COMPUTER NOTEBOOK

COMPUTER
DESKTOP
A GUIDE TO COMPUTER DESKTOP.
1
IJUO BENJAMIN P.IDAH

THIS BOOK GIVES A REAL GUIDE TO ALL COMPUTER

DESKTOP USERS,
This article is about the operating system and user interface schema. For desktop
computing in general, see desktop computer.

In computing, a desktop environment (DE) is an implementation of the desktop metaphor made

of a bundle of programs running on top of a computer operating system, which share a common
graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphical shell. The desktop
environment was seen mostly on personal computers until the rise of mobile computing.[1][2]
Desktop GUIs help the user to easily access and edit files, while they usually do not provide
access to all of the features found in the underlying operating system. Instead, the traditional
command-line interface (CLI) is still used when full control over the operating system is
required.

A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers and
desktop widgets (see Elements of graphical user interfaces and WIMP).[3] A GUI might also
provide drag and drop functionality and other features that make the desktop metaphor more
complete. A desktop environment aims to be an intuitive way for the user to interact with the
computer using concepts which are similar to those used when interacting with the physical
world, such as buttons and windows.

While the term desktop environment originally described a style of user interfaces following the
desktop metaphor, it has also come to describe the programs that realize the metaphor itself.[4]
This usage has been popularized by projects such as the Common Desktop Environment, K
Desktop Environment, and GNOME.

A stylized illustration of a personal computer, consisting of a case (containing the

motherboard and processor), a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse

A desktop computer is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or
near a desk or table due to its

A desktop computer is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or
near a desk or table due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuration has
a case that houses the power supply, motherboard (a printed circuit board with a microprocessor
as the central processing unit (CPU), memory, bus, and other electronic components), disk
storage (usually one or more hard disk drives, optical disc drives, and in early models a floppy
disk drive); a keyboard and mouse for input; and a computer monitor, and, often, a printer for
output. The case may be oriented horizontally or vertically and placed either underneath, beside,
or on top of a desk.

An all-in-one desktop computer typically combines the case and monitor in one unit.

Ambient

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Elokab

Enlightenment

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GNOME Shell

GNUstep

Innova

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KDE 5

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Lumina

LXDE

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Project Looking Glass



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Xfce

Zorin

This article is about the operating system and user interface schema. For desktop
computing in general, see desktop computer.

In computing, a desktop environment (DE) is an implementation of the desktop metaphor made

of a bundle of programs running on top of a computer operating system, which share a common
graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphical shell. The desktop
environment was seen mostly on personal computers until the rise of mobile computing.[1][2]
Desktop GUIs help the user to easily access and edit files, while they usually do not provide
access to all of the features found in the underlying operating system. Instead, the traditional
command-line interface (CLI) is still used when full control over the operating system is
required.

A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers and
desktop widgets (see Elements of graphical user interfaces and WIMP).[3] A GUI might also
provide drag and drop functionality and other features that make the desktop metaphor more
complete. A desktop environment aims to be an intuitive way for the user to interact with the
computer using concepts which are similar to those used when interacting with the physical
world, such as buttons and windows.

While the term desktop environment originally described a style of user interfaces following the
desktop metaphor, it has also come to describe the programs that realize the metaphor itself.[4]
This usage has been popularized by projects such as the Common Desktop Environment, K
Desktop Environment, and GNOME.
A stylized illustration of a personal computer, consisting of a case (containing the
motherboard and processor), a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse

A desktop computer is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or
near a desk or table due to its

A desktop computer is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or
near a desk or table due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuration has
a case that houses the power supply, motherboard (a printed circuit board with a microprocessor
as the central processing unit (CPU), memory, bus, and other electronic components), disk
storage (usually one or more hard disk drives, optical disc drives, and in early models a floppy
disk drive); a keyboard and mouse for input; and a computer monitor, and, often, a printer for
output. The case may be oriented horizontally or vertically and placed either underneath, beside,
or on top of a desk.

An all-in-one desktop computer typically combines the case and monitor in one unit.

HOW TO TURN ON A COMPUTER

Turning on your computer isnt always easy. Some manufacturers hide the
on button for instance, on top of the case or flat on the front where you
cant see it. When you get your computer, dont be embarrassed to ask:
Wheres the on button?

Follow these step-by-step instructions to help you turn on your computer

Step 1: Find the on button. It probably looks like this (but might be
square or oblong!):
Step 2: Push the button.

