Customize the appearance. How to change the desktop wallpaper in Windows The look of the windows 7 desktop has changed
Hello!
Each computer user (especially the female half :)) tries to give his Windows originality, customize it for himself. It's no secret that not everyone likes the basic settings, and besides, they can even slow down your PC if it is not particularly powerful. (such effects, by the way, include the same Aero).
Other users want to disable various graphical bells and whistles. they are simply not used to them (after all, earlier in Windows 2000, XP this was not all. For example, I am generally quite ascetic in this, but other users have to help ...).
So, let's try to slightly change the appearance of the seven ...
How do I change the theme?
Where can I find many new topics? At the office. the Microsoft website is full of them: https://support.microsoft.com/ru-ru/help/13768/windows-desktop-themes
Theme - in Windows 7, a theme is everything that you see. For example, a picture on the desktop, window color, font size, mouse cursor, sounds, etc. In general, all display and sound effects are related to the selected theme. A lot depends on it, which is why we will start with our OS settings.
In order to change the theme in Windows 7 you need to go to personalization settings... To do this, you do not need to go to the control panel, you can simply click right click mouse anywhere on the desktop and select "personalization" from the menu (see Fig. 1).
There are a lot of other topics on the Internet, just above, under the heading of this subsection of the article, I gave a link to the office. Microsoft website.
By the way, an important point! Some themes may even cause your computer to slow down. For example, themes without the Aero effect (I talked about it here :) run faster (as a rule) and require lower computer performance.
How to change the background, wallpaper on the desktop?
Large selection of ready-made wallpapers: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17780/featured-wallpapers
The background (or wallpaper) is what you see on your desktop, i.e. background picture. It is this picture that has a very big influence on the design. For example, even the strip of the taskbar changes its shade depending on which picture was selected for the wallpaper.
To change the default background, go to personalization (note: right-click on the desktop, see above), then at the very bottom there will be a link “” - click it (see Fig. 3)!
By the way, the background on the desktop can be displayed in different ways, for example, there may be black stripes along the edges. This happens due to the fact that your screen has a resolution (more about this here -). Those. roughly a certain size in pixels. When it doesn't match, then these black stripes are formed.
But Windows 7 may try to stretch the picture to fit your screen (see Figure 4 - bottommost red arrow: Padding). True, in this case, the picture may lose its spectacle ...
How do I resize desktop icons?
Resize icons - very simple! To do this, right-click anywhere on the desktop, then select the "view" menu, then choose from the list: large, medium, small (see Fig. 5).
How do I change the sound design?
To do this, you need to open in control panels Personalization tab, and then select Sounds.
Here you can change the usual soundtrack for various others: landscape, festival, heritage, or turn it off altogether.
How do I change the screensaver?
Also similar to the personalization tab (note: right-click anywhere on the desktop), at the bottom, select the splash item.
How do I change the screen resolution?
Option number 1
Sometimes you need to change the screen resolutions, for example, if the game slows down and you need to start it with lower parameters; or check the operation of a program, etc. To do this, right-click on the desktop, and then select Screen Resolution from the pop-up menu.
Option number 2
Another way to change the screen resolution is to configure it in the video drivers (AMD, Nvidia, IntelHD - all manufacturers support this option). Below, I will show how this is done in the ItelHD drivers.
First, you need to right-click on the desktop and select "Graphic characteristics" from the pop-up menu (see Fig. 12). You can also find the video driver icon and go to its settings in the tray, next to the clock.
Figure: 12. Graphic characteristics
Figure: 13. Resolution, section display
How to change and customize the START menu?
To customize the START menu and taskbar, right-click on the START button in the lower left corner of the screen, then select the properties tab. You will be taken to the settings: in the first tab you can customize the taskbar, in the second - START.
It probably doesn't make much sense to describe each checkbox in the settings. It is best to customize for yourself experimentally: if you do not know what the checkbox means, turn it on and see the result (then change again - look, you will find what you need by typing :))..
Setting the display of hidden files and folders
Here, it is best to enable the display of hidden files and folders in the explorer (many newbies get lost and don't know how to do it), as well as showing file extensions of any file types (this will help to avoid some types of viruses that disguise themselves as other types of files).
It will also allow you to know for sure what kind of file you want to open, as well as save time when searching for some folders (some of which are hidden).
