Desktop

Close that window by clicking on the "X" at the top of the window.

There are more icons or shortcuts on your desktop. Click on a few and close them after you watch different windows open up. Just click on the "X" every time.

Now you are ready to look at your desktop properties. Your machine may look a little different, but the selections should be there.

RIGHT-CLICK on any open space on your desktop. You will see a box appear. LEFT CLICK on PROPERTIES.

The box that opens will have tabs at the top. On the image at the left, you will see tabs for Themes, Desktop, Screen Saver, Appearance and Settings. The tab for "Themes" is selected in the image at the left. Click on each tab on your computer to see what choices you have.

Click on the "Desktop" Tab.

Under "BACKGROUND" you'll see a small box with several choices. Scroll through the choices. (Click on the "DOWN ARROW" or hold down the little bar on the right and pull down). As you select each name, the screen above the box will show you what it looks like. Try several until you find what you want.

If you want a solid color, select the first name, "NONE." Then go to the "COLOR" choice on the right, and select a solid color for your background. Under the "POSITION" selection, click on "STRETCH" if you want your choice to cover the whole screen. Try different choices in this DESKTOP window.

[If you want a picture on your desktop, ask for help. You will need a photo, maybe your family or pet, scanned into your computer. After that, you will go to the "BROWSE" selection, find the photo on your desktop (ususally under the "MY PICTURES" folder) and select it as your background.]

Before you click "OK," click on the SCREEN SAVER tab.

A screen saver is an animation that keeps your monitor healthy. When you are not using the computer, the screen saver comes on and moves images on your desktop. Under the "SCREEN SAVER" title, click on the arrow next to the box and select a screen saver. As you click, you will see what each image looks like in the screen in the center of your window. Notice that you can decide how log you want to wait before your screen save appears (WAIT BOX). You can also

Now click on the "APPEARANCE" tab. If you want, select a color scheme in the same way you made other selections in this task. A color scheme will affect how your open documents will look. Play with different options until you are ready to see the results. You can also see the results as you go along by click the OK button.

When your desktop looks the way you want it, click OK and the DESKTOP PROPERTIES window will close.

If your instructor wants a copy of your work, simply press the PRNTSCRN (Print Screen) button once on your key board. Then open a Microsoft Word blank document (Click here to see instructions if you want). Once you have a new document open, Press the CONTROL and then "C" buttons on your keyboard. OR you may just select EDIT (menu bar) and then PASTE. You will see a copy of your desktop appear. Save the document into a computer folder or print it for your files off of your computer. Click here for instructions on how to SAVE.

Your desktop is what you see on your computer screen when it first opens. On you desktop, you will see icons (small images) with titles at the bottom. These images are called "SHORTCUTS" because they take you to places with information about the item you click.
For example, you will see your "MY COMPUTER" icon. Double-click (left-click twice very quickly) on the MY COMPUTER icon and a "window" (box) will appear.