Article 11: Show your computer who's in charge

Though you may sometimes feel like your computer is controlling you, believe it or not, you're the one in control. Many of the features of your computer can be customized to fit your unique needs, and the Windows Control Panel is the place to do it.

Using the Control Panel, you can change the date and time that is displayed on your computer, install new fonts, add and remove programs and hardware, change your screen saver, adjust the speed of your mouse, raise or lower the volume of your speakers, and so much more. The Control Panel gives you the tools to personalize your work environment to a great degree.

How do I open the Windows Control Panel?

If you're using Windows 98/ME, click Start > Settings > Control Panel.
If you're using Windows XP, click Start > Control Panel.

Note: in Windows XP, you can view the Control Panel in one of two ways. Either you can see icons grouped in categories, or you can switch to the Classic View where each icon is viewed separately. If you have changed from Windows 98 to Windows XP, the classic view will be more familiar to you. In this article, all examples refer to working with the classic view.

When the Control Panel opens, you'll see many icons, listed in alphabetical order. Each one is a tool that can help you with your work on the computer. (You can see a brief description of each of these tools and learn more about the Control Panel here )

Let's use a few of these tools:

Adjusting the date and time display on your computer

The time is displayed in the lower right-hand corner of your computer screen, and if you rest (not click) your mouse arrow on the time display, the date will also be displayed in a light yellow box (called a tool tip).

Windows uses the Date/Time setting to identify when files are created or modified. Sometimes you may need to change the settings, for instance, to switch to Daylight Savings Time.

Here's how to change the settings:

In the Control Panel, double-click the Date and Time icon.
The Date and Time Properties dialog box opens. (You can also reach this by double-clicking the time display on your desktop).
To change the month, click on the upside down triangle in the Date area to view a list of months, and click on the correct month.
Click the desired date in the calendar.
Change the time by highlighting the numbers (hours, minutes, or seconds) and typing the correct time.
Click OK when you're done.

Changing the look of your desktop

When you open your computer, the first thing that you see is your desktop. You can change many things about the appearance of the desktop: the color, the size of the icons and text, the wallpaper. It's easy to do, and you leave your own personal stamp on the computer screen.

In your Control Panel, click Display.
The Display Properties dialog box appears.
If you're working in Windows 98, click the Background tab; in Windows XP click the Desktop tab.

Notice that when the Display dialog box opens, a small picture of your desktop is shown. Here you will see a preview of the changes you make.

In the Background area, click a background picture from the list.
In the Position list, click an option to define how your picture will be displayed. Center (centers the picture), Tile (repeats the chosen picture again and again to fill the screen), or Stretch (stretches the picture to fill the screen.) Keep in mind that background images cover the color background if you choose to fill the screen.
If you would like to use a picture that is stored on your computer for the background, click Browse to search for a picture in other folders.
(Windows 98 users, switch to the Appearance tab for this feature; Windows XP users—stay where you are!).In the Color box, click the small triangle to see a drop-down array of colors, and select a color.
Click OK, and see how your desktop has changed.