Windows 98 Installation & Configuration Handbook

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- 8 -

Configuring Your Desktop and Fonts


by Rob Tidrow

Creating Shortcuts

Windows 98 enables you to create shortcuts. A shortcut is a link to an object that enables you to access that object more quickly. Shortcuts are similar to program icons in Windows 3.x, but shortcuts differ in that you can create them for any object on your system, including programs, files, documents, networked objects, and even hardware devices. You might provide a shortcut to your spreadsheet application, such as Excel for Windows, that you can double-click to start the application, for example. You also might create a shortcut to a specific document, such as a Word 97 document (see Figure 8.1). If Word is not open when you double-click the document shortcut, the shortcut opens Word and loads your linked spreadsheet.

You can distinguish shortcuts from other items on the desktop, such as folders, by the small, arcing arrow on the icon. This denotes that the icon is linked to an object that you can start or open by double-clicking the icon.

FIG. 8.1 Shortcuts can be to folders, applications, devices (such as hard drives), files, or other objects.


TIP: Another place where you can embed shortcuts is inside a document or email message. When the recipient opens the document or message, he or she can double-click the shortcut to open the associated object.

You can add shortcuts to your desktop, on the Quick Launch toolbar, or in a folder so that you can quickly access them as you work. The next two sections show you how to add and delete shortcuts to and from your desktop.


TROUBLESHOOTING: One of my shortcuts lost its link. How can I reestablish it? For the most part, Windows 98 automatically updates a shortcut when you move the object's file. If Windows cannot find the filename, however, you can right-click the shortcut and choose Properties. Select the Shortcuts page on the Shortcuts Properties dialog box. In the Target box, enter the full path of the filename to which the shortcut is linked.

Adding Shortcuts to Your Desktop

Windows 98 provides a few ways to add shortcuts to your desktop. You can stay on the desktop to create a shortcut, or you can use Explorer or My Computer to drag and drop objects to the desktop.

To create a shortcut using the desktop context-sensitive menu, follow these steps:

1. Right-click anywhere on your desktop. The context-sensitive menu appears (see Figure 8.2).

FIG. 8.2 Use the context-sensitive menu on the desktop to create a shortcut.

2. Choose New, Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard appears, as shown in Figure 8.3.

FIG. 8.3 The Create Shortcut Wizard enables you to add shortcuts to your desktop.

3. In the Command Line field, type the path and filename of the object for which you want to create a shortcut.


TIP: Click Browse to navigate your system for a specific object name and location. By default, Windows 98 displays only programs. You can locate any file or object by selecting All Files from the Files of Type drop-down listbox. Select the object you want, and click Open.
4. Click Next. The Select a Title for the Program dialog box appears.

5.
In the Select a Name for the Shortcut field, enter a name for the new shortcut. Windows 98 provides a default name that is the same as the filename of the object. You can use this name or type over it to create your own. Changing the shortcut name does not alter the original filename.


NOTE: When you create a shortcut name, you can use up to 256 characters.
6. Click Finish.

Windows places your new shortcut on the desktop. You can move the icon on the desktop, rename it, or delete it (see "Deleting Shortcuts," later in this chapter).

Another way to create a shortcut is to use Explorer or My Computer to drag objects onto the desktop. This is the quickest way to create several shortcuts at once. Use the following steps to create a shortcut using Explorer:

1. Open Explorer to the folder that contains the file or object you want to set up as a shortcut.

2.
Right-click the item you want as a shortcut and drag the item to the desktop. Press Shift while clicking items to select multiple items; press Ctrl while clicking items to select multiple, noncontiguous items. Release the mouse button and choose Create Shortcut Here from the context-sensitive menu (see Figure 8.4).

Windows creates a shortcut to the object you selected.


CAUTION: If you drag an item from Explorer to the desktop using the left mouse button, Windows 98 automatically moves that item to the Desktop folder. This occurs for any object except applications. If you drag an application using the left mouse button, Windows 98 automatically creates a shortcut to that application without moving the application file.


NOTE: After you create a shortcut, you can quickly rename it by clicking the shortcut name and typing a new name. Press Enter. You also can right-click the shortcut and choose Rename from the context-sensitive menu. Type the new name and press Enter.

As mentioned earlier, you can quickly create several shortcuts at once by dragging several objects from Explorer. To do this, press Ctrl while right-clicking objects in Explorer, and then release both Ctrl and the mouse button after you drop the objects on the desktop. You then can rename the shortcuts.