On some computers, the button lights up when the computer is on. On

laptops, theres often a light on the front that comes on. You may have to
keep pushing for a couple of seconds to make this happen, but dont worry
youll soon get to know how your computer works.

If nothing happens, there are few things you can check easily:

If youre using a laptop, the battery might be flat. So plug in the

charger, plug the charger into the mains and let the laptop
recharge. You can continue to use it while its doing this.

If you have a PC, make sure that the plug or any of the other wires
havent become disconnected.

Ensure that the monitor is turned on. Most PC monitors have an

on/off button on the bottom corner of the screen (see below). The
button often lights up green when the monitor is on.
Step 3: Now you need to log in.

If youre the only user of your computer, once its turned on it may go
straight to the desktop:

If youre using a public computer for example, in a library youll be

given instructions (and help if you ask for it) on how to log in.

If youre sharing your computer with other people, each one will usually
have their own account. When you turn on the computer, the screen will
look something like this:

When you click the icon above your name, youll be asked for a password.
The main user or administrator should set this up for you before you
begin. Type in your password and click the arrow.
Done!

Top tip: surge protectors

If you have a PC, its a good idea to buy a surge
protector. This prevents your computer being damaged if
theres a sudden problem with your electricity supply. You
can buy surge protectors that let you plug all your
separate pieces of equipment into them, in addition to
your computer. Then when you turn your computer on or
off, this automatically turns them on or off, too

HOW TO TURN OFF A COMPUTER

Unlike most electrical appliances, a computer shouldnt be
turned off by pressing the same button that you pressed
to turn it on. If you do that, you can actually lose data or
damage some of the processes in the machine. Think of
turning off the computer properly as letting it fall asleep
just pushing the on button or unplugging the computer
would be like knocking it out with a punch!

Follow these step-by-step instructions to help you turn off

your computer

These instructions are for Windows 7, but earlier versions

are very similar.For Windows 8, see our guide 'How to shut
down Windows 8'.
Step 1: Click the Windows button at the bottom left-hand
corner of your screen.

Step 2: Click Shut down.

Step 3: If youve left any programs running or documents

open, youll get a message similar to this:
You have two options now:

Click Cancel and then close everything that had been

listed in the message, saving when necessary. Then
try closing again.

Or

Click Force shut down. The computer will

automatically close all your documents, programs and
so on without saving anything. As a result, you may
lose some data.

A GUIDE TO YOUR COMPUTER

DESKTOP
Once youve turned on or logged on to your computer, what
appears on your screen is called the 'desktop'. This is like an
entrance you go through it to find anything that you want to do
on the computer.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to familiarise
yourself with the basic parts of your computer desktop

This article assumes that you have a PC using Windows 7. The

desktops of Apple Mac computers are quite different, as are those
of earlier versions of Windows.

Step 1: The first, and most important, part is the 'work area',
which occupies the majority of the computer screen.

Step 2: If you use certain computer programs now more

commonly known as applications or apps frequently, you can
make it easier to reach them by placing a shortcut to them
anywhere on your desktop in the form of an icon, like those
below.
 Step 3: At the bottom of the desktop is a darker narrow band.
This is the taskbar. Heres where youll find small icons of
various important programs and, on the right, a Notifications
area.

Step 4: If you press the Windows icon in the far left-hand of

your taskbar, youll get access to frequently used programs, the
search box for programs and files, your documents, the Shut
down button and the control panel:

Step 5: When you click the Windows Explorer icon (see right)
in the taskbar, youll find the libraries where your documents,
pictures, music and videos can be opened:
Step 6: Go to the far right of the taskbar. Messages from
Windows appear here, in the Notifications area for example,
telling you that a piece of hardware that youve just connected to
is ready to use. You can also see the date and time, plus useful
items such as the volume control (which you click to open). Some
of the icons may be hidden, but you can see them by clicking the
up arrow on the left.

Step 7: Now learn more about how the icons in the taskbar work.
You can pin programs that you regularly use to the taskbar and
then open them even if theres another one already running in the
work area.

When a program is running, its icon always appears in the

taskbar, with a highlighted outline. And if this one program is
doing more than one thing, this will also be indicated in the
taskbar.

