Optimizing the Desktop Environment in Vista

When you open programs or folders, they appear on the desktop. You can arrange open programs and folders on the desktop by right-clicking an empty area of the taskbar and then selecting Cascade Windows, Show Windows Stacked, or Show Windows Side By Side as appropriate. If you click Show The Desktop, Windows minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop. Clicking Show Open Windows restores the minimized windows to their previous states.

You can put 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. To add a shortcut to a file or folder to the desktop, right-click the file or folder, point to Send To, and then select Desktop (Create Shortcut).

Beyond these basic techniques, Windows Vista provides many additional ways to optimize the desktop environment. One technique is to add a background containing a corporate logo or other symbol to the standard desktop build. This is particularly useful with loaner laptops; for example, you can create a logo with a message such as "Technology Department Loaner." Another technique is to use Windows Sidebar and Windows gadgets to add custom content directly to the desktop.

Setting the Desktop Background

Windows Vista provides multiple sets of background images and groups these images into named sets according to the tags used with the image files. On the computer's hard drive, background images are stored in the %WinDir%\Web\Wallpaper folder. Each unique tag used represents a named set. For example, images with the Vistas tag are displayed in the Vistas set of background images.

Background images can be created as .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, and .png files. If you add an image in one of these formats to any of the subfolders in the %WinDir%\Web \Wallpaper folder and give it an appropriate tag, the image will be available as part of that set. If you want to create a new set, simply add images with the desired tag to the %WinDir%\Web\Wallpaper folder.

To set the background for the desktop, follow these steps:

1. Right-click an open area of the desktop and then select Personalize. In the Personalization console, click Desktop Background. This displays the Desktop Background page, shown in Figure 1.

   
   Figure 1: Select which desktop background to use.

2. When you select Windows Wallpapers as the Picture Location, Windows Vista organizes desktop backgrounds into sets of similar images. Use the scroll bar to navigate between sets, such as Paintings or Light Auras.

3. Click the image you want to use as the background. If you can't find a background that you want to use, click Browse to search for a background on the file system or network.

4. Use the How Should The Picture Be Positioned options to select a display option for the background. You have three display position options:

   • q Fit To Screen Stretches or shrinks the image to fill the desktop background. This is a good option for photos and large images.

   • q Tile Repeats the image so that it covers the entire screen. This is a good option for small images and icons.

   • q Center Centers the image on the desktop background. Any area that the image doesn't fill uses the current desktop color.

5. When you are finished updating the background, click OK.

Working with the Default Desktop Icons

With the Classic Start menu, several icons are added to the desktop automatically: Computer, Control Panel, Network, Internet Explorer, Recycle Bin, and User's Files. With the simple Start menu, only the Recycle Bin is added to the desktop by default. You can use the common desktop icons as follows:

• Computer Double-clicking the Computer icon opens a window where 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 enables you to connect to shared network folders. Right-clicking the Computer icon and selecting Disconnect Network Drive enables you to remove a connection to a shared network folder.

• Control Panel Double-clicking the Control Panel icon opens Control Panel, which provides access to system configuration and management tools.

• Internet Explorer Double-clicking the Internet Explorer icon opens the Internet Explorer window with your default home page. Right-clicking the Internet Explorer icon and then selecting Start Without Add-Ons starts Internet Explorer without using browser extensions or other add-ons.

• 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 enables you to connect to shared network folders. Right-clicking the Network icon and selecting Disconnect Network Drive enables you to remove a connection to a shared network folder.

• Recycle Bin Double-clicking the Recycle Bin icon opens a window where you can view files and folders you've marked for deletion. By selecting Empty The Recycle Bin, you can permanently delete all the items in the Recycle Bin.

• User's Files Double-clicking the User's Files folder opens your personal folder.

You can add or remove common desktop icons by following these steps:

1. Right-click an open area of the desktop and then select Personalize. This displays the Personalization console.

2. In the left pane, click Change Desktop Icons under Tasks. This displays the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, shown in Figure 2.

   
   Figure 2: Use the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box to select the desktop icons to display and set their appearance.

3. The Desktop Icons Settings dialog box has check boxes for each of the default icons. Clear the corresponding check box to remove an icon. Select the check box to add an icon.

4. Click OK twice.

You can hide all desktop icons by right-clicking an open area of the desktop, pointing to View, and selecting Show Desktop Icons. If you repeat this procedure and select Show Desktop Icons a second time, all the hidden desktop icons are restored.

