Customising The Taskbar

Narmally, the taskbar appears at the bottom of the desktop. You can also move it to any side of the desktop. However, the taskbar is lacked by defaulot. You need to unlock th taskbar before changing its size and position.

To unlock the taskbar.

1.Right-click anywhere on the empty space on the taskbar. A shortcut menu appears.

   2.Click properties.

 The Taskbar and start menu   

 properties dialog box  

 appease. A dialog box is a type of window displayed to gather information from the user to complete a specific task.

3.Click to clear the Lock the taskbar check box.

4.Click apply, and then click OK.

Now, you can move the taskbar to a new location. For example to move the taskbar to the left side of the desktop:

1.Point to an empty space on the taskbar.

2.Drag the taskbar to the left end of the desktop.

  The taskbar is moved to the left side.

  The taskbar can be resized also.

1.Point to the inside border of the taskbar. A double-headed arrow appears.

2.Drag the border to the size you want.

The taskbar is resized.

You can also hide the taskbar to view documents or pictures in full-screen mode.

To hide the taskbar

1.Right-click anywhere on the empty space on the taskbar.

2.Click Properties.

The Taskbar and start menu prorperties dialog box appears.

3.Select the Auto-hide the taskbar check box.

4.Click Apply, and then click ok.

  The taskbar is hidden from your view.when you       

  point to the location where the taskbar was, the 

  taskbar reappears.when you move the mouse

  pointer away, the taskbar is hidden again.

  To view the taskbar permanently,click to clear the Auto-ide the 

  taskbar check box in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properites   

  dialog.

   

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The Windows Desktop

The desktop is the on-screen work work area on which windows, icons, menus and dialog boxes appear.

After starting a computer with windows XP installed, you have access to the desktop. From here, you can operate the system. The desktop can have several components. Parts of the desktop include icons and the taskbar. You can change settings on the desktop to customize it. For example , you can change the background to display your school logo, arrange the icon to find class files easier or add a screensaver containing student pictures.

Components of the desktop

The componets of the desktop are:

1.    Icons

2.    Taskbar

3.    Background

4.    Screen Saver

The small pictures that appear on the desktop are called icons. When you start Windows XP for the first time, only the Recycle Bin  icons appears on the desktop. Each icon is a small image that represents afile, folder or program. The text below each icon is the name of the icon. When you rest the mouse pointer on an icon, a rectangular yellow box appears. This is referred to as a tooltip. It gives a brief description of the icon.

The band that appears at the bottom of the screen is called the taskbar. The taskbar has the start menu on the left and the notification area on thr right. You can start an application by using the start menu. The notification area holds system icons that allow for functions, such as changing the time and volume of the computer. Each time you open an application, a button representing the application appears on thetaskbar. The button disappears when you close the application. 

The background is a decorative picture that appears on the desktop behind the icons. The background is also referred to as wallpaper.

A screen saver is a moving picture or a pattern that appears on on yhe sreen when the mouse and keyboard are not used for a specified period of time. You can set a password-protected screen saver, which locks your computer automatically and prevents others from tampering with your system.

Arraning Icons

You can create and arrange the icons on your desktop. You can either drag the icons to positions of your choice on the desktop or arraning them automatically.

To arrange the icons automatically:

1.   Right-click anywhere on blank area of the desktop.

2.   Point to arrange Icons BY, and then click Auto Arreange.

The icons are arranged automatically.

      You can also arrange the icons by name, size or  

      Type.

1.   Click Name to arrange the icon in alphabeticalorder.

2.   Click to Size arrange the icons in order of the size of the file

3.   Click Type to arrange the icons in order of the file types

   

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