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Using Color Schemes to Change Appearance

An often overlooked tool for desktop modification is the Windows Color Schemes. To access Color Schemes go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel-> click on the Display icon. (By the way, you can also right click on an empty space on your desktop and click "Properties" to get to "Display Properties")

In Display Properties click on the Appearance tab. Under Windows and Buttons click the drop down menu and select Windows Classic Style or Windows XP Style. Under Color Scheme click the drop down menu and you will see you have a number of choices (more for windows XP). You can experiment to find an interface that suits you.

Desktop Themes

Change Themes
Right-click on an empty space on your Desktop -> select 'Properties' -> choose the 'Themes' tab -> open the drop down 'Theme' menu and select the Theme you want (themes you download from the Internet should appear in this list) -> click 'Apply' -> click 'OK'

Delete Themes
Right-click on an empty space on your Desktop -> select 'Properties' -> choose the 'Themes' tab -> open the drop down 'Theme' menu and select the Theme you want to delete (themes you download from the Internet should appear in this list) -> click Delete  -> click 'Apply' -> click 'OK'

Download Themes
You'll find an abundance of Themes by searching any search engine for 'Desktop Themes'. Themes are fun to experiment with but be aware that to install a Theme you typically run an installation file after downloading the Theme, this puts all the Theme pieces such as wallpaper, icons, sounds, etc. in their proper locations on your computer.

When you later decide to remove the Theme, if the Theme doesn't fully delete, you can be hung up with pieces of the Theme still active and sometimes 'stuck'. A cursor that looks like a Tiger Paw and files that look like snowflakes may have short term appeal - but the holiday season is short and Bear Paws are better than Tiger Paws and so you'll no doubt want to get rid of those stuck theme pieces.

You can Google you're way out of virtually anything - meaning you can type your problem into Google, you'll get some Forum discussions or tech help sites where the problem is discussed, typically at first you may not be able to type the problem in the terminology that leads to an exact resolution of your specific problem, but after a few tries and looking over what you do get, you can refine your query more precisely and eventually get the exact problem clearly started, and of couse most importantly, this leads to an exact solution. Also use the Microsoft Knowledge Base as a primary source for queries, it helps.

An easy solution, by the way, to stuck file and folder icons is Tweak UI (freeware), go to 'Repair' and then 'Rebuild Icons'.

Common Desktop Adjustments
 

Adjust Screen Resolution & Color Quality - go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Display -> Settings -> Adjust the Screen Resolution Slider -> click the drop down arrow and select Color Quality -> click 'Apply' -> click 'OK'. Experiment to find settings that suit your preference

Change to Classic Start Menu - Right-click on the 'Start' button -> click Properties -> click to mark the radio button for 'Classic Start Menu' -> click 'Apply' -> OK

Start Menu Icon Size - Running out of space in the Classic start menu? Right-click on the 'Start' button -> click Properties -> Customize -> place a Check by 'Show Small Icons in Start Menu' -> OK -> OK

Enable Start Menu Drag and Drop - to enable Dragging and Dropping for Start Menu items in the Classic start menu:  Right-click on the 'Start' button -> click Properties -> Customize -> place a Check by 'Enable dragging and dropping'

XP Customizing Options - click on start -> select Help and Support -> under 'Pick a Help Topic' choose 'Customizing Your Computer'. There you will find lots of options for modifying appearance

Desktop Security Center - that 4-color Windows Security Center shield makes a nice Desktop shortcut (to quickly check Firewall, Anti-Virus, Auto-Update Status) Go to 'Start' -> 'Settings' -> 'Control Panel' -> right-click on the 'Security Center' icon -> click  'Create Shortcut' -> click 'Yes'

Change Desktop Icon Size -  right click an empty space on desktop -> choose Properties -> Appearance -> Advanced -> click arrow to open drop down item list -> choose Icon -> adjust size -> click OK -> Apply -> OK

Unassociate File Types - stuck with a program trying to open a certain file? Right-click on the file -> select  'Open With' -> select 'Choose Program...' -> mark the radio button 'Select the program from a list' -> click 'OK' -> choose the program from the list or 'Browse' to the program -> optionally select 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of file' if you want the association to persist (you can of course change it later) -> click 'OK' to exit. You can also go to 'Start' -> 'Settings' -> 'Control Panel' -> 'Folder Options' -> go to the 'File Types' tab, to view Registered File Types and make adjustments. Microsoft Knowledge Base

File Search, Remove or change the Animated Character - do we really need an animated character to help us search for a file or folder? And if indeed we do, why should it be a dog? Is the dog 'sniffing out' the file? Why not an elephant, an elephant would remember where you put that file. Or a hummingbird, fast and light. Oh well, in any event you can change that animated character or get rid of him altogether. Go to 'Start' -> 'Search' -> 'For Files and Folders' -> 'Change Preferences' -> select 'With a different character' or 'Without an animated screen character'. You can change it back if the lack of an animated character annoys, perplexes or in any way proves detrimental to your computing experience.