If you are like many, your computer's desktop is cluttered and full of icons,
some of which you have never clicked on. It maybe even resembles the "organized
chaos" of your physical desktop, with papers and pens scattered about while
your coffee cup holds down your loose yellow sticky notes. To organize your Windows
XP desktop, however, you don't need to buy any plastic office supplies. With
a little bit of planning, you can keep your computer's desktop an efficient place
to work, all without the worry of spilling coffee on your financial forecast
reports.
Right-clicking on your Windows XP desktop will bring up a contextual menu
which you can use to organize the different icons on the desktop. You can arrange
the icons by name, size, type, or modified date. It is probably most advantageous
to sort icons by type or name. You may also choose to auto-arrange all the
icons, which keeps them in order and aligned with each other. If you like to
arrange the icons according to your own system, you can choose the Align to
Grid option. It allows you to order the icons however you would like, and it
will also keep the icons neatly aligned.
Two newer features offered in Windows XP for desktop icons are the Show Desktop
Icons and Lock Web Items options. Show Desktop Icons is a toggle switch that
allows you to clear all icons off the desktop, enabling you to enjoy the wallpaper
beneath. The Lock Web Items on Desktop feature, part of Active Desktop, prohibits
web content moving. You may wish to use this feature if you tend to inadvertently
move items on your desktop regularly.
Desktop wallpaper and colors are usually the first things people customize
when they get their computers. Certainly, rotating colors or wallpaper can
give you a small psychological boost, changing the monotony of looking at the
same thing all the time. However, there are actually practical reasons for
changing wallpaper. For example, some wallpaper pictures are so large that
they eat up valuable memory, slowing down the entire system. Change the wallpaper
to a smaller picture, or even temporarily removing it all together, to recapture
the loss. Also, many people spend eight or more hours every single day staring
at a computer screen. Make sure you customize the icon and text sizes on your
screen to minimize fatigue and eye strain. Switch to wallpaper that is complementary
and not distracting. Choose a color that is pleasing and not overbearing. If
necessary, adjust the physical properties of the monitor, such as its brightness
and color saturation.
The most powerful item on the Windows XP desktop is the taskbar, that gray
horizontal line at the bottom of the screen that shows you what is open and
in use. It is like the mission control center of Windows, where most of the
most frequently taken actions will take place.
One of the things you can do with the taskbar is to move it from the bottom
of the screen. You can move it to any of the three other sides of the monitor.
Regardless of where you prefer to nest the taskbar, there might be occasions
where you move the taskbar accidentally from its preferred position. The taskbar
has a "Lock the Taskbar" option which will keep it in place. The
lock feature will also keep the contents of the area from being resized or
moved around.
Some people like to hide the taskbar from view until it is needed. The "Auto-hide
the Taskbar" feature, like in previous releases of Windows, will keep
it out of sight until you run your mouse cursor over that area. The taskbar
becomes a thin gray line so that you can recall it by putting the cursor on
the line. Whether you hide the bar or not, you should always take advantage
of the "Keep the Taskbar on Top of Other Windows" feature. This keeps
the taskbar at the front of the screen all the time. By deselecting this feature,
some applications could hide the taskbar, which forces you to minimize every
window until you find it. This is a headache that you should go without.
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