The enhanced user interface in Windows 7 is visually
stunning, and a key component in the interface is the desktop. As you’ll
discover in this section, you can work with the desktop and its related
features in many new and exciting ways. If you’re familiar with Windows XP
and Windows Vista, you may be tempted to skip this section, but don’t—there are a lot of new features and
new ways you can work with the desktop. As with Windows Vista, most
editions of Windows 7 support Aero Glass to give your desktop special effects such as
blending and transparency. However, the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic editions do not support this feature.2.1.1. Getting Around the Desktop
Figure 1 shows the
Windows 7 desktop with the Aero Glass capabilities enabled. This desktop
has standard features, but you can customize it with additional features
as well. Standard desktop features include the Start menu, the taskbar,
and the notification area.
Programs or folders you open appear on the desktop in separate
windows. You can arrange open program and folder windows on the
desktop by right-clicking an empty area of the taskbar and then
selecting one of the following viewing options:
Cascade Windows
Arranges the open windows on the screen so that they
overlap, with the title bar remaining visible
Show Windows Stacked
Resizes the open windows and arranges them on top of each
other, in one or more columns
Show Windows Side by Side
Resizes the open windows and stacks them side by side
If you right-click an empty area of the taskbar and then select
Show the Desktop, Windows 7 minimizes all open windows and displays the
desktop. If you later right-click an empty area of the taskbar and
select Show Open Windows, Windows 7 restores the minimized windows to
their previous states.
In addition to opening program and folder windows, you can store
files, folders, and shortcuts on the desktop. Any file or folder you
save on the desktop appears on the desktop. Any file or folder you drag
from a Windows Explorer window to the desktop stays on the desktop. You
can add a shortcut to a file or folder to the desktop by following
these steps:
Click Start and then click Computer.
Use the Windows Explorer window to locate the file or folder
you want to add to the desktop.
Right-click the file or folder.
On the shortcut menu, point to Send To and then select Desktop
(Create Shortcut).
You can add system icons to the desktop, too. By default,
the only system icon on the desktop is the Recycle Bin. You can add or
remove system icons by completing the following steps:
Right-click an empty area of the desktop and then select
Personalize.
In the left pane of the Personalization window, click Change
Desktop Icons under the Tasks heading.
Click Customize Desktop. This opens the Desktop Icon Settings
dialog box, as shown in Figure 2.
Add or remove the Computer, Control Panel, Recycle Bin,
Network, and User’s Files icons by selecting or clearing the related
checkboxes.
Once you’ve added an icon to the desktop, you can work with it
using the techniques summarized in Table 1. If you no longer want an icon
or shortcut on the desktop, right-click it and select Delete. When
prompted, confirm the action by clicking Yes.
Table 1. Working with desktop icons
| Desktop icon | Usage |
|---|
| Computer | Double-clicking the
Computer icon opens a window from which you can access hard disk
drives and devices with removable storage. Right-clicking the
Computer icon and selecting Manage opens the Computer Management
console. Right-clicking the Computer icon and selecting Map
Network Drive allows you to connect to shared network folders.
Right-clicking the Computer icon and selecting Properties
displays the System page in Control Panel. |
| Control
Panel | Double-clicking the
Control Panel icon opens the Control Panel, which provides
access to system configuration and management
tools. |
| Network | Double-clicking the
Network icon opens a window where you can access the computers
and devices on your network. Right-clicking the Network icon and
selecting Map Network Drive allows you to connect to shared
network folders. |
| Recycle
Bin | Double-clicking the
Recycle Bin icon opens the Recycle Bin, which you can use to
restore deleted items or permanently remove items.
Right-clicking the Recycle Bin icon and selecting Empty Recycle
Bin permanently removes all items in the Recycle
Bin. |
| User’s
Files | Double-clicking the
folder icon opens your user profile folder in Windows
Explorer. |
