Gateway 400 series User Manual
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10 143 Customizing Yo u r C o m p u t e r This chapter provides information about customizing your computer by changing settings in Windows. Read this chapter to learn how to: Change screen and display settings Change the background and screen saver Adjust the touchpad settings Add, change, and switch user accounts
144 Chapter 10: Customizing Your Computer www.gateway.com Adjusting the screen and desktop settings Adjusting the color depth and screen area are two of the most basic display settings you may need to change. You can also adjust settings such as the screen background and screen saver. Adjusting the color depth Color depth is the number of colors your screen displays. Various image types require various color depths for optimum appearance. For example, simple color drawings may appear adequately in 256 colors while color photographs need millions of colors to be displayed with optimum quality. Windows lets you choose from several color depth settings. We recommend that you use the 32-bit True Color setting at all times. If the color in your images seems “false” or “jumpy,” especially after you have played a game or run a video-intensive program, check the color depth setting and return it to 32-bit True Color, if necessary. To change the color depth: 1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel w i n d o w o p e n s . I f y o u r Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes. 2Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens.
145 Adjusting the screen and desktop settings www.gateway.com 3Click the Settings tab. 4Click the arrow button to open the Color quality list, then click the color depth you want. 5To save your changes, click OK, then click Ye s. Adjusting the screen resolution You can increase the screen resolution to fit more icons on your desktop, or you can decrease the resolution to make reading the display easier. The higher the resolution, the smaller individual components of the screen (such as icons and menu bars) appear. Help and SupportFor more information about adjusting display settings in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword changing display settings in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.
146 Chapter 10: Customizing Your Computer www.gateway.com To adjust the screen resolution: 1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel w i n d o w o p e n s . I f y o u r Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes. 2Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens. 3Click the Settings tab. 4Drag the Screen resolution slider to the size you prefer. 5To save your changes, click OK, then click Ye s. Help and SupportFor more information about adjusting screen resolution in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword changing screen resolution in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.
147 Adjusting the screen and desktop settings www.gateway.com Changing the colors on your Windows desktop You can change the colors of Windows desktop items, such as the background color and dialog box title bars. To change desktop colors: 1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel w i n d o w o p e n s . I f y o u r Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes. 2Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens. 3Click the Appearance tab.
148 Chapter 10: Customizing Your Computer www.gateway.com 4Click the arrow button to open the Color scheme list, click the color scheme you want, then click OK. The new colors appear on your desktop. - OR - If you want to create a new color scheme as part of a desktop theme: aClick Advanced. The Advanced Appearance dialog box opens. bClick the arrow button to open the Item list, then click the item you want to change. cChange the color or font settings for the item. dClick OK, then click the Themes tab. eClick Save As, type a name for the new theme, then click OK twice. The new colors appear on your desktop. Changing the desktop background You can change the Windows desktop background picture. Windows provides several backgrounds, or you can use pictures that you have created or retrieved from other sources. To change the desktop background: 1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel w i n d o w o p e n s . I f y o u r Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes. 2Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens.
149 Adjusting the screen and desktop settings www.gateway.com 3Click the Desktop tab. 4Click a background picture in the Background list. - OR - Click Browse to select a background picture from another location. 5If you want the picture you chose to cover the entire screen, click the arrow button to open the Position list, then click Stretch or Tile. 6If the picture you chose does not cover the entire screen and you did not choose to stretch or tile the image in Step 5, you can change the solid color behind the picture by clicking the arrow button to open the Color list, then clicking a color. 7Click OK.
150 Chapter 10: Customizing Your Computer www.gateway.com Selecting a screen saver You can use a screen saver to keep others from viewing your display while you are away from your computer. Windows supplies a variety of screen savers that you can choose from, and many more are available from the Internet and as commercial products. To select a screen saver: 1Click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel w i n d o w o p e n s . I f y o u r Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes. 2Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens. 3Click the Screen Saver tab. Help and SupportFor more information about changing the desktop background in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword changing desktop background in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.
151 Adjusting the screen and desktop settings www.gateway.com 4Click the arrow button to open the Screen Saver list, then click the screen saver you want. Windows previews the screen saver. 5If you want to customize the screen saver, click Settings, then make your changes . If the Settings button is not available, you cannot customize the screen saver you selected. 6If you want to display the Welcome (Login) screen whenever you exit the screen saver, click the On resume, display Welcome screen check box. 7If you want to change the time before the screen saver is activated, click the up or down arrows next to the Wa i t box. 8Click OK. Help and SupportFor more information about selecting a screen saver in Windows XP, click Start, then click Help and Support. Type the keyword screen savers in the HelpSpot Search box , then click the arrow.