Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies®

Chapter 21. Windows Is As Windows Does

The Windows operating system is graphical. Yes, people clamored for this. It was easier, they whined. Text? That's boring and ugly. Text reminds people that they're using a computer and not playing a video game. Waa! We want Windows!

Well, Windows you got. As a graphical operating system, Windows tosses a bunch of odd things into the computer mix. I'm referring to what computer scientists call "weird stuff on the screen." Perhaps it's not weird, but more like unexpected or unwelcome. It's like the computer is possessed at times. You may be in the driver's seat, but something else is definitely steering! This chapter helps remove your fear, superstition, and panic about various things in Windows, graphical or not.

"That Looks Stupid"

Sure, it looks stupid! And, calling something stupid is quite offensive. But, you know what? Stupid is easy to recognize. I know stupid when I see it. This section covers some of the most stupid-looking things in all of Windows.

Screwy colors

My 12-year-old son prefers using Windows with a black-and-purple color scheme. I cannot see anything on his PC. Yet he seems to function well with a black-and-purple system. Honestly, for a 12-year-old, black and purple colors on a PC are okay. If I spot him heading to his bedroom with buckets of black and purple paint, I'll probably calmly walk in and energetically stop him. But for a computer, odd colors make a statement. And they can be changed without dripping anything on the ...