If you no longer want an icon or a shortcut on the desktop, right-click it and then select Delete. When prompted, confirm the action by clicking Yes.

Working with Windows Sidebar and Gadgets

Windows Vista provides Windows Sidebar and gadgets as a way to add custom content to the desktop. Windows Sidebar is a view pane that you can add to the left or right side of the display. The sidebar is used to display and work with mini programs called gadgets. Gadgets are designed to provide information at a glance and to provide easy access to frequently used tools and operating system features.

Similar to the taskbar, the sidebar is docked to the desktop and can be configured so that it is always displayed on top of other windows. In this configuration, maximized applications windows are sized around the sidebar so that the sidebar and its gadgets can always be seen. The sidebar is meant to boost productivity by keeping information that a user is interested in visible and by making frequently accessed tools readily available for use.

Configuring Windows Sidebar

In a standard configuration, the Windows Sidebar is displayed on the desktop by default. This occurs because the Start Sidebar When Windows Starts check box is selected by default in the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box. If you don't want the sidebar to be displayed when a user logs on, follow these steps to configure Windows Vista so the sidebar isn't started automatically:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance And Personalization, and then click Windows Sidebar Properties.

2. In the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 3, clear Start Sidebar When Windows Starts.

   
   Figure 3: Use the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box to configure whether Windows Sidebar starts automatically and set other features as necessary.

3. Click OK.

You can then start Windows Sidebar manually by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows Sidebar. You can also start Windows Sidebar manually by clicking Start, typing sidebar.exe in the Search box, and pressing Enter.

When Windows Sidebar is running, you'll often want to ensure its content and tools are always visible on either the left side or the right side of the desktop. You might also want to display the sidebar on a secondary monitor rather than the primary monitor. You can configure these sidebar options by following these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance And Personalization, and then click Windows Sidebar Properties. This displays the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box, shown previously in Figure 3.

2. To ensure the sidebar is always visible, select Sidebar Is Always On Top Of Other Windows.

3. To ensure the sidebar is always started when a user logs on, select Start Sidebar When Windows Starts.

4. To display the sidebar on the left or the right side of the desktop, select Left or Right as appropriate.

5. To display the sidebar on the primary monitor, select 1 as the option for Start Sidebar On This Monitor. Select 2 to display the sidebar on the user's secondary monitor.

6. Click OK.

Hiding and Exiting Windows Sidebar

When you no longer want to view the sidebar, you have two options for closing it:

• If you don't want the sidebar to be displayed temporarily, you can hide it by right-clicking in the sidebar and selecting Close Sidebar. Because the sidebar continues to run while hidden, docked gadgets that have dynamic content continue to be able to get updates.

• If you don't want the sidebar to run, you can exit it by right-clicking the sidebar notification icon and selecting Exit. When prompted to confirm, click Exit Sidebar. Because the sidebar is no longer running, docked gadgets that have dynamic content are not updated.

When you hide the sidebar rather than exiting, you can display it again by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows Sidebar Properties.

Real World

A faster (and better) way to hide and display the sidebar is to use the Windows Sidebar icon on the taskbar's notification area. When the Windows Sidebar icon is displayed in the notification area, you double-click the icon to hide the sidebar and then double-click the icon again to display the sidebar. This icon isn't always displayed, however. So the trick to using this technique to work with the sidebar is to set a related notification icon so the Windows Sidebar icon is always displayed. Right-click the notification area and then select Properties. This displays the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box with the Notification Area tab selected. With Hide Inactive Icons selected, click Customize. This displays the Customize Icons dialog box. Click the Windows Sidebar entry, and then under Behavior, click the related selection list to show the available behavior options. Select Show as the behavior option. Click OK twice. Now when the user logs on, the Windows Sidebar icon in the notification area will always be displayed.

Adding and Removing Windows Gadgets

You can add gadgets to Windows Sidebar by clicking the plus sign (+) button at the top of the sidebar. In the Add Gadgets dialog box, shown in Figure 4, double-click each of the gadgets that you want to add to the sidebar. Because multiple pages of gadgets might be available, you might need to use the Previous Page and Next Page buttons to navigate through the list of available gadgets. To find additional gadgets, click Get More Gadgets Online. The sidebar launches the Microsoft Gadgets site (http://www.microsoftgadgets.com/), where you can download custom gadgets or find instructions on how to build your own gadgets.