To enable display, go to control Panel, then to the tab design and personalization... Then look for the link “ Show hidden files and folders»(In the explorer settings section) - open it (Fig. 17).
- uncheck the box next to “ hide extensions for registered file types«;
- move the slider to show hidden files, folders and disks ”(see Fig. 18).
Desktop gadgets
Gadgets are small information windows on your desktop. They can notify you about the weather, about those who have come mail messages, show time / date, exchange rates, various puzzles, slides, CPU utilization indicators, etc.
You can use the gadgets installed on the system: go to control Panel, type "gadgets" into the search, then you will have to choose the one you like.
By the way, if the presented gadgets are not enough, then you can additionally download them on the Internet - for this there is even a special link under the list of gadgets (see Fig. 19).
Important note! A large number of active gadgets in the system can cause a decrease in computer performance, slowdowns and other delights. Remember that everything is fine in moderation and do not clutter your desktop with unnecessary and unnecessary gadgets.
That's all for me. Good luck to everyone and bye!
The concept of personalization first appeared in Windows Vista... This is a set of several mechanisms, united under one "roof", with the help of which you can influence the appearance of the interface operating system... This mechanism has been transferred to the new operating system practically unchanged, with some improvements in the interface and the use of additional effects.
As before, the Personalization mechanism is located on the Control Panel (Fig. 7.1).
Figure: 7.1. Launching the Personalization component
Using the Personalization mechanism, you get access to setting the following parameters of the system interface:
P Themes of the Desktop;
P background of the Desktop;
P window colors;
P sounds;
P screensavers;
P desktop icons;
P mouse pointers;
P drawing account.
Let's take a quick look at these parameters.
7.1. DESKTOP TOPIC
The visual design of the Desktop is the first thing that catches your eye after starting the operating system. As the saying goes, "they are greeted by their clothes," and it is this fact that influences whether you will be able to use the operating system with pleasure in the future or just get used to it. It has long been proven that the visual perception of an object unambiguously influences its practical use.
So, let's see what the new Windows 7 operating system offers us in terms of visual design.
After starting the Personalization mechanism, you will see a window with an activated theme settings tab (Fig. 7.2). The Desktop theme changes not only the desktop background, but also sounds, window colors and other options. However, after you have selected a Desktop theme, you can additionally change each of the components of the selected theme, including the background and sounds. How this is done is described below.
Figure: 7.2. Customizing the Desktop Theme
The Windows 7 operating system offers two themes to choose from: Aero and Standard Basic Themes. Users whose computer power meets the recommended requirements for installing the Windows 7 operating system are somewhat more fortunate, because instead of the standard theme, they can choose one of the Aero themes, which have much more visual effects. Other users can also install Aero themes, however, as a result, they will receive only the corresponding desktop background and sound scheme, but will not be able to enjoy most of the effects: window transparency, taskbar add-ons, visual effects when switching between windows, etc.
Installing a theme is fast enough - you only need to select the theme you like from the list. As a result, you immediately see the result and you can easily set that
The theme that best suits your mood and idea of \u200b\u200bhow your desktop should look.
Also note that there is a link to Other Internet Topics at the top right of the list. Clicking on it will take you to the Microsoft website, to the Personalization section, which contains a wide variety of themes and desktop backgrounds that are not included in the standard set. By clicking the Download button and choosing the Open option in the window that appears, you simplify the process of installing the theme to the operating system as much as possible. You just have to wait for the download process to finish and allow the installation new topic... Any theme that is installed in a similar way, for example, by downloading from the Internet, then goes to the My Themes section, located at the very top of the list of themes.
7.2. DESKTOP BACKGROUND
The background of the Desktop as part of the theme can also be changed at any time. For example, you like sounds installed themebut don’t like the background used? No problem: the desktop background changes as easily as the theme itself, so don't be discouraged, just choose a different one.
To change the background, click on the Desktop background link (see Fig. 7.2). In the window that opens (Fig. 7.3) you will see a list of images that change depending on which of the location sources is selected. For example, you can use images from the image library or select the most popular photos. If you don't have enough of what you have, you can always click the Browse button and specify any folder with images.
As with the theme, the background image changes on the fly, so you can see the result immediately. If you don't like it, choose any other image, especially since there are quite enough ways to do this.