FIG. 8.4 Right-click an object and drag it to the desktop so that you can create a shortcut for the object.


NOTE: To create a shortcut to a printer, choose Start, Settings, Printers. In the Printers folder, right-click the printer to which you want to create a shortcut and drag the printer icon onto the desktop. Then choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. Now you can drag files from Explorer or the desktop on top of the printer shortcut to print your documents.

Changing Shortcut Properties

You can view or change the properties of a shortcut by right-clicking the shortcut and choosing Properties. In the Shortcut Properties dialog box that appears, select the Shortcut page (see Figure 8.5). Here, you can change the icon, what kind of window it appears in, or the key combinations used to start it.

The icon that appears when you create a shortcut might not suit your needs. Or you might have a difficult time seeing it against the desktop wallpaper. You can change the icon by clicking Change Icon in the Shortcut Properties dialog box and scrolling through the Current Icon list in the Change Icon dialog box until you find an icon you like (see Figure 8.6). Click the icon and click OK. In the Shortcut Properties dialog box, click Apply. The shortcut's icon changes to the one you selected.


TIP: Click the Browse button to find other icons on your computer. One file that contains additional icons is the MORICONS.DLL file in the \Windows folder.

FIG. 8.5 The Shortcut Properties dialog box enables you to customize your shortcut.

FIG. 8.6 Tired of that drabby icon for your shortcut? Change it by modifying the shortcut's properties.

Another setting you can change for your shortcuts is the keyboard combination that activates or switches to the shortcut. In the Shortcut Key box in the Shortcut Properties dialog box, enter the keyboard shortcut you want to use. You can use this key combination in any Windows application to start or switch to the shortcut's application. You might want to assign Ctrl+Shift+W to start Word for Windows, for example.


CAUTION: You cannot use the key combination you set up with the preceding instructions in any other application or feature in Windows 98. The Windows 98 shortcut key combination overrules all other settings you already have set.


NOTE: The Shortcut Properties settings also include an option to set the way in which the shortcut item opens. In the Run drop-down listbox, you can select Normal, Minimized, or Maximized. Normal displays the window sized as you last used it, Minimized opens the object and places it on the taskbar in a minimized state, and Maximized displays the object in a maximized window.

Deleting Shortcuts

Shortcuts placed on the desktop are a handy way to start items you use frequently. Through the course of a week, if you add a shortcut for each file, application, or device you use, your desktop might start getting cluttered. Even though the resource requirements of shortcuts are minimal, they can add up after a while. If you find yourself being hampered by the number of shortcuts you have set up, delete a few.

You can delete shortcuts in several ways. The quickest way is to click the shortcut and press Delete. Answer Yes to the confirmation box that appears. Another way to delete a shortcut is to right-click a shortcut and choose Delete. Again, answer Yes to confirm the operation.


TROUBLESHOOTING: How do I remove the Network Neighborhood icon from my desktop? The Network Neighborhood icon appears on your desktop automatically when you install network resources (including an Internet connection) under Windows 98. You cannot drag the Network Neighborhood icon to the Recycle Bin or right-click it and choose Delete to remove it. You must use the System Policy Editor to delete it. The System Policy Editor should be used only by advanced users who feel comfortable making system changes to their computers. Also, before you start the System Policy Editor, be sure that your system is backed up in case you encounter problems and lose data. The System Policy Editor is available on the Windows 98 installation CD-ROM in the \ADMIN\APPTOOLS\POLEDIT\ folder. Double-click the Poledit application to start the System Policy Editor. Choose File, Open Registry. Then, open Local User (or your user ID), switch to \User\Shell\Restrictions, and enable the Hide Network Neighborhood check box. Click OK, close the System Policy Editor, and restart Windows 98.

Adding Folders to Your Desktop

Although you can add a shortcut to a folder on the desktop, you also can create a folder that exists on the desktop. You might want to place a folder on the desktop that contains all your business-related documents--memos, faxes, spreadsheets, and databases--so that you can open one folder to access all of them (see Figure 8.7).

FIG. 8.7 Create folders on your desktop to hold all your important--or not so important--files and documents.

