Customizing Windows

It's called a personal computer. Yet, so many live day in and out with
the Windows factory look. In minutes, you can transform your computer
into anything from a virtual aquarium to planetarium complete with
stylized buttons, bars and toolbars.

Windows calls them themes. Themes contain the elements of a desktop--
the desktop wallpaper, screen saver, sounds, colors, button shapes,
and more--in one concise package. Every theme works design-wise; each
has a certain subject or look and feel.

Windows XP includes two themes: XP and Classic. The Windows XP theme
is the default; it's what you get when you install Windows XP. It
contains a bright green Start button. The desktop wallpaper is what
Microsoft calls "Bliss" -a green hill, blue sky, and scattered clouds.
Classic, on the other hand, brings you back to the look of Windows 98
and Windows ME.

To access the themes in Windows XP, right-click the desktop and select
Properties. In the Display Properties window, select the Themes tab.
Click the down-arrow under Themes to make your selection. In Windows 98
and ME, there is a Themes icon in the Control Panel. If you like what
you see in the preview pane, click Apply and OK.

Microsoft offers four more additional themes for Windows XP in the
Plus! Package, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/windowsxp. For
$29.95, you get the aquarium, stars, nature and da Vinci themes, as
well as screen savers, tools digital audio and video tools, and games.

There are also many themes offered online. Some are free; others
are sold. Three sites worth checking include WinCustomize,
http://www.wincustomize.com, XPTheme, http://www.xptheme.info,
and WindowBlinds, http://www.windowblinds.net.

If you cannot find a theme you like, create your own. This entails
working with the individual elements of the desktop in the Display
Properties window. To access it in Windows XP, Windows 98 and Windows
ME, right-click on the Desktop and select Properties.

Let's start with your desktop background image. This is known as the
wallpaper. Windows has many. From the Desktop Properties window, select
a wallpaper from the Desktop tab. Windows 98 and Windows ME users have
this same option on the Background tab.

You also can use a personal picture saved on your computer as your
desktop wallpaper. To do this, select the Desktop (or Background) tab
and click the Browse button. Navigate to your picture file and click
it. Then select Open.

If you see a picture that you like on the Internet, it's just one click
to make it your desktop wallpaper. When you find one, right-click it.
Then, in Internet Explorer, select Set as Background. If you're using
Netscape, select Set as Wallpaper.

Now it's time to pick a screen saver. Again, from the Display
Properties window, click the Screen Saver tab. You'll find a number
of offerings. Windows XP users have an extra one called My Pictures
Slideshow. It will take digital photos stored in the My Pictures folder
and show them as the screen saver. Very cool.

Next, change the colors and fonts. From the Display Properties window,
select the Appearance Tab in Windows 98 and Windows ME. In Windows XP,
you need to click the Advanced button in the Appearance tab. Under the
Item button, set the colors for title bars, borders and other elements.
Under Font, you can change fonts and set the color of the type.

If you want, select a new mouse pointer. In Windows XP, open the Mouse
icon in the Control Panel. On the Pointers tab, click the down-arrow
and select a new scheme. You'll see the various looks in the preview
pane. Unfortunately, there's little to choose from for mouser cursors
in Windows 98 and Windows ME.