Now comes the fun part. The operating system allows you to install both a single permanent image and customize a slideshow of selected images. Setting up a "stable" image is very simple: choose a suitable background and click the Save changes button. To set up a slideshow of images, you need to do the following.
Figure: 7.3. Change the desktop background
1. Mark the images that should be included in the slide show. In this case, it is most convenient
save the images you want to one folder, and then specify it using the Browse button. After
You can also click the Select All button to mark all images at once. You can also
mark images using ctrl keys or Shift.
2. Specify the position of the image by selecting one of the following from the list of the same name
values \u200b\u200bFill, Fit, Stretch, Tile, Center. If the image
more screen resolution, this will not lead to problems, you just need to select from the list
position Fill or Stretch. If the image resolution is less and at
stretching it is distorted, you can modify the background of the Desktop by choosing a color that
will complement the image. To do this, use the Change background color link at the bottom of the window.
3. Select the frequency of changing images using the Change images list
every. There are options from 10 seconds to 1 day. The most optimal and "calm" option -
set the frequency in the region of 1 hour: it is pleasant to the eye and does not bother.
4. Specify a way to change images. By default, the images are rotated in order, like
shown in the list. If you want to somehow diversify the slideshow, you can select the B
random order.
To apply the changes made, click the Save Changes button.
7.3. WINDOW COLOR
The ability to customize the color scheme of the window has passed from the Windows XP operating system, and without any changes. To use this mechanism, you need to click on the Window color link at the bottom of the window shown in Fig. 7.2.
There are many controls to choose from, the color scheme of which you can customize. Some of them apply only to the Aero theme, while most of them concern the standard desktop theme, as indicated by the inscription in the window that opens.
Here, in addition to the actual color design of windows and its elements, you can also customize the display of labels by specifying the font and size. For example, you can set a different font for the window title, define the spacing between icons, the color of hyperlinks, and more.
7.4. SOUNDS
Sounds, that is, the sound design, are directly involved in the perception of the desktop, so it is only natural that the Windows 7 operating system allows you to customize them to your liking.
To switch to the sound control mode, select the Sounds link in the window shown in Fig. 7.2.
A similar configuration method existed in Windows Vista, and compared to this operating system in Windows 7, there were no significant changes in this regard.
Sound control is very simple. There are more than ten different sound schemes to choose from, which you can set using the Sound scheme list. After the sound scheme is selected, you can proceed to control the sounds responsible for various events of the operating system.
In the central part of the window (Fig. 7.4) there is a list of all system events and sounds associated with these events. If sound is set, a speaker icon is displayed next to the corresponding event. Regardless of whether a sound is installed or not, you can change it or bind it to an event, for which the Sounds list is used: after marking the desired event, open the Sounds list and select one of 40 sounds from it at your discretion. If you don't need a sound for the event at all, select the None item in this list.
Figure: 7.4. Changing the soundtrack
You can do the same with any system event. As a result, a new sound scheme will be formed, which you can save using the Save As button, which will allow you to select it at any time.
If you are not satisfied with the set system sounds, you can specify your sounds using the Browse button. By default, only WAV format files can be selected. But is this a problem if there are a large number of programs with which you can easily convert any audio file to WAV?
Screensaver
Since there are times when you are not at the computer, the operating system may display a splash screen when it enters power saving mode. In this case, in addition to saving energy, you get a picture pleasing to the eye. And besides, you can make it so that the exit from the screen saver mode will be possible only after entering the password. This means that no one can see the information on your screen, especially people who don't need to show it at all.
The mechanism for working with screensavers has remained practically unchanged since its appearance in more early versions operating system. Why change something in a useful and, most importantly, properly working mechanism?
To be able to manage screensavers, select the Screensaver link in the lower right part of the window shown in Fig. 7.2.
In the window that appears (Fig. 7.5) you can choose any screensaver you like from the Screensaver list. At the same time, a small copy of the splash screen is displayed on the small screen at the top of the window. If you click the View button, you will be able to see its work "live", in full screen mode.
Figure: 7.5. Screen saver setting
Almost all screensavers have parameters that you can customize. For example, if you select the Photos screensaver, as shown in Fig. 7.5, then after clicking the Options button you can specify a folder with your images that will participate in the slideshow. You can also select the speed at which these images change.
If you want the screen saver to exit only when you enter a password, check the Start at login screen box. This opportunity is very often used by office workers, especially if one office is shared among several colleagues at once.
