In: Root » Computers and technology » Windows Vista » Using the Windows Vista Desktop
As mentioned, the Windows desktop is the electronic equivalent of a real, wooden desktop. It’s the place where you keep stuff you’re working on right now. Every program that’s currently open will be contained within some program window. When no programs are open, the desktop and all your desktop icons are plainly visible on the screen. About desktop icons Desktop icons are just like the icons on the Start menu. Each icon represents a closed object that you can open by double-clicking the icon. Most desktop icons are shortcuts to files and folders. They’re shortcuts in the sense that they duplicate icons available elsewhere. They just save you the extra clicks required to get to the same icon through the Start menu or All Programs menu. There’s always an exception to the rule. When it comes to desktop icons, the Recycle Bin is the exception. The Recycle Bin icon exists only on the desktop, and you won’t find it anywhere else. The role of the Recycle Bin is that of a safety net. Whenever you delete a file or folder from your hard drive, the item is actually just moved to the Recycle Bin. You can restore an accidentally deleted icon from the Recycle Bin back to its original location. In addition to the Recycle Bin, you have five other built-in desktop icons from which to choose. There’s no hurry on that. But if you want to take a shot at it, you have to get to the Personalization page and make some selections. You can use either of the following techniques to get to the Personalization page: - Click the Start button, type pers, and click Personalization. - Right-click the desktop and choose Personalize. If you don’t see Personalize when you right-click the desktop, that means you didn’t right-click the desktop. You right-clicked something that’s covering the desktop. You learn to close and hide things that are covering the desktop a little later in this article. To make an icon visible on your desktop, select (check) the checkbox next to the icon’s name. To prevent an icon from appearing on the desktop, click the checkbox to the left of its name. You can choose a different picture for any icon you’ve opted to show on the desktop. Click the icon’s picture in the middle of the dialog box. Then click the Change Icon button. Click the icon you want to show, then click OK. If you change your mind after the fact, click Restore Default. Click OK after making your selections. The dialog box closes and the icons you choose appear on the desktop. However, you might not see them if that part of the desktop is covered by something that’s open. Don’t worry about that. You learn about how you open, close, move, and size things on the desktop a little later in this article. If nothing is covering the desktop, but you still don’t see any desktop icons, they might just be switched off. We’ll talk about that next. Arranging desktop icons As you’ll discover, you have many ways to customize the Vista desktop. But if you just want to make some quick minor changes to your desktop icons, right-click the desktop to view its shortcut menu. Items on the menu that have a little arrow to the right show submenus. The last item on the View menu, Show Desktop Icons, needs to be selected (checked) for the icons to show at all. If there is no checkmark next to that item, click that item. The menu closes and the icons appear on the desktop. When you need to see the menu again, just right-click the desktop again. The top three items on the menu, Large Icons, Medium Icons, and Classic Icons, control the size of the icons. Click any option to see its effect. If you don’t like the result, right-click the desktop again, choose View, and choose a different size. If your mouse has a wheel, you can also size icons by holding down the Ctrl key as you spin the mouse wheel. The Sort By option on the desktop shortcut menu lets you arrange desktop icons alphabetically by Name, by Size, by Type, or by Date Modified. However, no matter how you choose to sort icons, the built-in icons are always listed first. Custom shortcut icons you create yourself are listed after the built-in icons. So if you sort by name, the built-in icons will be listed alphabetically first. Then any shortcut icons you created will be alphabetized after those. To create a custom desktop shortcut icon to a favorite program, right-click the program’s icon on the All Programs menu and choose Send To -> Desktop (create shortcut). You learn more about personalizing your desktop. For now, let’s stay focused on basic skills like clicking and right-clicking, and the names of things you see on your screen. |
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