In fact, when you install Windows 98, a few common folders are placed on your desktop automatically, including the following:


NOTE: Windows 98 places a shortcut to the My Documents folder on your desktop. The My Documents folder, which was introduced in Microsoft Office 95 and other Windows 95 applications, provides a common data-storage area for your files, documents, and other key objects. Applications that are configured to save documents and files in the My Documents folder will place them into this new My Documents folder. You can delete the My Documents shortcut, move it to another folder (such as onto the Start menu), or leave it on the desktop.

To add a folder to the desktop, follow these steps:

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop.

2.
From the context-sensitive menu, choose New, Folder. A new folder appears on the desktop.

3.
Name the folder and double-click it to add items to it.

4.
In the new folder, choose File, New, Shortcut to add shortcuts to the folder. Or, choose File, New, Folder to add a folder within the folder.


TIP: You also can drag files, folders, and other objects from Explorer or My Computer into your new folders to store them. For added convenience, the folder does not have to be open for you to drag an object to it. Just drag and drop the object over the closed folder.

Setting Background and Wallpaper Properties

On your wall or desk in your office, you probably have family pictures, awards, Post-it notes, photographs of the ocean, and other items that help you escape the pressures of the day. Not to be outdone, Windows 98 enables you to jazz up your desktop by adding color to it. You can change the background patterns and wallpaper and even create your own wallpaper. The following sections show you how.

Changing Patterns and Wallpaper

When Windows 98 installs, it loads a standard Windows desktop theme and wallpaper. You can experiment with the background patterns and wallpaper to suit your tastes. To change the desktop settings, you modify the desktop properties, which you can access by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop and choosing Properties from the context-sensitive menu. The Display Properties dialog box appears (see Figure 8.8).

FIG. 8.8 You change the way your desktop looks by using the Display Properties dialog box.


TIP: You also can open the Display Properties dialog box by double-clicking the Display icon in the Control Panel. Or you can choose Start, Settings, Active Desktop, Customize My Desktop, Background.

To change the wallpaper, scroll down the Wallpaper listbox. The names of wallpaper from which you can choose include Black Thatch, Blue Rivets, Circles, Houndstooth, Setup, and more.


NOTE: By default, only a few wallpaper files are installed during Windows Setup. To add wallpaper files, double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel. Then select the Windows Setup page and select the Accessories item in the Components list. Click Details, select Desktop Wallpaper, and click OK twice. Make sure that you have your Windows 98 installation disks or CD-ROM handy when you do this.

After you select the wallpaper, you can preview it in the preview monitor in the Display Properties dialog box. Click Apply to place the wallpaper on your desktop.

You can set the way wallpaper displays on the desktop by selecting one of these options in the Display drop-down listbox:

To change the desktop pattern, click Pattern to display the Pattern dialog box (see Figure 8.9). You must have the (None) choice in the Wallpaper list selected for the Pattern button to be active. You can choose from a number of patterns to display on your desktop. These range from Bricks and Buttons to Triangles and Waffle's Revenge. You also can choose (None), which places no pattern on the desktop. Scroll through the list of patterns and click one to view an example of how it looks in the Preview area on the Pattern dialog box. Click OK to place the pattern on your desktop and to return to the Background page of the Display Properties dialog box.

FIG. 8.9 Use the Pattern dialog box to select a desktop pattern.

You can change the way the pattern looks or create your own pattern by choosing a pattern in the Pattern dialog box and clicking Edit Pattern. In the Pattern Editor dialog box, click the pattern box to edit or create a new pattern (see Figure 8.10). If it is a new pattern, type a new name in the Name drop-down listbox. Click Done when you finish, and then click OK.

FIG. 8.10 Use the Pattern Editor to modify the way your desktop pattern looks.

You can remove a pattern when you are in the Pattern Editor by selecting its name from the Name drop-down listbox and clicking Remove.

After you select a pattern, it fills the entire background. The color of the pattern is determined by the color you have set up for your background, which is set on the Appearance tab of the Display Properties dialog box and is discussed later in this chapter in "Specifying Desktop Colors."

Choose OK when you have the pattern or wallpaper you like. Your desktop displays your selections, as shown in the example in Figure 8.11.

FIG. 8.11 The Pinstripe wallpaper is added to the Windows 98 desktop.


TIP: Another way to change the wallpaper on your desktop is to use an image you are viewing in Internet Explorer as your wallpaper. To do this, display a Web page in Internet Explorer that contains an image. Next, right-click the image and choose Set As Wallpaper. (If the image is hyperlinked, be sure to right-click the image and not left-click it. Otherwise, you jump to the resource linked to the image.) The image you selected as your desktop wallpaper is displayed with the name of Internet Explorer Wallpaper.

