Chapter 11: Setting Up Your Desktop

Changing Icons

You can change the size or arrangement of the icons on your desktop. You can even define new icons for the various types of desktop objects.

Changing Icon Size

If your icons seem too small, you can switch from regular icons (32 points) to large icons (48 points), as follows:

1. Open the Display Properties dialog box by right-clicking any empty space on the desktop and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu.
2. Click the Effects button on the Appearance tab. The Effects dialog box appears (see Figure 11-9).
3. Check the Use Large Icons check box.

You can make finer adjustments in icon size from the Advanced Appearance dialog box (shown earlier in Figure 11-8). Choose Icon from the drop-down Item list in the Advanced Appearance dialog box, and then type a number between 16 and 72 in the Size box. This represents the size of icons in points. The default size is 32 points. The second row of text boxes and buttons in the dialog box controls the font and size of the labels underneath your icons.

Making your icons too large may cause them to look ragged. Rather than increase the point size of your icons, you may want to decrease the resolution of your desktop or increase the magnification setting of your display. Icons in Explorer windows become more visible when you switch to Large Icons or Thumbnails view.

Arranging Icons on the Desktop

You can arrange your desktop icons manually by dragging and dropping them. If your system is set up for single-click opening, however, you may open the corresponding objects by mistake when you try to drag and drop icons. If you're having this problem, use right-click drag-and-drop. Select Move Here from the shortcut menu that appears when you drop the icon.

Arranging Icons Automatically

To arrange your desktop icons automatically, right-click any open spot on the desktop and choose Arrange Icons from the shortcut menu. Windows arranges the icons in columns, starting on the left side of the desktop. The Arrange Icons menu gives you the option of arranging by name, type, size, or date modified.

Make sure that you really want the icons arranged in columns before you use an Arrange Icons option. There is no "undo" selection on the Arrange Icons menu.

Another option on the Arrange Icons menu is Auto Arrange. If Auto Arrange is checked, the icons are arranged in columns, and any new item is automatically ushered to the next open spot in the pattern. Auto Arrange prevents you from arranging your icons manually; any icon is whisked to the appropriate row or column as soon as you set it down.

Adjusting Icon Spacing

The spacing between icons is another of the many details controlled by the Advanced Appearance dialog box. To change the spacing, open the Advanced Appearance dialog box and choose Icon Spacing (Horizontal) or Icon Spacing (Vertical) from the Item drop-down list. Type a number (of points) in the Size box. Larger numbers create bigger spaces. Changing the icon spacing affects the icon arrangement of Explorer windows, as well as the icons on the desktop.

Choosing New Desktop Icons

You can choose new icons for any of the standard desktop objects. Make these changes from the General tab of the Desktop Items dialog box, shown in Figure 11-10.

Figure 11-10: The General tab of the Desktop Items dialog box

To choose a new icon for My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, or the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:

1. Open the Display Properties dialog box by clicking any empty space on the desktop and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu.
2. Click the Desktop tab of the Display Properties dialog box.
3. Click the Customize Desktop button. The Desktop Items dialog box appears, with the General tab displayed.
4. Select the icon that you want to change from the box of icons in the Desktop Items dialog box. Scroll left and right to see them all.
5. Click the Change Icon button. The Change Icon dialog box appears, showing you the icons available for this item. If you don't see an icon you want and know that there are other icons elsewhere on your system, you can click the Browse button and look for another file of icons.
6. When you find the icon you want, select it in the Change Icon dialog box and click OK.
7. Click OK in the Desktop Items and Display Properties dialog boxes.

Deleting and Recovering Desktop Icons

You can remove desktop icons in the same way that you delete files and folders: Select them and press the DELETE key. The only icon for which this technique fails is the Recycle Bin.

The My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, and Recycle Bin icons represent capabilities of your system that you cannot delete; you can only stop displaying them on the desktop. The objects they represent continue to appear in Explorer windows, on the Start menu, and as links on the Task pane. To remove any of these icons from your desktop, open the General tab of the Desktop Items dialog box (Figure 11-10 in the previous section) and uncheck its check box in the Desktop Icons section. (This is the only way we know of to remove the Recycle Bin icon from the desktop.)

If you decide that you want these icons back on the desktop, you can restore them from the General tab of the Desktop Items dialog box. Select the check boxes of the items whose icons you want to have on the desktop. Then click OK to close the Desktop Items and Display Properties dialog boxes.

Using the Desktop Cleanup Wizard

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard is a handy tool for cutting down the clutter on your desktop. Run this Wizard by right-clicking any empty space on the desktop and selecting Arrange Icons By | Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard from the shortcut menu.

The Wizard shows you a list of desktop icons (other than Recycle Bin) and the date when you last used each icon. Put a check next to each icon that you want cleared away into the Unused Desktop Icons folder, which will appear on your desktop instead of those icons.

You can run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard automatically by opening the Desktop Items dialog box (shown earlier in Figure 11-10) and clicking the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard Every 60 Days check box. Conversely, if you are annoyed by Wizards that pop up without an invitation, deselect the box.