Changing the appearance of the desktop and other tips

There are thousands of possible tweaks and the ones that I have chosen may not suit everybody. Also there are a myriad of computer configurations and what works for me may not work the same for you. Most important of all, please remember that you should make no changes to your system before first backing up.

System Restore

A very important feature of Windows XP is the ability to return system files to the same state they were in at some previous point in time. Before making any tweaks create a new “Restore Point.” Go to Control Panel-Performance and Maintenance-System Restore or Start-All Programs-Accessories-System Tools-System Restore and select "Create a restore point.” (Note: this does NOT take the place of a complete backup.)

System Restore itself should be tweaked. If it is left alone, it will consume a good portion of your disk space with unnecessary restore points. By default it will use up to 12% of each of your drives. Although you may have a big hard drive and no need of the space, a lot of extra restore points can slow down processes such as virus checking, disk defragmenting, and other procedures. Go to My Computer, right-click, select “Properties” and then click the “System Restore” tab. These steps are illustrated in the two figures below below.

The figure above shows a system with only one volume or drive. Use the slide bar to set aside a reasonable amount of space. What is “reasonable”? It depends on your system but on mine, 200 MB (the minimum allowed) will hold 5 or 6 restore points and is all I use. Somewhere between the minimum 200 MB and 1 GB should suffice for most people. If you have a dual-boot system, highlight the drive where the other operating system is installed, click “Settings”, and put a check by “Turn off System Restore for this drive”. Also, if you have partitions for data, turn off System Restore there as well. There is no benefit from monitoring non-system files.

More about System Restore is on this page. A tutorial on System Restore in Macromedia Flash 6 format can be viewed at the sister site Windows for Beginners.

Error reporting

Microsoft wants information about any crashes you experience. Although it might seem like a good idea to let them collect data that could in theory help improve the operating system, I would prefer that information about my system, including a memory dump, not be sent out.For one thing, personal information can get included in the memory dump. Go to "My Computer" and right-click. Then choose "Properties". Click the “Advanced “ tab in the properties sheet that opens and then the “Error Reporting” button. The figure below illustrates the appropriate window.

As shown in the figure below, check "Disable error reporting," You can leave "But notify me when critical errors occur" checked.

Visual settings

If your computer is on the low end of having the power to handle all of the XP visual effects, you may find that performance is slowed. Or you may be like me and just prefer a less gaudy appearance. There is a lot of animation, shadowing, rounding and other things that consume computer resources. Also the color depth chosen may be more than you need or want. One route to adjust the system to your liking is to go to Control Panel-Appearance and Themes and make various changes there. Another route is to right-click My Computer, open the properties sheet and click the "Advanced" tab. (First figure in Error Reporting above.) In the “Performance” section, click the “Settings” button. The window in the figure below will open. Try “Adjust for best performance” to see how that works (Windows will probably change your theme) Or if you wish, you can unselect the various settings individually.

Return to the "Classic" Settings

Rather than fiddle with a lot of individual settings, you may prefer to return the look of your desktop to something resembling Windows 98. Right-click on an empty spot on the desktop and open the Properties sheet from the context menu. Select the Themes tab (First figure below) and in the drop-down menu choose “Windows Classic.” Click “Apply” and “OK”. If you prefer not to change the whole theme (including background and sounds) but just want windows and buttons changed, click the "Appearance" tab (second figure below) and in the “Windows and buttons” drop-down menu, select Windows Classic style. Click “Apply” and “OK”.

The new XP look to the Start menu can also be returned to the older style. Right-click on Start and open “Properties” from the context menu. Choose the radio button by the entry “Classic Start menu”. Click “Apply” and “OK”.

More tweaks are here

Configuring the Command Prompt Window

The interface to the command shell can be customized in a number of ways and these are discussed.

The default settings for the window that displays a command prompt can be changed to suit individual preferences. Among the properties that can be changed are those that affect the appearance such as window size, background and foreground color, and font style. Others that affect operation such as the editing mode and command history buffer can also be configured.

The command prompt properties dialog

Changing the settings for the command prompt can be done through the properties dialog box. This can be reached in the menu that is opened by left-clicking the icon in the left-top corner or by right-clicking anywhere in the title bar at the top of a command prompt window. In the menu that opens choose "Properties". Figures 1 and 2 show the procedure.

Fig. 1. Menu for command window	Fig. 2. Entry for properties dialog

The properties dialog box contains four tabs. Each of these is discussed below.

Options tab

The figure on the right shows the dialog box for the Options tab. Settings here include provision for configuring cursor size and window or full-screen display. The "Quick Edit" mode allows you to use the mouse to cut and paste text to and from the command window. You can also choose insert or overwriting for editing by checking or unchecking "Insert Mode".

Command History buffer

A new feature is the "Command History" buffer. This buffer stores the previous commands that you have entered so that you do not have to retype them (reminiscent of Doskey). The default value is 50 but can be made as large as 999 (remember that they do take RAM) . The up-and-down arrow keys can be used to navigate the previously entered commands. Alternatively, pressing the F7 key will display a pop-up window with a list of the commands.