Creating Your Own Wallpaper

If you don't like the ready-made images Windows gives you for wallpaper, you can do one of three things. First, you can elect not to have wallpaper. Second, you can purchase wallpaper files or download them from the Internet (they're just BMP picture files).

Third, you can create your own wallpaper image. To do this, all you need is a bitmap image saved as a BMP file. If you have a graphic that you've saved on your computer, such as from the World Wide Web or a CD-ROM loaded with pretty pictures, you can convert it to BMP format using graphics converters. If the file is already in BMP format, you don't need to worry about converting it.


NOTE: An excellent graphics utility that enables you to convert graphics formats is Paint Shop Pro, a shareware utility from Jasc Software, Inc. You can find it on the Web at

http://www.jasc.com

Paint Shop Pro reads several file formats, including PCX, JPG, TIF, and GIF, and enables you to convert files to BMP.


Place the BMP file in any folder on your system and then open the Display Properties dialog box. On the Background page, click Browse and locate the file on your system. Click OK after you select the file, and then click OK again to place your custom-made wallpaper on the desktop. Again, you can tile, stretch, or center the image to your liking.

Setting Up Screen Savers

Another way to set up the way your desktop behaves is to use a screen saver that starts when your computer is inactive for a specified time. When you set up a screen saver, you need to specify the screen-saver name, the time to wait for it to start, and whether it will be password protected. The following sections discuss these items.

Choosing a New Screen Saver

To choose a screen saver, right-click the desktop and choose Properties from the context-sensitive menu. In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Screen Saver page (see Figure 8.12). A list of installed screen savers appears in the Screen Saver drop-down listbox. Select a screen saver from this list and look at a preview of it in the preview monitor on the Screen Saver page. Click Apply when you locate the screen saver of your choice.

FIG. 8.12 Select a screen saver from the Screen Saver tab in the Display Properties dialog box.


TIP: Click Preview to get a full-screen view of a screen saver. Move the mouse to stop the preview.

You can configure the behavior of the screen saver by clicking Settings. This displays a property sheet or dialog box for the screen saver, in which you can adjust specific settings for each screen saver.

Not all screen savers have the same dialog box settings. The 3D Flower Box screen saver, for example, has options that enable you to set your screen saver's color, spin, shape, complexity, and size. On the other hand, the 3D Text screen saver includes options for displaying custom text, the time, what the surface texture of the text looks like, and the size.

After you configure the screen saver's settings, click OK and click Apply in the Display Properties dialog box. On the Screen Saver tab, you can adjust the time for the screen saver to wait before it starts. Set this time in the Wait box. You can select between 1 and 99 minutes. After your display is inactive for the selected number of minutes, the screen saver starts.

Setting Screen-Saver Passwords

You can use your screen saver to ward off sinister snoopers who want to use your computer when you are away from your desk. To do this, set a password that users must type to stop the screen saver. The following steps show you how to set up a password:

1. On the Screen Saver page in the Display Properties dialog box, enable the Password Protected check box.

2.
Click Change to set the password. The Change Password dialog box appears.

3.
Type a password in the New Password box. Retype the password in the Confirm New Password box.

4.
Click OK to set the password.

To disable the password, disable the Password Protected check box on the Screen Saver tab.


TIP: Remember your password. If you forget your password, you can restart your computer and boot Windows 98. Before your screen saver starts, go in and disable the password option for that screen saver or click Change and create a new password.

Specifying Desktop Colors

Earlier in this chapter, you saw how to change the background and wallpaper on your computer. You also can select the colors of your desktop, including the colors of the menu bars, dialog boxes, and other elements. Windows 98 provides more than two dozen predefined color schemes that you can choose from, or you can create your own scheme. Another way is to use a predefined scheme and then modify it to suit your tastes.

Using Predefined Color Schemes

In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Appearance page to access the different color schemes available to you (see Figure 8.13). In the Scheme drop-down listbox, select from the various choices, including Eggplant, Pumpkin, Brick, Rose, and others.

FIG. 8.13 Color schemes are a nice way to add some color to your life.

The best way to decide whether you like a scheme is to click it and look at it in the preview window. Some color schemes have interesting names (such as Rainy Day and Marine), but their schemes are somewhat hard on the eyes. Pick the one that's best for you and your display.