Here, the Windows Photo Viewer program is showing one photo:

Here, its open for two different pictures:

Here, its open for three different images:

If you were to place your cursor over the Windows Photo Viewer
icon now without clicking, a small view of each file thats open will
appear:
you could now click on the view that you want to use to open that
particular file.

This is how any program that youve opened more than once will
work in the taskbar.

Step 8: The above steps comprise a summary of what the

desktop does. To learn about more features, go to Microsofts own
explanation, where youll also find a video.

HOW TO REARRANGE YOUR COMPUTER

DESKTOP
Whenever you install a new program, a shortcut to it in the form
of an icon appears on your computers desktop (that is, the
screen). You can also save documents to it. However, if you arent
careful, before you know it your desktop is entirely covered in
icons and you cant find anything!

You need to be able to find and open any program or document

quickly from the desktop. To help you do that, well tell you how to
add and subtract items until your desktop works to your
satisfaction. Well also tell you how to turn your desktop into a
slideshow!
Follow these step-by-step instructions to learn how to
rearrange your desktop

This article assumes that you have a PC using Windows 7. The

desktops of Apple Mac computers are different, as are those of
earlier versions of Windows.

DELETING ICONS
Look at all the icons on your desktop. Some of them youll
probably never need. Well, you can delete them! (This wont
delete any programs they link to, which will remain safe within
your computer, but will remove the icons themselves from your
desktop.)

Step 1: For instance, imagine that these are the icons on your
desktop:

Say, you decide that you dont need an icon for Safari on your
computer. Right-click on the Safari icon.

Step 2: When a menu appears, click Delete (third item from the
bottom).
 Step 3: Youll get a message informing you that the Safari
program wont be deleted from your computer. Click Yes. The
Safari icon should disappear from your desktop.

Adding icons

As well as getting rid of icons, you can add ones to your desktop
for programs that you use frequently.

Step 1: Imagine that youre a photographer and constantly use

the program Adobe Photoshop Elements. To cut down on the time
it takes to access that program, you want an icon linked to it on
your desktop. Go to the taskbar at the bottom of the desktop,
press the Windows button and click All Programs:
Step 2: Find Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0:

Step 3: Right-click on the icon, to open this menu:

Step 4: Move your cursor down to Send to. A new menu will
appear to the right:
Step 5: Move your cursor across and then down to Desktop
(create shortcut). Click this. A Photoshop Elements icon will now
appear on your desktop. Click it to open the program.

ADDING A SLIDESHOW
A great way to show off your photographs is to put a slideshow on
your desktop. Then if you arent working, you can watch the
images go by and let others see them, too. If you havent
downloaded any images yet, you can use the examples that come
with Windows.

Step 1: Press the Windows button and click Control Panel:

Step 2: In the control panel, click Change desktop
background:

Step 3: A new window now opens, headed Choose your desktop

background:
If you havent got any of your own images on your computer,
select Windows Desktop Backgrounds and choose one or
more of the photographs shown.

If youd rather display some of your own pictures, click Browse.

Youll be taken into the computers directory to find your pictures
for the slide show.

Step 4: Now choose how often to change the picture. Pick a time
from the drop-down list headed Change picture every:. Youll find
that 10 seconds is quite a long time!

Step 5: Youll also see a box labelled Shuffle. If you want your
pictures to appear in random order, keep this box ticked. If you
want them to appear in a predetermined order, untick it.

Step 6: Click Save changes.

Step 7: Now that youve got a slideshow, place the icons on your
desktop so that you can see them but they arent in the way of
your pictures. You can drag and drop them anywhere on the work
area here are two examples:

10 TOP TIPS FOR COMPUTER BEGINNERS

Perseverance makes experts of us all

1.Be patient with yourself everyone finds it difficult and

frustrating to learn how to use computers

2.Ask for help at any time, but especially if you:

- cant see the screen clearly

- cant use the mouse

- havent used a keyboard before.

3.Computers are there to enhance your life. Think: what would I

like to do better, do easier or do more of in my life? Then ask
someone for advice on how a computer can help you achieve that
goal.

4.Try to be selective about who you listen to. Those who are
negative about computers may be scared themselves or maybe
the digital world is just not for them. Dont let your enthusiasm be
dampened by them.

5.Go at your own pace dont compare yourself with anyone else.
Everyone comes to computers with a different background and
experience, and everyone learns to use them at a different pace.

