Get the most out of Vista

eSchool - Personal Technology, September 7th, 2007

If there's something you don't like about the way Windows Vista looks or how it operates, you can probably change it using the Control Panel.

 

The following table lists each category of the Control Panel and its contents (all in alphabetical order) to help you find what you're looking for more easily. Notice that some items appear in more than one category; this makes them easier to find when it's a close call as to which category they fit into more naturally. Notice also that the items might not exactly match the ones on your system, depending on your Windows version and depending on the third-party programs installed.

Category	Content
Additional Options	These vary, depending on the third-party programs installed.
Appearance and Personalization	Ease of Access Center Folder Options Fonts Personalization Taskbar and Start Menu Windows Sidebar Properties
Clock, Language, and Region	Date and Time Regional and Language Options
Ease of Access	Ease of Access Center Speech Recognition Options
Hardware and Sound	AutoPlay, Color Management Device Manager Game Controllers Keyboard Mouse Pen and Input Devices Personalization Phone and Modem Options Power Options Printers Scanners and Cameras Sound Tablet PC Settings Windows SideShow
Network and Internet	Internet Options Network and Sharing Center Offline Files People Near Me Sync Center Windows Firewall
Programs	Default Programs Get Programs Online Programs and Features Windows Defender Windows Sidebar Properties Windows SlideShow
Security	Internet Options Parental Controls Security Center Windows Defender Windows Firewall Windows Update
System and Maintenance	Backup and Restore Center Indexing Options Performance Information and Tools Power Options Problem Reports and Solutions System Welcome Center Windows Update
User Accounts and Family Safety	Mail Parental Controls User Accounts Windows CardSpace

 

Windows Vista provides several ways of controlling the display appearance. You can apply an overall collection of settings, called a theme, or you can customize each individual aspect of the display, from the fonts to the background color.

 

Changing and Saving Themes

Themes are all-in-one groups of settings, including window appearance, icons, backgrounds, color choices, screen saver, and so on. Windows Vista comes with two themes: Windows Vista and Windows Classic. Windows Vista is the default for Vista; Windows Classic sets up the display to look like Windows 2000 and Windows 9x. You can also create your own themes by configuring individual settings and then saving them.

 

Controlling the Screen Resolution and Color Depth

In addition to controlling the colors and design elements of the display, you can control two other very important technical aspects:

·        Resolution: The number of pixels (individually addressable colored dots) that comprise the display. The higher the resolution, the smaller the dialog boxes, icons, and text will appear, and the more memory the display adapter requires.

·        Color depth: The number of binary digits needed to describe all the possible color options for a particular pixel. The higher the color depth, the more realistic photos look onscreen and the more memory the display adapter requires.

In addition to controlling how the Windows desktop appears, you can control how your keyboard and mouse interact with it.

 

Adjusting Keyboard Settings

Keyboards are simple to configure -- most users rarely change the default settings. However, there are a few settings you can customize for a better computing experience.

 

To set keyboard settings:

1. In the Control Panel, click Hardware and Sound.
2. Click Keyboard. The Keyboard Properties dialog box opens.

There are three keyboard settings you can adjust by dragging the sliders:

Repeat delay: When you hold down a key, after a certain amount of time the character repeats onscreen as if you had repeatedly pressed and released the key. The amount of time it waits before this occurs is controlled by the Repeat Delay slider.

Repeat rate: When a key repeats, the rate at which it automatically repeats onscreen is controlled by the Repeat Rate slider.

Cursor blink rate: The speed at which the insertion point in a dialog box or a text-based application flashes is controlled by the Cursor Blink Rate slider.

 

The sidebar enables you to add live gadgets (mini-applications) to the desktop itself. These gadgets can include clocks, calendars, stock tickers, weather reports, and so on, pulling their information from your system's information and from the Internet. Depending on the mouse model you have, it may have additional settings as well; the exact settings and the appearance of the Mouse Properties dialog box depends on the mouse driver installed.