Font tab

This tab is more or less self-explanatory. On most machines, there is a choice of two font faces, Raster (the default) and Lucinda Console. Lucinda Console is more versatile. A selection of font sizes is available. As is true in general about settings, changes in font can be made for the present window only or for all command windows with the same title.

Layout tab

The window size and position can be set here. There are also settings for the screen buffer size. This determines how many lines back that you can scroll.( Incidentally, this ability to scroll back to previous commands was not present in DOS. Once something was off the screen, you couldn't scroll back.)

Color tab

The dialog box for configuring colors is shown on the right. The default colors for a command window and its fonts are the old black and white combination. However, other color combinations are available. The colors for pop-up windows associated with the command window can also be configured. As shown in the figure on the right, colors can be changed by clicking on the appropriate choice or by entering numerical values in the 256 color RGB notation. In the figure, I have chosen a blue screen background with yellow screen text as illustration. Color changes can be made for the current screen only or applied to all command windows.

Screen colors can also be changed with the "color" command or a command-line switch directly modifying the command interpreter. Both these methods are discussed below.

It is also possible to have shortcuts that open the command line with more than one color scheme and this is discussed in the shortcut section below.

Applying changes to all command windows

Note that changes apply to the current command window only unless you specify otherwise. When making configuration changes, you will be shown the dialog box on the right. To make changes stick after the current command session is closed, check the button by the entry, " Save properties for future windows with same title".

Configuring shortcuts for the command prompt

If you use the command prompt a great deal, you may want to place a shortcut on the desktop or in the Quick Launch bar. After creating the shortcut, you can configure the properties of the command window that it will open in much the same way as discussed above. Right-click the shortcut and choose "Properties" from the context menu. Four of the the tabs at the top of the properties sheet will be the same as those discussed above. They are marked in the figure on the right. You can apply whatever customization you like and it will apply only to command windows that are opened from this particular shortcut.

Another way to configure the properties of a particular shortcut is to apply the changes in a command window that has been opened with that shortcut. After configuring the changes to the open command window by the methods discussed in sections above, the dialog box shown on the right will open. Check the button by the entry, "Modify shortcut that started this window".

The "color" command

The screen colors can be configured from the command line itself with the command "color" followed by a two-digit hexadecimal number. The first digit determines the background and the second determines the text color. The table below shows the relationship between the hex numbers and colors.

Table I. Hexadecimal color codes

0 = Black	8 = Gray
1 = Blue	9 = Light Blue
2 = Green	A = Light Green
3 = Aqua	B = Light Aqua
4 = Red	C = Light Red
5 = Purple	D = Light Purple
6 = Yellow	E = Light Yellow
7 = White	F = Bright White

For example the command "color 1E" will give a blue background with yellow text. Settings made this way apply only to the current session. Entering "color" with no argument will return the system to the starting colors.

Switches for the command interpreter cmd.exe

Another way to modify the behavior of the command prompt is to use switches with the command interpreter cmd.exe. The syntax for cmd.exe is:
cmd [[{/c|/k}] [/s] [/q] [/d] [{/a|/u}] [/t:fg] [/e:{on|off}] [/f:{on|off}] [/v:{on|off}] string]
Table II describes the parameters briefly. See the Windows Help and Support Center for more detail.

Table II. Switches for cmd.exe

Parameter	Description
/c	Carries out the command specified by string and then exits
/k	Carries out the command specified by string and stays open
/s	Modifies the treatment of string after/c or /k. See Windows Help for details
/q	Turns the echo off. Default is echo on
/d	Disables execution of AutoRun commands
/a	Creates ANSI output (the default)
/u	Creates Unicode output
/t:fg	Sets the foreground f and background g colors. The hex codes for f and g are in Table I.
/e:on /e:off	Enables or disables commands extensions. The default is "on"
/f:on /f:off	Enables or disables file and directory name completion
/v:on /v:off	Enables or disables delayed environment variable expansion
string	Specifies the command you want to carry out

Command Line List and Reference

The complete list of possible commands is quite large. Collected here is a selection of those that I believe are likely to be the most applicable to home PC use.

Many of the commands listed below are also discussed in more detail elsewhere on this site as is indicated by the link "details here". Most commands have switches that are not given in the table. For more information, open a command prompt and enter "commandname /?" (without quotes). Detailed information about these commands and a larger list is available at this Microsoft reference.