7.6. CHANGING DESKTOP ICONS
As you probably already noticed, by default, immediately after installation, the operating system displays only the Trash icon on the desktop. What is the reason for such a decision is not clear, because the Computer and Network icons are used in practice much more often, and nevertheless the developers decided not to display them. This "outrage" is very easy to fix.
First of all, you need to start the mechanism for working with icons, for which you use the link Change desktop icons on the left side of the window shown in Fig. 7.2.
As a result, a window will open in which you will see a list of standard icons, as well as parameters that show their current state (Fig. 7.6). If you want the Computer and Network icons to be present on the Desktop, just check the corresponding boxes in this window.
Fig 7.6. Setting up appearance and icon display
As with previous operating systems, in Windows 7 you can change the icon by clicking the Change Icon button. As a result, a window with a fairly large set of various icons will open. To return standard image icon, click the Normal Icon button.
If you want the desktop icons to change when you install a new theme, select the Allow themes to change icons on the desktop check box. In this case, the icons may acquire a more original appearance.
7.7. CHANGING THE MOUSE POINTS
The ability to customize mouse pointers existed in the earliest versions of the Windows operating system, so the developers of Windows 7 decided not to reinvent the wheel and use an already debugged mechanism. In doing so, they took it in the form in which it is present in Windows Vista.
As before, the user has the ability to adjust the following parameters.
P Mouse buttons. You can adjust the double-click speed, turn sticking on or off, and re-arrange the buttons for left-handed users.
P Pointers. There are over 10 different signage patterns to choose from. In this case, you can customize the appearance of the pointer for each mode, enable the display of the shadow. There is also the option to enable or disable the change of pointers when installing new skins.
P Pointer parameters. You can customize pointer parameters such as how fast it moves, whether it disappears from the screen when typing, setting the pointer to a default button, showing a tail, and more.
P Wheel. The mouse wheel is also customizable, for example, you can specify the number of lines by which you want to scroll the contents of the window with one scroll of the wheel. If you have a mouse that can tilt the wheel to the right and left, you can also use this feature for scrolling, such as scrolling the entire screen, which is convenient when reading e-books.
7.8. CHANGE THE ACCOUNT DRAWING
The account picture is what you see when you enter your login password or when you exit the splash screen. Additionally, this graphic also appears at the top of the Start menu. Not everyone likes the icon selected by the system, such as a bunny or a fish. The icon can be changed and it is very easy to do.
This will open a window in which you will see a set of images, as well as the image that your account is currently using (Fig. 7.7). Any image present in the window can become a picture of your account, you just need to select it and click the Change picture button. You can also select your picture. To do this, you just need to follow the Search for other pictures link and specify its location on disk. It supports the main graphic file formats.
Figure: 7.7. Change your account picture
Similarly, you can change pictures for other accounts that are registered in the operating system. If you have administrator rights, of course ...
Using and configuring gadgets
As mentioned earlier, unlike Windows Vista, in which gadgets could only be displayed in a special sidebar, in Windows 7 they can be placed anywhere on the desktop (Figure 9.1). In addition, it became possible to resize the gadget window.
Figure: 9.1. An example of gadgets on the desktop
The number of gadgets is increasing every day, and their quality is also increasing. There are 9 standard gadgets in Windows 7. In addition, you can download new ones from the Microsoft website or from any other.
Gadgets vary in purpose. The most interesting are those that work as web services. Examples of such gadgets are widgets for weather, currencies, news, etc., that is, those that display data from the Internet. There are also general-purpose gadgets such as clocks, assorted mini-games, slideshows, etc.
To manage gadgets, use the Control Panel element with the name Desktop Gadgets (Fig. 9.2). After starting it, a window will appear (Fig. 9.3).
Figure: 9.2. Launching the Desktop Gadgets mechanism
Figure: 9.3. List of available gadgets
This window displays a list of gadgets that are currently installed on the system. Over time, as the number of gadgets increases, they all do not fit in this window, so the list can be scrolled using the navigation bar in the upper left corner of the window.
Each element of this list is supplied short descriptionthat appears when the desired gadget is selected. By default, this window is displayed in compact mode, so you need to enlarge it to see the description. To do this, select the Show details link in the lower left corner of the window.
As mentioned above, new gadgets can be downloaded from the Internet, in particular from the Microsoft website. To do this, use the Find gadgets on the Internet link in the lower right corner of the window.
