the colors that are displayed on screen, but you may want to change these colors.
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To change the colors used on screen you select the ^UAppearance^u tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
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To change to a completely new color scheme you select an option from the Scheme drop-down list.
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A preview of the new scheme is displayed in the preview area.
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For example, here you see what the "Pumpkin" scheme would look like.
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To return to the 95 default color scheme, you select ^UWindows Standard^u.
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Rather than changing the whole scheme, you can change the color of each on-screen item individually.
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Suppose you want to change the color of the desktop only.
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You first need to select ^UDesktop^u from the Item drop-down list.
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Alternatively, you can click anywhere in the area that represents the desktop in the preview.
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You select a color from the Color drop-down box.
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You can create your own colors by clicking the ^UOther^u button.
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As you can see, the desktop in the preview changes to the new color.
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Now you click ^UOK^u.
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The desktop is the color you selected.
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You can return to the default color scheme by selecting the desktop default color in the Color drop-down box.
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Alternatively, you can select ^UWindows Standard^u from the Scheme drop-down list.
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Let's say your screen saver is set to be displayed when your computer has been inactive for one minute.
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You find this annoying because you sometimes pause for longer than a minute while you are working - so you want to change the wait time to ten minutes.
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Your screen saver is also password-protected.
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However you no longer need that because none of the documents you are working on is particularly sensitive.
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The Taskbar is the bar at the bottom of the desktop.
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It has four sections:
ò the ^UStart^u button
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ò buttons for the applications
that are running
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ò a vacant area
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ò the digital clock
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Sometimes it is difficult to see all the windows that you have open.
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The Taskbar allows you to choose the way that windows are displayed.
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You first right-click the vacant area on the bar.
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The ^UTaskbar^u shortcut menu displays options for arranging windows.
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The ^UCascade^u option arranges windows on top of each other leaving the top and left-hand side of each window visible.
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^UTile Horizontally^u arranges windows next to each other in horizontal lines.
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^UTile Vertically^u displays windows next to each other in vertical lines.
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The ^UMinimize All Windows^u option clears all windows from the desktop, but leaves them open.
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To reverse the arrangement you last selected, you reopen the ^UTaskbar^u shortcut menu.
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An ^UUndo^u option corresponding to the last option you selected is displayed.
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If you select ^UUndo Minimize^u ^UAll^u the windows return to their previous arrangement.
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You can also change the way the Taskbar itself is displayed to suit your own needs.
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You first select ^UProperties^u in the ^UTaskbar^u shortcut menu to display the Taskbar Properties dialog box.
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You can also open the Taskbar Properties dialog box by clicking the ^UStart^u button, pointing to ^USettings^u, and selecting ^UTaskbar^u.
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The ^UTaskbar Options^u tab is automatically selected.
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If you check ^UAlways on top^u the Taskbar remains visible at all times and is displayed on top of any other windows.
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If you check ^UAuto hide^u the Taskbar sinks out of sight when you move the pointer away from it, and becomes visible again when you move the pointer back.
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^UShow small icons in Start menu^u reduces the size of the icons in the ^UStart^u menu and shortcut menus.
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^UShow Clock^u displays the digital clock - or removes it if the box is deselected.
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You click ^UOK^u for your chosen settings to take effect.
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You can display the Taskbar along the top or on either side of the screen by clicking a vacant area (or the digital clock) and dragging the bar to a new location.
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This makes it quicker and easier to use when you are running applications that have most of their menus and buttons at the top of the screen.
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If you want to change the size of the Taskbar, you move the pointer to the edge of the bar until a double-headed arrow is displayed.
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Then you drag the edge of the bar until it is the required size.
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You can even drag the Taskbar off the screen, and drag it back when you need it again.
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Sometimes there are programs, documents, or other types of file that you use very often.
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To make them easier to access you can reorganize your menus.
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Suppose you use Microsoft Paint often and want to place an option in the ^UPrograms^u menu so that you can open it more quickly.
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First you need to click the ^UStart^u ^UMenu Programs^u tab in the Taskbar Properties dialog box.
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You then click the ^UAdd^u button.
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If you know the path to the Paint application file, you can type it at the Command line field.
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You must enclose the path in inverted commas if you type it at the Command line field.
An application file is also known as an executable file or program file.
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Otherwise, you click the ^UBrowse^u button to search for the file.