6.Set yourself small, realistic goals. If youre not sure what these
should be, discuss them with a friend or with a computer mentor
or tutor if you have access to one. Better to be able to find one
useful website or send one short email than to end up with a head
full of instructions and no results.

7.Practice makes perfect: dont shy from repeating the things

youre learning time and time again until you feel youve got it.
And dont be scared about making mistakes.

8.If you start dreaming about mice, and email, and keyboards,
you probably need to take a break!

9.Computers are also for fun. Find out about playing games:
crosswords, cards, chess, Suduko, solitaire And look into using
computers to listen to music and the radio and to watch TV and
films.
10.Dont panic! It really will all make sense in the end. Youll get
there..

HOW TO USE A COMPUTER KEYBOARD

Whenever you use a computer, you'll probably use a
keyboard
The most common kind of keyboard is referred to as a QWERTY
keyboard after the keys on the top row of letters. It was invented
by C L Scholes in the 1860s when he was working out the best
place to put the keys on a manual typewriter.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to help you get

to know what your keyboard can do

So that you can carry out the simple exercises below, youll need
a document open to type into. Read our guides What is WordPad?
and How to open WordPad. Then create a WordPad document and
go through the following steps.

Step 1: Have a good look at your keyboard. The most important

keys are labelled on the diagram below:

Some keyboards, especially those on laptops, will have a slightly

different layout. For example, yours might not have a number pad
or the delete key may be in a different place. But virtually all
keyboards will have these important keys somewhere.
Step 2: The main keys are the letter keys. When you type just
using these, you get lower-case print. However, if you hold down
a shift key (there are two to choose from) at the same time as
you type, youll get UPPER-CASE letters.

Try typing your name, including capitals (UPPER-CASE) and

spaces. The space bar (which you press briefly to make a space)
is the wide key at the bottom of the keyboard.

Step 3: If you make a mistake in your typing, theres always a

remedy.

To delete a letter, place your cursor (mouse pointer) just after the
letter and click. Then press Backspace briefly. (Always press
briefly otherwise, youll get repeated deletions, spaces, letters
or whatever.) Or place your cursor just before the letter, click and
press Delete.

Step 4: Now try typing a sentence:

This is a good sentence to practise because it contains most of

the letters of the alphabet.

Step 5: You can move the cursor along this sentence without
deleting anything by using the arrow keys:
Try moving the cursor backwards and forwards through your
sentence.

Step 6: Now try using the number pad, if you have one.

To use this to type numbers, you have to press the Num Lock
key. There may be an indicator light at the top of the keyboard or
on the Num Lock key itself to show that its on.

Step 7: You can also type using the numbers on the main
keyboard. Youll find them on the row of keys above the top line of
letters.
Above these numbers are various symbols, which include , &,
!. To use these, hold down the Shift key while you type. So if you
press 7 on its own, you get 7, but if you press 7 while you hold
down the Shift key, you get &.

TRY TYPING:
Youll find similar extra symbols elsewhere on the keyboard:

They operate in exactly the same way as the ones above the
numbers.

Step 8: If you want everything to appear in upper case, press the

Caps Lock key and then type:

Again, an indicator light may come on to show that your capitals

are locked. Dont forget to press this key again when youre

finished to turn Caps Lock off.

Step 9: The Windows key comes in a number of different

designs, such as the example to the right.

It does exactly the same thing as the Windows button on the

taskbar on your computer screen. You can choose to open the
Start menu by pressing this key or by clicking the button on the
taskbar with your mouse.
Step 10: There are a number of ways that you can move round a
web page. Try using the keys below to see where they take you:

Step 10: Youll be told to use the Control (Ctrl) and Alternate
(Alt) keys for some operations. When you do so, keep holding
down one or the other key or both keys while you press any other
keys.

For example, if you press Ctrl, Alt and Delete all at the same
time, a menu will open. To make it disappear, press the Escape
(Esc) key in the top left-hand corner of the keyboard.

Step 11: Some of the things that you use the mouse for can be
done with keyboard shortcuts. These require you to hold down
one key while pressing another, and often involve using the Ctrl
and/or Alt keys. Some people prefer using them to using the
mouse. There are many shortcuts check out the list provided by
Microsoft Support.

