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Customize your desktop's background! You can fill it with a pattern, image, or favorite photo. Windows XP Starter Edition contains a selection of backgrounds to choose from. You can also capture photos and other graphics on the Web. Here's how to give your desktop a fresh look!
To customize your desktop background |
- Right-click on your Windows desktop, and then select Properties from the menu that appears.
- In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Desktop tab.
- On the Desktop tab, in the Background drop-down list, select a picture that you like. You can also click Browse to search for a background picture in other folders or on other drives. You can use files with the following extensions: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .dib, or .png.
- In the Position list, click Center, Tile, or Stretch to define how your picture will be displayed.
- Click OK or Apply to save your changes.
Note:If you want to use a picture from a Web site, go to the site, right-click the image you want, and then click Set as Desktop Background.
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Add a colorful screen saver
Brighten your work area when your computer is idle by adding a colorful screen saver. Windows XP Starter Edition contains a selection of screensavers. It is also possible to download additional ones and add them to your computer.
To select a screen saver |
- Right-click on your Windows desktop, and then select Properties from the menu that appears.
- In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Screensaver tab.
- On the Screen Saver tab, in the Screen saver list, select the screen saver you want.
- Click Preview to view the screen saver for a few seconds (move your mouse or press any key to end the preview), and then click Settings to customize its behavior.
- When you are satisfied with your selection, click OK, and then click OK again to save your settings.
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Give yourself more desktop space
You can give yourself more room to work by increasing your screen resolution. Screen resolution settings determine the amount of information your monitor displays. At low settings, screen contents appear as if viewed through a close-up camera lensyou see a relatively small amount of information (only part of a spreadsheet or Web page, for example), but the items themselves (such as text and pictures) appear relatively large. High-resolution settings mean that more information is visible, but the items on the screen appear smaller.
To change screen resolution |
- With your mouse pointer, right-click on your Windows desktop, and from the pop-up menu that appears, choose Properties.
- In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.
- On the Settings tab, in the Screen resolution area, drag the slider to the resolution you want, and then click Apply. Dragging the slider to the left sets the screen resolution lower, and dragging it to the right sets it higher.
- When you are satisfied with your choice, click OK.
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Personalize sound settings
The customizing features of Windows XP Starter Edition offer more than just visual adjustments. You can also add sound effects to orchestrate any move, from opening and closing folders to emptying the Recycle Bin. Sound effects are a perfect complement to any customized desktop and a great way to express your personality. Adding them is easy, too. Here's how!
To add sound effects |
- Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
- Click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.
- Under Pick a task, click Change the sound scheme.
- On the Sounds tab, under Program events, click the event to which you want to apply a sound.
- In the Sounds list, click the sound you want to link to the event.
- To hear the sound, click the play button to the right of the Sounds list. If you are satisfied with your choice, click OK. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have linked sounds to as many program events as you want.
- To save your settings into a personalized sound scheme, click Save As. Type a name for the sound scheme, and then click OK.
- Click OK again to save your sound scheme.
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While Windows XP Starter Edition contains many sound effects to choose from, you can create your own by copying them from other sources, such as CDs or the Internet, and storing them on your hard drive.
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Customize your desktop's background
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Add sound effects
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