Microsoft Windows

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Looking for ways to give your new computer some personality?  Windows Vista and Windows 7 both feature a number of settings you can change to customize the appearance of your computer.

Change Desktop Wallpaper (Background)

You can turn your computer desktop into a virtual photo frame using an image from your personal collection.  To do so, simply follow the steps below.

1)     Click on the “Start” button and then “Control Panel” in the menu that appears.  Once you do so, a new window will pop up on the screen.

• Windows Vista users: In this window, click on “Appearance and Personalization,” then “Personalization” and then “Desktop Background.”

• Windows 7 users: In the search box at the top of this window, type “Desktop Background” and then click on the “Change Desktop Background” option.

2)     Scroll through the list of images to find the one you’d like to use as your new desktop wallpaper.  If the picture you’d like to use isn’t in the list, you can use the “Browse” option to search other folders on your computer.  Once you locate it, simply double-click on the desired image and it will automatically be set as your desktop wallpaper.

3)     You will then be asked how the picture should be positioned: as a tiled patterned, stretched to fit the screen, or centered and fitted to the screen.  Choose how you wish the picture to appear and click “OK” or “Save Changes.”

Alternatively, you can change the background by right-clicking on a blank space on the desktop.  From the menu that appears, click on “Personalize” and then on “Desktop Background” in the following window.  Next, follow steps 2 and 3 as outlined above.

You can also turn any picture you’re currently viewing into your desktop wallpaper by right-clicking on the image and then selecting “Set as Desktop Background” from the menu that appears.

Change Window Color and Appearance

You can change the color and “glassiness” of windows, the Start menu and Taskbar through the Control Panel as well.

1)     Click on the “Start” button and then “Control Panel” in the menu that appears.  Then click on “Appearance and Personalization” and “Personalization.”  Finally, click on “Window Color and Appearance.”

2)     Click on the color you would like to use and then click on “Save Changes” or “OK.”

You can also access this menu by right-clicking on an empty space on the desktop, choosing “Personalize” or “Properties” from the drop-down menu that appears, and then selecting “Window Color and Appearance.”

Change Screen Saver

Follow these basic steps to change your computer’s screen saver:

1)     Click on the “Start” button and then “Control Panel” in the menu that appears.

• Windows Vista users: In the following window, click on “Appearance and Personalization,” then “Personalization” and then “Screen Saver.”

• Windows 7 users: In the search box at the top of the following window, type “Screen Saver” and then click on the “Change Screen Saver” option.

2)     Select the screen saver you’d like to use from the drop-down list, and then click “Save Changes” or “OK.”

Just like with the desktop wallpaper and window color settings, you can also access this menu by right-clicking on an empty space on the desktop, selecting “Personalize” or “Properties” from the menu that appears, and finally “Screen Saver” from the following window.