Easy Customizations to Personalize Your PC
It's hard to imagine that life in front of a computer could be anything but fun. Nevertheless, when you sit down to work or play, there is - the same old computer screen, the same file and folder color schemes and the same old sounds. Before you know it the incredibly exciting world of personal computing becomes as humdrum as running your dishwasher. Of course, we exaggerate, but you get the point! Fear not, we have some solutions:

Change Your Wallpaper
It's the Simplest and quickest way of all to change the feel and texture of your desktop environment. It only takes a few minutes to change your desktop background (wallpaper), and it will give your computer screen a whole new look. You can find tons of free wallpaper sites on the Internet. Better yet, you can use digital photos of your friends and families. Here's an easy 9-step process to change your Windows wallpaper.

1. Right-click on your desktop
2. Select Properties from the bottom of the popup menu. This will bring up the Display Properties window
3. Click the Desktop tab
4. Click the Browse button
5. Select the image you want to use.
6. Click OK
7. Click the drop-down box beneath Position
8. Select Stretch. This fits your image to the size of the screen
9. Click OK

Customize Your Display Properties
If revamping your wallpaper isn't enough change for you, here's a dandy little procedure that can also enhance or change the look and feel of your desktop. Customizing your Display Properties is just about as easy as redecorating your wallpaper. Here's how it's done:

1. From the Themes tab of your Display Properties you can select a number of reconfigured arrangements, such as color and button styles. If you have Microsoft Plus! it will present you with a list that includes dozens of different themes.
2. From the Appearance tab, you can choose the Windows Classic or the Windows XP style, choose a color scheme and select a font size.
3. The Settings tab allows you to increase or decrease the screen resolution to let you get as many pixels onscreen as you can handle before the text and images on the screen become too small to see without having to squint.
4. The Screen Saver tab allows you to choose one of more than a dozen various screen savers.
5. The Settings button gives you the capability to adjust how fast the screen savers will reset and the size of the objects they place on screen.

The next time you open an application, select the View or Tools option from the toolbar and look for a command along the lines of "customize". This command will take you through the steps necessary to make your toolbar fit your needs. Some applications, like Word, are especially easy to customize, allowing you to drag additional command buttons onto the toolbar and delete the ones you don't need.

Add A Library of Sounds
It's truly passé to restrict your PC listening to the default sound library of dings, beeps and clunks that the manufacturer initially loads onto Windows. It's easy to add your own sonic flourishes to the interface. In fact, you can change the default error sound in Windows from the all-too-familiar clunk with a completely customized sound, even a recording of your in-shower falsetto rendition of an operatic aria with the right technology. However, here are some simple ways to add new sounds to your Windows interface:

1. Go to you Control Panel
2. Look through the Windows Program Events list under Sound and Audio Devices.
3. Click the Sounds tab in the window that pops up. You'll notice entries such as Asterisk, Default Beep, Exclamation, Start Windows, Exit Windows and New Mail Notification.
4. Browse the Web to mine more sounds, or record your own sounds as WAV files using Sound Recorder, which you can find at Start/Programs/Accessories/Entertainment
5. Now that you've acquired a pocketful of compelling new sounds, return to the Sounds and Audio Device Properties window
6. Select each sound you'd like to change from the list
7. Click the Browse button
8. Select your custom WAV file
9. Click OK

That's all there is to it, and you'll be amazed at how far a few customized sounds will go toward making Windows more fun.

Change Folder Options
Here's another great way to spruce up your PC environment - by changing your folder options. It's just as easy to do as redecorating your computer's wallpaper. Try these easy steps:

1. Open any folder on your computer (My Documents is a good choice).
2. Move the cursor to any edge or corner of the window until the cursor turns into a double arrow.
3. Resize the window the way it works best for you.
4. From the View command on the toolbar, choose whether to view each file or folder as a thumbnail, tile, icon, listed entry or detailed entry. Note: if you select Folder Options from the Tools menu, you can choose options from the General tab, such as whether you want every subfolder displayed in a new window.
5. Click the View tab. A list of options pops up. You now have the choice to hide certain files, display file extensions and remember the specific view settings for each folder.
6. Click the Apply to All Folders button (it's located near the top of the window). Now you will be able to apply the size and shape of the folder you're working in, as well as its other settings to all the folders in Windows. By performing this final task, you will create a uniform look throughout your system.

Folder Options give you the opportunity to add your personal touch to Windows Folders.

Customize Startup Applications
Over months of use your desktop accumulates a small battalion of icons all lined up in your system tray at the bottom of your Windows desktop. These tiny icons represent applications that are currently running. Some of these programs are essential (FireWire, antivirus and antispyware utilities, for example). However, you may not need the rest, such as Instant Messenger programs, RealOne, etc. So, banish them from your system tray! Here is a simple icon banishment procedure:

1. Click on the unwanted icons in order to open their applications.
2. Look in the Option for a selection that reads something like, "Load every time Windows Starts."
3. Clear the checkbox beside the "Load every time…" option.
4. Look under Start/Programs/Startup for any applications. Each program in this folder will load automatically when Windows start. If you find any applications in this folder that don't need to be loaded into your system's memory all the time, it's a good idea to delete them.
5. After rebooting your PC, select the Run command from the Start menu.
6. Type msconfig
7. Click OK
8. Click the Startup tab in the System Configuration Utility that will appear onscreen.
9. Look through the programs that are set to load into memory every time Windows starts. If you can disable this auto-load feature in the options menu of each unnecessary program, do so. Otherwise, simply clear the check box beside it and click Okay.

Now, when you boot up Windows, only the applications that you want to run in the background will load into memory. This will enhance your system's performance. And when you want to quickly access any of the programs you chose not to auto-load, you can add them to your quick-start menu at the bottom left corner of your screen. You can accomplish this by creating a shortcut to the program on your desktop by right clicking on the program name in your Start/Programs list and drag the shortcut icon into the quick-start menu area. The icon will appear there. The program will always be just one click away!

Create Customized User Accounts
Obviously, not everyone shares the same tastes. So, if you share a computer with other members of your household, the customizations you've made might not be greeted with unanimous approval. That's why Windows XP has made it possible to create customized user accounts. XP's User Accounts enable each user to customize the Windows configuration without affecting any other user accounts on the system. Creating new, customized user accounts in Window is easy. Follow these steps:

1. Select Start/Setting/Control Panel/User Accounts
2. Click Create an account
3. Type the name of the person who will be using the account
4. Click Next
5. Select Limited as the account type
6. Click the Create Account button. This adds the account to the man User Account Window

Click on the icon for the account. Now you'll be able to add a password for the account, link a digital image from your hard drive to it, or change the account type. Once everyone using the terminal creates user accounts, each individual can choose his or her own wallpaper, screen savers, window sizes, as well as desktop icon and Start menu layout. All users can customize personal file folders and install applications that are exclusively available to them.

Minimize Noise
Another powerful way to change your system environment is to keep noise to a minimum. You'd be surprised at how dramatic change of pace it will be to put a cease to the humming, whirring and groaning that adds to your daily white noise quotient. Following are some simple tricks to cut down system noise:

1. Add rubber vibration absorbers to the case fans.
2. Replace case fans with ball-bearing models that will produce far less noise
3. Perhaps rig your PC with a new power supply that features larger fans that don't have to spin as much (and make as much noise) as the smaller one.

* IMPORTANT! Back Up Your Files
If you do not want to lose all the great customizations you've made, we recommend that you backup your files.