HOW TO USE A MOUSE

Your computer mouse lets you move the cursor (pointer)
round the screen and then click to start a program or
begin writing in a particular place or open a menu to see
what choices you have. All desktop computers come with
a mouse, and you can use one on a laptop if you dont
like the touchpad thats built into it.
Invented in 1963 by Douglas Engelbart, the computer
mouse has developed over the years and now comes in a
variety of designs. Its called mouse because it has a
basic mouse shape and the cable that attaches it to the
computer looks like a tail. When referring to the device in
the plural, both mice and mouses are acceptable,
according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Mice were first made with two gear wheels to define
direction and then with a trackball, all of which moved in
contact with a surface. Today optical mice that use light
to detect direction are more common. Mice can also be
cordless, making them easier to move.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to help you
get to know your mouse
Step 1: Pick up your mouse and have a look at it.
At the front (which points away from you), there are two
buttons left and right. You press or, more correctly,
click these to make things happen.
Most mice also have a wheel in between the buttons that
you roll to move up and down the screen technically
called scrolling.
Step 2: Learn to hold your mouse comfortably. Its
normally held between your thumb and little finger like

this:
Step 3: Have a click. Use your index finger to click the
left button and your middle finger to click the right
button:
 If youre left-handed, you can use the opposite fingers.
However, you can also usually change the preferences on
your computer to swap which buttons do what.
Step 4: Try a double-click. This is done quite often on
the left button. You have to click twice, as quickly as
possible. The first click tells the computer that you are in
a particular window, and the second click tells it that
youre selecting a button or link or whatever to do
something in that window. If you click too slowly, the
computer just thinks youre telling it where you are again
and again, so do click quickly.
Step 5: Its time to practise. Youll find some simple
mouse exercises on the SeniorNet.org website. To reach
them from here, place the cursor over the highlighted
simple mouse exercises above this is known as a link
and click the left button. Did you notice how the cursor
turned into a little hand when it was over the link? That
tells you that you can click on that word or phrase to go
somewhere else on that website or on the internet as a
whole.
Step 6: Now try a right-click. Just click the right button,
paying no attention where the cursor is on the screen. A
menu will appear, giving you options. Whenever you
right-click, it opens a menu. If you move your cursor off
the menu and left-click, the menu will close.
In other Digital Unite guides, youll often be told to click
and sometimes to double-click or even triple-click.
When it says this, it always means that you should use
the left button. If you need to right-click, youll always
be told to right-click!
HOW TO USE CASHBACK SITES
Make a little bit of money back on your shopping by using
a cashback site. When shopping online, visit a retailers
website via a cashback website and you can get back a
small percentage of what you pay. This is because some
retailers will pay other websites a commission for sending
people to their websites. Cashback sites then pass some
of this commission on to the consumer.

Were going to use Quidco as an example of this kind of

site. However, other popular cashback sites, such as Top
CashBack, are just as effective.

YOULL NEED:

A computer with an internet connection

a credit or debit card.

Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to use

cashback sites

Step 1: Go to the Quidco website.

Step 2: Youll be invited to join up, which is free. It is possible to

join via Facebook but for this example, we will be signing up using
the Join free button.
Step 3: You'll be taken to a form where you need to complete
your personal information and then click Join Quido free at the
bottom of the page.

Step 4: Youll now be asked to check your email. When you do,
youll find a new email from Quidco. Open this and click activate
your account.
Step 4: A new window will open, taking you back to Quidco,
where youll now be logged in. Type the name of the product or
store you want to investigate in the search box at the top. Click
the white microscope Search button.
Step 5: A new page will open, with search results

Cli
ck through to your chosen retailer and you will be taken to a page
telling you how much cashback you can receive from the store or
product youve chosen, as well as if there are any exclusions. You
must now click Visit site & get cashback to take you through to
the website that you want to buy from
 St
ep 6: Youll now be taken to the stores website, where you can
carry out your transactions as normal. See our guide Internet
shopping: how to buy online if youre new to online shopping
 St
ep 7: When you make a purchase, the retailer will know that
youve visited its site from Quidco, so will pay Quidco a
commission. This process can take anything from a few days to a
few months. Quidco retains the first 5 of commission that you
accumulate each year and passes the rest on to you.

Step 8: Youll receive an email from Quidco once your purchase

has been tracked that is, the retailer has become aware that
your purchase came via Quidco. When you return to the Quidco
website and log in, youll see how much cashback youve
received, as well as how much is still outstanding from payments
that have been tracked

Step 9: Click Activity on the Quidco home page for a more

detailed breakdown of how much cashback youre owed.