After you select a scheme, click OK to change your display to the selected scheme.

Customizing Color Schemes

If you get tired of looking at the built-in schemes Windows 98 provides, create your own. To do this, return to the Appearance page in the Display Properties dialog box. In the Item drop-down listbox, click the name of an item you want to change, such as Active Title Bar. Depending on the item you choose, you can modify the color, font size, font characteristic (bold or italic), and font.

The following list describes the options you can modify:

After you create a new color scheme, you can save it and name it. Click the Save As button and type a name in the Save This Color Scheme As dialog box. Click OK. To delete a color scheme, select it in the Scheme drop-down listbox and click Delete.

Adding Fonts to Your System

Windows 98 includes an enhanced way to manage and view fonts on your system. The Windows 98 Fonts folder stores all the fonts on your system. When you open the Fonts folder, a window similar to the one shown in Figure 8.14 appears. You can view a sample of the way a font looks by double-clicking one of the font icons. This displays a window that contains sample text of the font and includes details of other font properties, including the font name, file size, version number, and manufacturer of the font.

FIG. 8.14 You use the Fonts folder to store and manage all the fonts on your system.

To access the Fonts folder, choose Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the Fonts folder in the Control Panel. You also can access this folder by navigating to the \Fonts folder in your Windows 98 folder, such as \Windows\Fonts. After the folder appears, you can view, delete, print, and install fonts.

You can display a toolbar on the Fonts folder by choosing View, Toolbar. A submenu appears, from which you can select the following Toolbar options:

On the toolbar, you can reconfigure the way the fonts appear in the Fonts folder by clicking the different toolbar buttons. The following list describes how the Fonts folder appears after you select these buttons:

FIG. 8.15 You can find fonts that are similar to each other by clicking the Similarity button on the toolbar.


TIP: Use the Details view to get the filename of a font you want to copy or delete from your system.

Installing New Fonts

Simply copying a font file to the \Windows\Fonts folder does not install the font for use with your Windows applications. You must install the font by choosing File, Install New Font in the Fonts folder. When you install a new font, Windows 98 places a setting in the Windows Registry to make it available for your applications.

To install a new font, follow these steps:

1. Choose File, Install New Font from the Fonts folder to display the Add Fonts dialog box (see Figure 8.16).

FIG. 8.16 Use the Add Fonts dialog box to install new fonts on your system.

2. Select the font name(s) in the List of Fonts box.


TIP: To select more than one font name in the List of Fonts box, press Shift as you select contiguous fonts, or press Ctrl as you select noncontiguous fonts. To select all the listed fonts, click Select All in the Add Fonts dialog box.
3. If the font is in another folder, locate the folder in which the font is stored in the Folders listbox. You also can change the drive by clicking the Drives drop-down listbox and selecting the appropriate drive.

4.
Enable the Copy Fonts to Fonts Folder check box to instruct Windows to copy the selected font(s) to your \Windows\Fonts folder. This places a copy of the font file in the Fonts folder on your system, effectively duplicating the font file on your system. If you leave this check box clear, the font files remain in the original source location, but the Windows 98 Registry includes references to these locations. This still enables you to use those fonts in your applications, even when they are not in your \Windows\Fonts folder.


TIP: When you operate in a network environment, you might want to leave your font files on the network server to conserve space on your local machine. You can install fonts from the network by clicking Network in the Add Fonts dialog box and locating the font file names on your server. Make sure that the Copy Fonts to Fonts Folder check box is not checked.
5. Choose OK to finish the installation steps and to install the fonts on your system.

Removing Fonts

You can remove a font from your system by opening the Fonts folder in the Control Panel and then clicking the font(s) you want to delete. Next, press Delete or choose File, Delete. Then click Yes when Windows asks whether you are sure you want to delete these fonts. This deletes the font file and places the font file in the Recycle Bin.


TIP: Windows 3.x had a problem of using up a lot of memory when you installed numerous fonts on your system. Windows 98 does not have this same problem, even though you might want to reduce the number of font files on your system if you need to clean up some disk space.


TROUBLESHOOTING: How do I view only TrueType fonts in my applications? If you use only TrueType fonts in your applications, such as Word 97, you can instruct Windows 98 to display only TrueType fonts when you are working. In the Fonts folder, choose View, Folders Options and select the TrueType page. Enable the Show Only TrueType Fonts in the Programs on My Computer check box. Click OK.


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