Windows Vista Security: Praxisorientierte Sicherheit für Profis

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Chapter 2: Optimizing Windows Vista’s Interface

Customizing Windows Vista’s Desktop

The enhanced user interface in Windows Vista is visually stunning, and a key com-

ponent in the interface is the desktop. As you’ll discover in this section, you can

work with the desktop and its related features in many new and exciting ways. If

you’re familiar with earlier releases of Windows, you may be tempted to skip this

section, but don’t—there are a lot of new features and new ways you can work with

the desktop.

Getting Around the Desktop

As Figure 2-1 shows, the desktop has standard features, but you can customize it

with additional features as well. Standard desktop features include the Start menu,

the taskbar, and the notification area.

Figure 2-1. Windows Vista desktop with Aero glass

Customizing Windows Vista’s Desktop

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Programs or folders you open appear on the desktop in separate windows. You can

arrange open program and folder windows on the desktop by right-clicking an empty

area of the taskbar and then selecting one of the following viewing options:

Cascade Windows

Arranges the open windows on the screen so that they overlap, with the title bar

remaining visible

Show Windows Stacked

Resizes the open windows and arranges them each in a portion of the screen

Show Windows Side by Side

Resizes the open windows and stacks them side by side

If you right-click an empty area of the taskbar and then select Show the Desktop,

Windows Vista minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop. If you later

right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Show Open Windows, Windows

Vista restores the minimized windows to their previous states.

In addition to opening program and folder windows, you can store files, folders, and

shortcuts on the desktop. Any file or folder you save on the desktop appears on the

desktop. Any file or folder you drag from a Windows Explorer window to the desk-

top stays on the desktop. You can add a shortcut to a file or folder to the desktop by

following these steps:

1. Click Start and then click Computer.

2. Use the Windows Explorer window to locate the file or folder you want to add

to the desktop.

3. Right-click the file or folder.

4. On the shortcut menu, point to Send To and then select Desktop (Create Shortcut).

You can add system icons to the desktop, too. By default, the only system icon on

the desktop is the Recycle Bin. You can add or remove system icons by completing

the following steps:

1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop and then select Personalize.

2. In the left pane of the Personalization window, click Change Desktop Icons

under the Tasks heading.

3. Click Customize Desktop. This opens the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, as

shown in Figure 2-2.

4. Add or remove the Computer, Control Panel, Internet Explorer, Network, and

User’s Files icons by selecting or clearing the related checkboxes.

5. Click OK.

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Chapter 2: Optimizing Windows Vista’s Interface

Once you’ve added an icon to the desktop, you can work with it using the techniques

summarized in Table 2-1. If you no longer want an icon or shortcut on the desktop,

right-click it and select Delete. When prompted, confirm the action by clicking Yes.

Figure 2-2. Adding and removing desktop icons

Table 2-1. Working with desktop icons

Desktop icon Usage

Computer Double-clicking the Computer icon opens a window where you can access hard disk drives and

devices withremovable storage.Right-clicking theComputer iconand selectingManage opensthe

Computer Management console. Right-clicking the Computer icon and selecting Map Network

Drive allows you to connect to shared network folders.

Control Panel Double-clicking the Control Panel icon opens the Control Panel, which provides access to system

configuration and management tools.

Internet Explorer Double-clicking the Internet Explorer icon opens Internet Explorer to your default home page.

Right-clicking the Internet Explorer icon and then selecting Start Without Add-ons starts Internet

Explorer without using browser extensions or other add-ons.

Network Double-clicking the Network icon opens a window where you can access the computers and

devices on your network. Right-clicking the Network icon and selecting Map Network Drive allows

you to connect to shared network folders.

Recycle Bin Double-clicking the Recycle Bin icon opens the Recycle Bin, which you can use to restore deleted

items or permanently remove items. Right-clicking the Recycle Bin icon and selecting Empty the

Recycle Bin permanently removes all items in the Recycle Bin.