To add a gadget to the Desktop, simply drag it from the list to the Desktop. Or, right-click on the gadget and select Add in the context menu that appears. For example, consider using and configuring a standard weather gadget (Figure 9.4).
Figure: 9.5. An example of a weather gadget
The window size of almost any gadget can be changed. However, as the window size increases, functionality can be added. For example, if you drag a weather gadget to the Desktop, it will be displayed in a reduced version by default, which implies displaying only the current weather forecast for the selected city. If you increase it, it will show the weather forecast for four days or more in detail (Fig. 9.5).
Figure: 9.5. Enlarged gadget window
The window is enlarged as follows. If you move the pointer to the gadget, an additional panel with buttons appears, among which there is a button of the Larger size. When pressed, the window is enlarged.
The same panel contains the Settings button, which opens the gadget settings window. In our case, if you click this button, the window shown in Fig. 9.6. Here
there are only two parameters that affect the operation of the gadget - changing the type of temperature display and choosing the city in which you want to show the weather.
Figure: 9.6. Setting up the gadget
To change the city to any other, for example to St. Petersburg, type part or all of the city name and press the search button. As a result, a list of matches will appear, from which you must select the desired position. After that click OK and enjoy the result.
Windows 10 makes it easy to customize the look of your desktop. To access the personalization settings, right-click anywhere on the free desktop and select Personalization of context menu... The personalization settings screen will open.
The elements of the personalization screen are marked below, and immediately below the image - their descriptions.
1. Background
Here you can select and customize your desktop background.
2. Colors
Here you can change the color of places such as the taskbar and Start menu. By default, Windows 10 will use a color based on the background image. However, you can turn off this feature if you prefer to use a different color.
3. Lock screen
Here you can customize the look of your lock screen. Just like the desktop background, you can use the default images or set your own image.
4. Topics
If you have used themes in earlier windows versions, you can browse and select them here. However, Microsoft currently has no plans to release new themes for Windows 10.
5. Start
Here you can customize some of the options for the Start menu.
6. Overview
Click Browse to select a background image from your computer for your desktop.
To change the font size:
If you have trouble seeing text on the screen, you can increase the font size. Increasing the font size will also increase the size of icons and other items on the desktop.
To adjust the ClearType settings:
ClearType technology allows you to customize the display of text on the screen to help improve readability.
The ability to customize the desktop in Windows 10 allows you to make the operating system more personal, and it can even help you be more productive. Thus, today we will look at some of the settings that everyone should know in order to improve their OS experience.
Perhaps one of the most strengths Windows is the ability to customize almost everything; users can customize the desktop with the options available in the operating system and even through settings in the registry and policies. You can fine tune after installation.
Customize the Start Menu just the way you like it
The Start menu in Windows 10 is very similar to what you used in Windows 7. However, it also combines parts of the Start screen from Windows 8.1, and this is one of the first features you'll want to customize.
As with Windows 8.1, Windows 10 offers the ability to drag and drop Live Tiles in any way you like. If you want to name a group, just right click on the top edge of the group and name it whatever you want.
In Live Tiles mode, you can view the latest information without having to open the app. But sometimes you may not like or need to see certain information. While you cannot turn off this feature globally, you can right-click on each tile and select Turn Off Live Slices.
In the most popular operating systems - Windows 7 and Windows 10. The desktop background, or as it is also called the desktop wallpaper, is an integral part of the operating system interface, which determines its appearance and is customizable by the user in accordance with his preferences.
Windows 7 already has small set background images, among which you can select the one you want and set it as wallpaper on your desktop. If the standard images do not suit you, then the background can be easily changed to any other picture taken from the Internet or to your own photo. So, let's change the wallpaper on the Windows 7 desktop.
The easiest way to change your desktop wallpaper is to open in windows Explorer the folder in which the images and photographs are stored, right-click on the desired image to call the context menu, in which you must select the "" item.
Another way involves going into the personalization settings of Windows 7.
When several images are selected for the desktop background, they will change with the frequency set by the user.
In Windows 10, changing the wallpaper is also easy. Here it is also possible to set the background by right-clicking on the image, with the choice in the context menu of the item " ».
To change the wallpaper through the personalization settings, you need to right-click on any free space on the desktop, select the required context menu item (as described above for Windows 7) and select the section “ Background»