Selected list of commands

Command	Description	Example
assoc	Displays or modifies file name extension associations. Used alone, displays a list of all the current file name associations	details here
at	Schedules commands and programs to run on a computer at a specified time and date. Requires the Schedule service. Superseded by schtasks
attrib	Configures file attributes read only, hidden, system	details here
bootcfg	Used to repair or edit the boot.ini file	details here
cd or chdir	Displays the name of the current directory or changes the current folder	cd folderpath
chkdsk	Checks hard drives for errors. With switches,does repairs.	details here
cls	Clears the screen	cls
copy	Copies a file from one location to another	copy somefile somefolder
del	Deletes one or more files	details here
dir	Displays a list of a folder's files and subfolders	details here
echo	Used to display a message or to turn off/on messages in batch scripts	echo message
exit	Exits batch script or current command control	exit
fc	Compares two files and displays the differences between them	fc file1 file2
for	Runs a specified command for each item in a set	details here
fsutil	Displays and configures certain file system properties. A suite of various commands	details here
ftype	Displays or modifies file types used in file name extension associations	details here
getmac	Returns the media access control (MAC) address for your network card	getmac
goto	Directs the Windows command interpreter to a labeled line in a batch program	details here
if	Performs conditional processing in batch programs	details here
ipconfig	Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings	details here
md or mkdir	Creates a directory (folder) or subdirectory (subfolder)	details here
more	Displays one screen of output at a time. Used with another command that has extensive output	command |more
move	Moves a file from one folder to another	details here
net	A suite of various networking and service commands	details here
netsh	Network services shell . Complex suite of commands.	details here
netstat	Displays active TCP connections, ports on which the computer is listening, Ethernet statistics, the IP routing table, statistics for the IP, ICMP, TCP, and UDP protocols	details here
path	Sets the command path in the PATH environment variable, which is the set of directories used to search for executable files	details here
pathping	Provides information about network performance and conditions at intermediate hops between a source and destination	details here
pause	Used in batch scripts	pause
ping	Checks connectivity to other networked computers, routers, or Internet sites	details here
popd, pushd	Changes the directory being referenced in a command prompt. Pushd changes the directory and stores the previous directory. Popd changes the current directory to the directory stored by the pushd command	pushd somefolder popd
powercfg	Manages the power settings such as hibernation. Has numerous switches
reg	Adds, changes, and displays registry entries. A suite of various commands	details here
rd or rmdir	Deletes a directory (folder)	details here
ren or rename	Changes the name of a file or a set of files	details here
sc	Used to obtain information about services and to configure them. A suite of various commands	details here
schtasks	Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time
set	Displays, sets, or removes environment variables	details here and also here
sfc	System file checker scans and verifies the versions of all protected system files	sfc /scannow
shutdown	Shuts down or restarts a computer	details here
start	Starts an application or opens a new command window	details here
subst	Associates a folder with a drive letter	details here
systeminfo	Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system	systeminfo | more
taskkill	Ends one or more tasks or processes	details here
tasklist	Displays a list of applications and services with their Process ID (PID) for all tasks running	details here
tree	Graphically displays the directory structure of a folder or drive	tree somefolder
type	Displays the contents of a text file	type somefile.txt
xcopy	Powerful command with many switches for copying and backing up files and folders	details here

Tutorials for Learning Basic Functions in Windows

Here are some tutorials for those who are new to computing. Basic computer functions like using the mouse and keyboard as well as simple Windows operations like copy and paste are explained. The most basic file operations are also covered.

Clicking a link below will open a tutorial in a new window. When you have finished looking at a tutorial, close its window to return to the main menu.

(Please note that Microsoft has been forced to modify Internet Explorer because of patent issues. This means that the Macromedia Flash presentation windows must now be clicked first to allow the files to play. The Firefox browser does not have these problems and works just fine.)

(Later note: Microsoft's patent issues were resolved and updated versions of Internet Explorer now play Flash presentations as originally intended.)

Elementary computer concepts

Slide show introducing computers

Presents elementary concepts of how computers work and what the essential components such as the CPU, RAM, and the hard drive are. Briefly describes the concept of an operating system and what the file system is.

A survey of some of the keys on a PC keyboard

A tutorial in Macromedia Flash 6 format showing some of the different keys on a PC keyboard.

A guide to clicking the mouse in Windows

Single-click, double-click, left-click, right-click; it can be confusing for someone new to using a mouse. How to know which one of these operations applies is explained.

Mouse Tutorial and Exercises

A group of entertaining interactive exercises for practicing elementary operations such as the double-click and drag-and-drop. Has sound effects so be sure to turn on your speakers. Also contains an interactive drawing exercise. In Flash 6 format. ( Note: the mouse exercises have been updated to get around the Internet Explorer extra click problem. However, the workaround uses JavaScript so be sure it is enabled.)

Elements of Windows

Slide show introducing the file system

Describes the basic concepts of how information is stored in files and folders. Introduces the idea of different types of file formats requiring different software

Elementary Windows menu operations

An interactive Flash tutorial for practicing very basic operations with the standard Windows menus "File" and " Edit"

Using the Task Pane to copy a file

Folders in Windows XP contain a handy area called the "Task Pane", where various file and folder operations can be carried out. This Flash demonstration shows how to copy a file.

Using the Task Pane to move a file

Another Flash presentation, this time showing how to move a file in Windows XP

Copying multiple files

Continuing the Flash presentations on simple file operations in Windows XP

Tutorial on selecting text for copying or editing

A Macromedia Flash presentation on how to use the mouse to select or highlight text designated for copying to another document window or for editing purposes. This non-interactive presentation has occasional sound.