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The Microsoft Windows XP Professional desktop environment provides a user interface that is easily customized. Appropriate configuration of the desktop enhances a user s experience with the operating system and can increase productivity. Configuration information on a computer running Windows XP Professional is stored in the Windows Registry. On computers that are part of a domain, configuration information might also be stored in Active Directory or on other server computers. Each user on a computer has a profile that contains that user s desktop configuration settings and also governs the location in which configuration information is stored. It is important that you understand the options that are available for desktop configuration and management. This chapter covers configuring and troubleshooting display settings, power management, basic operating system settings, the desktop environment, and Windows components.

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Lessons in this :

Lesson 1: Configuring and Troubleshooting the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3 Lesson 2: Configuring Power Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Lesson 3: Configuring System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21 Lesson 4: Configuring Languages, Locations, and Accessibility Options . . . . . 5-40 Lesson 5: Managing Windows Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51

To complete this chapter, you must have a computer that meets the minimum hardware requirements listed in the preface, About This Book. You must also have Windows XP Professional installed on a computer on which you can make changes.

Users can configure and clean up the icons that appear on their computer s desktop. Users with permission to load and unload device drivers can also install and test video drivers. Windows XP Professional allows you to change video resolutions dynamically without restarting the system and also supports multiple display configurations.

To view or modify the display or the Desktop properties, in Control Panel, click Appearance And Themes, and then click Display. The tabs in the Display Properties dialog box (see Figure 5-1) are described in Table 5-1.

Figure 5-1 Table 5-1

Description Allows you to choose a theme. A theme is a collection of settings that include desktop background, sounds, icons, and other elements to help you personalize your computer. Allows you to choose a background and color for your desktop. The Customize Desktop button allows you to add or remove some Windows program icons and determine which icons represent those programs. You can also include Web content on your desktop (see Figure 5-2).

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Table 5-1

Screen Saver Allows you to choose a screen saver to appear on your screen when the computer is idle. The default time after which a screen saver initiates is 10 minutes. On older CRT monitors, screen savers prevented damage to monitors by preventing an image from becoming burned into the monitor. Although this is no longer a problem on newer cathode-ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, screen savers are still useful. When a computer is left unattended, a screen saver protects the information on the screen from casual eavesdropping. If you configure the screen saver to prompt for a password to return to the desktop, you can also prevent more deliberate intrusion. You can also click Power to adjust monitor power settings and save energy. See Lesson 2, Configuring Power Options. Appearance Allows you to configure the windows and buttons styles, the color scheme, and the font size. Click Effects to configure the following options: