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More Tips and Tricks (Windows Vista & 7)
Enlarge, reduce, order, show and hide desktop icons
To change the settings for desktop icons you right click on your desktop and select 'View'. This menu contains options for ordering the icons.
- Large icons: Enlarges the icons
- Medium icons: Displays icons normal size
- Classic icons: Displays icons smaller, just like previous Windows Versions.
- Auto arrange: The icons will be placed on the left of your desktop. If you disable this option, you can drag the icons where you like them to have.
- Align to grid: align the icons on base of an invisible raster to keep the distance between icons equal.
- Show Desktop icons: If you disable this option all the icons will be invisible, but they will not be removed. To get them back simply enable this option again.
Windows Sidebar
The Windows Sidebar is an optional desktop part where you can add some cool gadgets to. Default is the Windows Sidebar on the right. The parts of the Sidebar are called gadgets. Default there are some gadgets installed but you can add other gadgets as well. These can be downloaded from the internet.
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You can show or hide the Windows Sidebar by clicking the Windows Sidebar icon in the sytem tray or by clicking Start >All Programs > Accessories > Windows Sidebar.
To add more gadgets to the Windows Sidebar you do the following - Click on the '+' icon in the sidebar, or right click in an empty part of it and choose 'Add Gadgets...'. Now a window appears like above with all kinds of gadgets in it. These gadgets you can add to the Windows Sidebar.
To download more gadgets you click on the 'Get more gadgets online' link.
Now a website will appear with all kinds of cool gadgets which are free to download. Follow the instructions on that website on how to download and install them. |
After installation this gadgets will be displayed in the gadget window and can be added to the sidebar. To remove a gadget from the Windows Sidebar you right click on the gadget and select 'Detach from sidebar'. The gadgets can also be placed on the desktop. This can be very useful because then there is a bit more information being displayed.
For example if we choose the 'Weather gadget'. Inside the sidebar there is only the weather for today, but if you click on this gadget and drag it to your desktop, the weather is being showed for three days.
Where's my desktop icons?
If you've removed your recycle bin icon, or you previously added the some of the 'special' icons like Computer, User or Control Panel to the desktop and they are now missing, you might want to know how to add them back!
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Go to Start > Control Panel > Personalize (or right-click on the desktop and select Personalize), and then choose the link for "Change Desktop Icons" on the left-hand side. |
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Now you can chose the icons you want back on the desktop by checking the box next to the name. |
Resizing the desktop icons
Here's a quick, easy, yet flashy Vista tip. We are going to resize the desktop icons by holding down the Ctrl key, and scrolling the mouse wheel. See how icons such as the Recycle Bin enlarge or shrink as you turn the mouse's wheel. By scrolling you can get over 20 different sizes of icon, there is bound to be one that suits you. Incidentally, this a classic for learning a tip once, on the Vista Desktop, and then applying wherever you go, for example try Ctrl + scroll the mouse wheel when you are next in Windows Explorer.
Display 'Documents' folder on the desktop
In XP, it is possible to display the 'My Documents' folder on the desktop. While the technique described below is also available in XP, in Vista 'Show On Desktop' is more spectacular. By default the 'Documents' folder is not shown on a Vista desktop, here's how you get it there:
Return to the desktop and admire the new icon; it looks like a diary or an organizer and it contains a dozen folders, not just the Documents. |
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Recycle Bin Missing?
It's probably Mr Nobody who deleted your Vista recycle bin. Rather than worrying about who did it, let's concentrate on how to recover the recycle bin, complete with rubbish!
- Right click on an empty space on the Vista Desktop.
- Click on 'Personalize'.
- Select: 'Change desktop icons'.
- At the Desktop Icon Settings, place a tick next to: 'Recycle Bin'.
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