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In the Browse dialog box, you double-click the ^UProgram Files^u folder.
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Then you double-click the ^UAccessories^u folder.
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Now you double-click the ^UMspaint^u file (or select the file and click ^UOpen^u).
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The path is entered at the Command line field.
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Now you click ^UNext^u.
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The Select Program Folder dialog box is displayed with the ^UPrograms^u folder selected.
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You could place the menu option in a different location by selecting a different folder.
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However, we do not wish to do that here, so you click ^UNext^u.
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You can choose a name for the menu item by typing it at the field.
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You then click ^UFinish^u.
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Finally you click ^UOK^u.
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When you now click the ^UStart^u button and point to ^UPrograms^u, you can see that ^UPaint^u is an option in the ^UPrograms^u menu.
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You can remove options from menus by using the ^URemove^u button.
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The ^UAdvanced^u button allows you to use Explorer to add and remove menu items.
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Clicking the ^UClear^u button deletes the list of documents in the ^UDocuments^u menu.
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Remember, this deletes only the list and not the documents themselves.
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Suppose you decide your ^UPrograms^u menu has become cluttered and difficult to use.
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You want to remove the ^UPaint^u option from the menu as you now rarely use the application.
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A shortcut is a pointer to something else.
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When you choose a shortcut the item that it points to is opened.
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You can place shortcuts in almost any folder, but you need to choose folders that are easily accessible while you are using your computer.
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The most common folders in which to place shortcuts are
ò the ^UStart^u menu
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ò the desktop
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ò the StartUp folder
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You can create shortcuts that point to
ò programs
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ò documents
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ò almost any other type
of file or folder
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Because it is only a pointer, a shortcut doesn't affect a file's location.
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And if you delete a shortcut the file itself isn't deleted.
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You can also have multiple shortcuts for one file.
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One way of creating a shortcut is to begin by finding the file to which you want to create the shortcut.
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Suppose you use Microsoft Excel often and want to place a shortcut to it in a convenient location.
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You first need to find the Excel application file using Windows Explorer.
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You can use My Computer or the Find facility if you prefer.
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You right-click the file and drag it to the folder in which you want to place the shortcut - the My Files folder, for example.
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Alternatively you can drag directly onto the desktop if you want to place the shortcut there - we will do that here.
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When you release the right-mouse button a menu is shown - you select ^UCreate Shortcut(s) Here^u.
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A shortcut icon is created on the desktop and given a default name.
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A shortcut icon is always displayed with an arrow in its bottom left corner.
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Now you can open Excel simply by double-clicking the shortcut icon on the desktop.
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You can move the icon to a new position by dragging it or by right-clicking the desktop and using the options in the pop-up menu to arrange all the icons.
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You can rename the icon by selecting it, and then clicking directly on its current name.
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Now you can type a new name for the icon and press ^UEnter^u to retain the name.
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If you want to place the shortcut in the ^UStart^u menu, you drag the icon to the ^UStart^u button.
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You can drag a file straight from Explorer to the ^UStart^u button, but you won't get the chance to rename the shortcut.
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To remove a shortcut from the desktop you drag it to the Recycle Bin (or right-click the shortcut and select ^UDelete^u).
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Remember, this doesn't remove the actual program - just the shortcut.
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However, you can't drag or right-click the options displayed in the ^UStart^u menu.
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So shortcuts in the ^UStart^u menu have to be deleted using Explorer or the ^URemove^u button in the Taskbar Properties dialog box.
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A second way of creating a shortcut is first to find the folder into which you want to place the shortcut.
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Suppose you use Paint every time you start your computer.
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If you place a shortcut to Paint in the StartUp folder the program will open automatically when you start Windows 95.
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First you find the StartUp folder in Explorer.
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Then you click the ^UStartUp^u folder to open it.
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You click ^UFile^u, select ^UNew^u, and then select ^UShortcut^u.
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The Create Shortcut dialog box is displayed and you can create a shortcut in the usual way.
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Once the shortcut is in the StartUp folder, Paint will start automatically the next time you start Windows 95.
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If you want to place a shortcut on the desktop, you don't have to use Explorer to select the desktop folder.
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Instead you simply right-click the desktop, point to ^UNew^u, and then select ^UShortcut^u.
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Suppose you use PowerPoint frequently, and so you want to place a shortcut to it on the desktop to make it easier to open.