Figure 4: Double-click gadgets to add them to the sidebar.

Each version of Windows Vista includes a standard set of gadgets. These gadgets typically include:

• Calendar Displays a desk calendar. The default view shows the current month, day, date, and year in large text. Clicking the top-level calendar view displays a monthly calendar. Clicking the monthly calendar displays a yearly calendar.

• Clock Displays an analog clock with hour and minute hands. Moving the mouse pointer over the clock shows the digital time, date, and time zone. The time zone used can be different from that used by the computer clock. Several different views are available for the clock face. You can also add a second hand if desired. To change default settings, right-click the Clock gadget and then select Options. Use the Back and Forward buttons provided to select the clock face. Type a name or identifier for the clock, set a time zone, and add a second hand as desired, then click OK to save the settings.

• CPU Meter Displays the current percentage utilization of the computer's CPU and memory. Similar to a tachometer in a car, the CPU and memory gauges show high utilization in yellow and red.

• Currency Displays conversion information from one unit of currency to another. For example, you can convert U.S. dollars to Euros by selecting the From currency as US Dollar and the To currency as Euro. The data for currency conversion comes from a data provider, such as MSN Money. To change the conversion settings, right-click the Currency Converter gadget and then select Options. Choose the From unit and the To unit for the conversion and then click OK to save the settings.

• Feed Headlines Displays the data from a selected Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed that has been configured in Internet Explorer. RSS feeds can contain news headlines, lists, and other information. After you add an RSS feed to Internet Explorer, you can begin viewing the feed in the Feed Headlines gadget automatically.

  Tip

  RSS feeds are only updated if you've turned on the automatic feed updates. You can enable automatic feed updates in Internet Explorer. Click Internet Options on the Tools menu. In the Internet Options dialog box, select the Content tab. Under Feeds, click Settings. In the Feed Settings dialog box, select the Automatically Check Feeds For Updates check box and then set a schedule, such as Every 1 Day. Click OK twice to save the settings.

• Notes Displays a note pad into which you can type messages and reminders. After you type the text of a note, you can click the Add button (the large plus sign) to start a new note. Use the Back and Forward buttons provided to navigate the stack of notes. Click the delete button (the large red X) to delete a note.

• Slide Show Displays pictures from a selected folder as a continuous slide show in which pictures rotate at a specified interval. Moving the mouse pointer over a picture in the slide show causes the navigation buttons to appear. You can navigate through the pictures using the Previous, Pause, and Next buttons. Click the View button (showing a magnifying glass) to open the current picture in the Photo Gallery Viewer. By default, pictures in the %UserProfile%\Pictures folder are used for the slide show. By right-clicking the Slide Show gadget and selecting Settings, you can modify the Directory setting to use any preferred folder. You can also modify the transition and slide show speed settings.

You can work with gadgets in a variety of ways:

• Gadgets can be detached from the sidebar and moved around the desktop by right-clicking the gadget and selecting Detach From Sidebar. Once you've detached the gadget, you can click and drag to move it to different locations on the desktop. To return the gadget to the sidebar, right-click the gadget and select Attach To Sidebar.

• When gadgets are detached, they can be displayed on top of all other windows by right-clicking the gadget and selecting Always On Top. Once you've moved the gadget to the top, right-clicking the gadget and selecting Always On Top a second time clears the setting and makes the gadget work like any other window that can be brought to the front when in use or moved to the back when not in use.

• Whether attached to the sidebar or detached, gadgets can be configured to be translucent or not translucent by setting an opacity percentage. The default opacity percentage is 100%, meaning you can't see through the gadget. If you want to be able to see through the gadget when it is inactive, you can reduce the opacity percentage by right-clicking the gadget, pointing to Opacity, and selecting an opacity percentage less than 100%. When you move the mouse pointer over a gadget, it is always displayed with 100% opacity.

You can remove a gadget from the sidebar or desktop by right-clicking it and selecting Remove. Rather than removing multiple gadgets individually, you can easily remove multiple gadgets by following these steps:

1. Right-click an open area of the sidebar and then select Properties.

2. In the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box, click View List Of Running Gadgets.

3. In the View Gadgets dialog box, click a gadget to remove from the sidebar or desktop and then click Remove. Repeat this step to remove other gadgets.

4. Click Close and then click OK.