Chapter 5 Managing the Desktop MICROSOFT EXAM OBJECTIVES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER  Configure and troubleshoot desktop settings.  Configure support for multiple languages or multiple locations.  Enable multiple-language support.  Configure multiple-language support for users.  Configure local settings.  Configure Windows 2000 Professional for multiple locations.  Configure and troubleshoot accessibility services. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com W indows 2000 Professional offers many options for con- figuring the Desktop to suit personal preferences. These options include cus- tomizing the Taskbar and Start menu, creating shortcuts, and setting display properties. Windows 2000 Professional also includes support for multiple languages and regional settings. The support that comes with localized versions of Windows 2000 Professional allows users to view, edit, and print multi- lingual documents. You can also specify locale settings for the Desktop to customize items like the date and currency for your geographical location. Accessibility options are used to support users with limited sight, hearing, or mobility. You can configure the Desktop and use Windows 2000 Profes- sional utilities to provide a higher degree of accessibility. This chapter describes how to manage Desktop settings, multilanguage support, and accessibility options. Managing Desktop Settings T he Desktop , shown in Figure 5.1, appears after a user has logged on to a Windows 2000 Professional computer. Users can configure their Desk- tops to suit their personal preferences and to make their work more efficient. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com Managing Desktop Settings 209 As an administrator, you may need to troubleshoot an improperly config- ured Desktop. By default, the items listed in Table 5.1 appear on the Desktop. FIGURE 5.1 The Windows 2000 Desktop  Microsoft Exam Objective Configure and troubleshoot desktop settings. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com 210 Chapter 5  Managing the Desktop TABLE 5.1 Default Desktop Items Item Description My Documents By default, stores the documents that are created. Each user has a unique My Documents folder, so even if multiple users share the same computer, they will each have unique personal folders. My Computer Provides access to all local and net- work drives, as well as Control Panel. My Computer is used to view and manage the computer. My Network Places Provides access to shared resources. My Network Places is used to con- nect to resources such as local net- work resources and Web resources. Recycle Bin Holds files and folders that have been deleted. Files can be retrieved or cleared (for permanent deletion) from the Recycle Bin . Internet Explorer Along with an Internet connection, provides an interface for accessing the Internet or a local intranet. Inter- net Explorer is the built-in Web browser. Taskbar Contains the Start button to open the Start menu and buttons for any programs, documents, or windows that are running on the computer. You can easily switch between open items by clicking the item in the Taskbar . Connect to the Internet Starts a Wizard to configure your Internet connection. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com Managing Desktop Settings 211 You can configure the Desktop by customizing the Taskbar and Start menu, adding shortcuts, and setting display properties. These configurations are described in the following sections. Customizing the Taskbar and Start Menu Users can customize the Taskbar and Start menu through the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 5.2. The easiest way to access this dialog box is to right-click a blank area in the Taskbar and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. FIGURE 5.2 The General tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box has two tabs: General and Advanced. The options on these tabs are described in the following sections. Configuring General Properties Through the General tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box (see Figure 5.2), you can specify Taskbar and Start menu features such Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com 212 Chapter 5  Managing the Desktop as whether the Taskbar is always visible and whether small icons are used on the Start menu. Table 5.2 lists the properties on the General tab. TABLE 5.2 General Taskbar and Start Menu Properties Property Description Always on Top Specifies that the Taskbar will al- ways be displayed, even if you maximize another window. This op- tion is enabled by default. Auto Hide Hides the Taskbar. This option is disabled by default. When it is en- abled, you show the Taskbar by clicking the area of the screen where the Taskbar appears. Show Small Icons in Start Menu Reduces the size of the icons that are displayed on the Start menu. This option is disabled by default. You might enable it if you have many icons and want to display more options without needing to scroll. Show Clock Displays a digital clock in the right corner of the Taskbar. By right- clicking the clock, you can adjust the computer’s date and time. This option is enabled by default Use Personalized Menus Hides applications that have not been recently used. You can ac- cess the hidden applications by clicking the arrow at the bottom of the Programs menu. This option is enabled by default. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com Managing Desktop Settings 213 Configuring Advanced Properties The Advanced tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 5.3, allows you to customize your Start menu. You can add or remove items from the Start menu, remove records of recently accessed items, and specify which options are displayed. FIGURE 5.3 The Advanced tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box To add an option to the Start menu, click the Add button in the upper- right corner of the Advanced tab. This starts a Wizard that guides you through the process of creating a shortcut that will be placed on the Start menu. To delete a Start menu option, click the Remove button. If you want to remove the records that Windows 2000 Professional keeps of recently accessed documents, programs, and Web sites, click the Clear button. The Advanced button allows you to add or remove items from the Start menu through Windows Explorer. If you want to return to the defaults for the Pro- gram menu, click the Re-sort button. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com 214 Chapter 5  Managing the Desktop The Start Menu Settings section of the Advanced tab allows you to con- figure various Start menu features. These settings are listed in Table 5.3. By default, all of these options are disabled for new users. TABLE 5.3 The Start Menu Settings Setting Description Display Administrative Tools Specifies whether Administrative Tools appears on the Programs menu Display Favorites Specifies whether the Favorites menu appears on the Start menu. Display Logoff Specifies whether the Logoff menu appears on the Start menu Expand Control Panel Specifies that you want the contents of Control Panel to be displayed in a menu instead of a window Expand My Documents Specifies that you want the contents of My Documents to be displayed in a menu instead of a window Expand Network and Dial-Up Connections Specifies that you want the contents of Network and Dial-Up Connections to be displayed in a menu instead of a window Expand Printers Specifies that you want the contents of Printers to be displayed in a menu instead of a window Scroll the Programs Menu Specifies that you want the contents of Programs to be displayed in a scrolling menu instead of listed in columns Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com Managing Desktop Settings 215 In Exercise 5.1, you will check your current Taskbar and Start menu config- uration and then set general and advanced Taskbar and Start menu properties. EXERCISE 5.1 Configuring Taskbar and Start Menu Options 1. Select Start  Programs. Note the size of the icons in the Start menu. Notice that there is no Programs menu item for Administrative Tools or Windows Explorer. 2. Select Start  Settings  Control Panel. A window with all of the Control Panel contents appears. 3. Right-click an empty space on the Taskbar and choose Properties. 4. In the General tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, select the Show Small Icons in Start Menu check box. 5. Click the Advanced tab. Click the Add button. In the Create Shortcut dialog box, type Explorer in the Type the Location of the Item text box and click the Next button. In the Select Program Folder dialog box, accept the default folder of Programs and click the Next button. In the Select a Title for the Program dialog box, edit the name for the short- cut to Windows Explorer and click the Finish button. 6. In the Start Menu Settings section of the Advanced tab, check the Display Administrative Tools and Expand Control Panel check boxes. Click the Apply button, then click the OK button. 7. Select Start  Programs and note the size of the icons in the Start menu. Notice that the Programs menu lists Administrative Tools and Windows Explorer. 8. Select Start  Settings  Control Panel. Notice that the Control Panel contents are displayed in a menu. 9. Edit the Taskbar and Start Menu properties as you like, or return them to their default settings. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com 216 Chapter 5  Managing the Desktop Using Shortcuts Shortcuts are links to items that are accessible from your computer or net- work. You can use a shortcut to quickly access a file, program, folder, printer, or computer from your Desktop. Shortcuts can exist in various loca- tions, including on the Desktop, on the Start menu, and within folders. To create a shortcut from Windows Explorer, just right-click the item you want to create a shortcut to and select Create Shortcut from the pop-up menu. Then you can click the shortcut and drag it to where you want it to appear. In Exercise 5.2, you will create a shortcut and place it on the Desktop. Setting Display Properties The options in the Display Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 5.4, allow you to customize the appearance of your Desktop. You can access this dialog box by right-clicking an empty area on the Desktop and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, you can select Start  Settings  Con- trol Panel  Display. EXERCISE 5.2 Creating a Shortcut 1. Select Start  Programs  Accessories  Windows Explorer to start Windows Explorer. 