Lesson 12
Changing the looks of Windows.

 Below the Right click will be designated. The word Click refers to the left click.

    To Customize and optimize windows by changing the background.
    Right-click a blank area on your desktop. A menu appears.
    Click Properties. The Display Properties dialog box appears.
    Click the Desktop tab. To display a picture on your desktop, click the picture you want to use.
    To select how you want to display the picture on your desktop, click the position area arrow and chose one.
    Click this area to display the available color schemes.
    Click the way you want to display the picture.
    To select a color for your desktop, click the arrow area to display of the available colors.
    Click the color you want to use. This will display an area of how the picture and color will appear on your desktop.
    Click OK to add the picture and/or color to your desktop. The picture and/or color appear on your desktop.
    To remove a picture from your desktop, perform steps 1 to 4, selecting (None) in step 4. Then step 9.
Changing the screen appearance
    Right-click a blank area on your desktop. A menu appears.
    Click Properties. The Display Properties dialog box appears.
    Click the Appearance tab.
    Click this area to display the available styles.
    Click the style you want to use.
    Click this area to display the available color schemes.
    Click the color scheme you want to use. The available color schemes depend on the style you selected in step 5.
    Click this area to display the available font sizes.
    Click the font size you want to use. The available font sizes depend on the color scheme you selected in step 7. You can see an area on the page that displays a preview of how your screen will appear.
    Click OK to change the appearance of your screen.
Changing the screen saver
    Right-click a blank area on your desktop. A menu appears.
    Click Properties. The Display Properties dialog box appears.
    Click the Screen Saver tab on the top of the page.
    Click the Window XP, Vista or Windows 7 area to display a list of the available screen savers.
    Click on the screen saver you want to use. A window will display a preview of how the screen saver will appear on your screen.
    To specify the number of minutes your computer must be inactive before the screen saver will appear, double-click the blank area and type in the number of minutes.
    The screen saver appears when you do not use your computer for the number of minutes you specified. You can move the mouse or press a key on the keyboard to remove the screen saver from your screen.
    To stop a screen saver from appearing, perform steps 1 to 5,selecting (None) in steps 1 to 5.
Changing the Date and Time
If you are in Vista and can not see your clock, you can right click on the bottom tool bar and a menu will come up for you to select the clock.
    The lower right side of the tool bar displays the time set in your computer. To display the date set in your computer, position the mouse over the time. After a moment, the date appears.
    To change the date or time set in your computer, double-click this area. The Date and Time Properties dialog box appears. This area displays the month set in your computer.
    To change the month, click the arrow for a pull down menu
    Click the correct month.
    To change the year, click the arrow up or down until the correct year appears. The current day will be highlighted on the calendar.
    To change the day, click the correct day.
    Under the clock is an area that displays the time set in your computer. To change the time, double-click the part of the time you want to change. Then type the correct information.
    Click OK to confirm your change.
Assigning Sounds to Program Events
    Click start to display the Start menu.
    Click Control Panel to change your computers settings. The control panel window appears.
    Click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices. The Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices window appears.
    Under Pick a task, click Change the sound scheme to assign sounds to program events on your computer. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box appears. This area lists the events that you can assign sounds to.
    Click this area to display a list of the available sound schemes.
    Click the sound scheme you want to use. The Save Scheme dialog box may appear, asking if you want to save the previous sound scheme.
    Click Yes or No to specify if you want to save the previous sound scheme. A speaker icon appears beside each event that will play a sound.
    To play a sound for an event, click the event.
    Click the arrow to play the sound.
    To assign a sound to a specific event, click the event.
    Click Browse to search for the sound you want to use. The Browse for dialog box appears. An area shows the location of the displayed files. You can click this area to change the location.
    Click the sound you want to play each time the event occurs.
    Click the arrow to play the sound.
    Click OK to confirm your selection. A speaker icon appears beside the event.
    To assign sounds to other events, repeat steps 10 to 14 for each event.
    Click OK to confirm all of your changes.
    Click X to close the Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices window.
Adjusting the Volume
    Click start to display the Start menu.
    Click All Programs to view a list of the programs on your computer.
    Click Accessories.
    Click Entertainment.
    Click Volume Control. A window appears that allows you to change the sound volume on your computer. This area displays the control that allows you to change the volume of all the devices on your computer at once. This area displays controls that allow you to change the volume of individual devices on your computer.
    To change the balance between the left and right speakers for a device, drag the balance slider for the device.
    To increase or decrease the volume for a device, drag the volume slider for the device.
    To turn off the sound for a device, click Mute for the device .Deselect the mute box check to restore the sound.
    When you finish adjusting the volume, click X to close the window.