2. Expand My Computer, then Local Disk, then WINNT, then System32. 3. Right-click calc.exe and select Create Shortcut. You see an icon labeled Shortcut to calc.exe. 4. Click the Shortcut to calc.exe icon and drag it to the Desktop. Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA. www.sybex.com [...]... be used to reaccess the system after it has been idle When the idle time has been reached, the computer will be locked, and you must enter the password of the user who is currently logged on to access the computer The Appearance tab has choices for the color scheme used for the Desktop The Web tab lets you select whether or not you want to use the Active Desktop, which makes your Desktop look and work... Then any programs that you don’t use will be hidden The hidden programs can still be accessed by clicking the small arrow at the bottom of the menu 2 A The easiest way to configure the Taskbar and Start menu properties is by right-clicking an open area of the Taskbar and choosing Properties There is no Menu Settings option in Control Panel 3 A, C, D You can put shortcuts in the Start menu, on the Desktop, ... document using the On-Screen Keyboard When you are finished, close the Notepad document without saving it 6 Close the On-Screen Keyboard Summary I n this chapter, you learned about managing the Windows 2000 Professional Desktop We covered the following topics: Managing Desktop settings, which include customizing the Taskbar and Start menu, using shortcuts, and setting display properties Managing multiple... 227 The On-Screen Keyboard The On-Screen Keyboard displays a keyboard on the screen, as shown in Figure 5.9 Users can use the On-Screen Keyboard keys through a mouse or another input device as an alternative to the keys on the regular keyboard To access the On-Screen Keyboard, select Start Programs Accessories Accessibility On-Screen Keyboard FIGURE 5.9 The On-Screen Keyboard The Utility Manager The. .. configure the locale settings on your computer EXERCISE 5.5 Configuring Locale Settings 1 Select Start Settings Control Panel Regional Options In the Regional Options dialog box, note your current locale 2 Click the Numbers, Currency, Time, and Date tabs and note the configurations 3 Click the General tab and select the Danish locale (location) from the drop-down list at the top of the dialog box Then click... www.sybex.com 232 Chapter 5 Managing the Desktop 8 Which of the following options appear on a Windows 2000 Profes- sional Desktop by default? Choose all that apply A Network Neighborhood B Recycle Bin C My Computer D My Documents 9 Which of the following options are considered locale settings? Choose all that apply A How the date is displayed B The language that is used to display the GUI C The type of currency... unoccupied area on the Desktop and select Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box 2 In the Background tab, select Prairie Wind as wallpaper From the Picture Display drop-down list, select Stretch 3 Click the Screen Saver tab, select the Starfield Simulation screen saver, and specify a wait of five minutes 4 Click the Appearance tab, select the Red, White, and Blue (VGA) Scheme Click the OK button... Favorites through the Advanced tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box 12 D Through the Display Properties dialog box, you can set your Desk- top background, the screen saver that will be used by your computer, and any special visual effects for your Desktop You typically set the contrast and brightness of the monitor through controls on the monitor 13 B The Screen Saver tab of the Display... your Desktop look and work like a Web page The Effects tab lets you set special visual effects for the Desktop Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com 218 Chapter 5 Managing the Desktop The Settings tab is used to configure display properties, which are not related to user preferences Configuring the display is covered in Chapter 4, “Configuring the Windows 2000 Environment.” In Exercise... of currency that is used D How the time is displayed 10 You have just accidentally deleted your C:\Documents\Timesheet.xls file What is the easiest way to recover this file? A In Folder Options, click the Show Deleted Files option B In Folder Options, click the Undo Deleted Files option C Click the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop and restore the deleted file D Restore the file from your most recent . Chapter 5  Managing the Desktop as whether the Taskbar is always visible and whether small icons are used on the Start menu. Table 5.2 lists the properties. computer.  The Appearance tab has choices for the color scheme used for the Desktop.  The Web tab lets you select whether or not you want to use the Active Desktop,