Step 10: To receive your cashback, youll have to give Quidco

some of your financial details. Click Settings on the Quidco home
page and then Payments, and fill in your bank details. Quidco
can now make a BACS bank transfer into your account, or will
send the money to your PayPal account if you have one. You can
also set a threshold so you only receive the cashback once it has
reached a certain amount.

Its important to note that occasionally a claim will be declined and you wont
receive any money. This might be because anti-virus software on your computer has
prevented your purchase being tracked back to the cashback site. Cashback sites
will usually investigate if claims are declined, so you may receive your money after
waiting longer than usual.
 ls

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Windows

How To Clean Up Your Windows Desktop Once

& For All
Aaron Couch August 16, 2012 8 minutes

How To Clean Up Your Windows Desktop Once & For All

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Your desktop is a mess. Admit it. Just like a desk with papers all
over, a messy computer desktop is far from productive. Plus, it
just doesnt look nice. If youre having issues finding the recycle
bin on your desktop, its probably a sign from the Computer Gods
that you need to change things up a bit. This doesnt just mean
removing a couple icons here or there, but instead starting with a
clean slateer.desktop.

You might be thinking but I dont want to download any

programs to clean up my desktop. The great thing is you dont
have to. All of the following can be done without downloading
anything. Although I will make some recommendations later on
that will spruce up your desktop even more, they arent needed
just helpful.
Clean Up Your Windows Desktop Icons

Does your desktop look like this?

Youre not alone. A lot of users have icons all over. It starts when
you buy a computer and there is all the bloatware loaded on
with every icon imaginable on your default manufacturer
wallpaper. Let me stop for a second. If youre reading this article and have
recently purchased a new laptop, get rid of this stuff. Secondly, dont let your
desktop get to the point where you are playing catch up or sorting through all the
icons on your desktop trying to decide which ones to delete and which ones to keep.
How Do You Deal With Windows PC Crapware? [We Ask You] How Do You Deal With
Windows PC Crapware? [We Ask You] While I'm no Windows or Microsoft fanboy, I do
use Windows more than any other operating system. It has had its ups (XP, 7) and
its downs (ME, Vista), and it's set to be tested... Read More

Now that Im off that tangent, back to cleaning up icons. In Tinas article, 7 Simple
Steps To An Awesome Minimalist Desktop, she talks about removing desktop icons
too and offers simple solutions to hide them or remove the shortcuts completely.
However, many of those icons were on there for a reason you wanted quick
access. Unfortunately, due to the clutter with all the other icons that you either
voluntarily or involuntarily (through program installations) created, that quick
access which you are seeking has become counter productive.

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My point is, before you drag all your icons into the Recycle Bin, think about which
ones you want to keep. Do you have files that were temporarily saved on the
desktop until they found a better home but were never moved? You dont want to
forget about them or just delete them completely. So my advice for you is first go
through the mess (I know, I know it sucks) and delete only what you dont
want. Or if its easier, move what you want to keep and delete the rest just
depends on the condition of your desktop.

Once you have sorted everything, its time to find a better location for those
programs, folders and files that you want easier access too.

Start With The Start Menu

Regardless of how your Start Menu may look right now, you can clean it up quickly
in a few steps. Start by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Properties.

Click on the middle tab, titled Start Menu. Here there are a
couple of important options to pay attention to the check
boxes. Uncheck both of them. You wont need to see recently
opened items or programs in the Start Menu because youll have
all the common programs that you use pinned to the Start Menu.
To pin a program, open the Start Menu, click All Programs or just
search for your program in the search box. Remember when I
talked about leaving the programs/folders that you use the most
on your desktop? Now you dont have to remember which ones
you use all the time it just saves some time and effort. Once
you find the program you want, right click on it and choose Pin
to Start Menu. Do this for as many programs you desire.
The are also many customizations in the Start Menu that will allow
you to add and remove folders, choose whether theyre displayed
as a link or a menu, and even the size of icons. You can adjust
these settings by clicking Customize under the Start Menu tab
in the Properties Window.

An example of how this will help is lets say you want to access
the Downloads Folder, which was on your desktop. Now you can
check the option for it to be either a link or a menu and remove
the icon from your desktop. This especially applies if its not
something youre constantly opening, but still want quick access
to it.

Below is an example of what an organized, clean Start Menu

might look like.
Managing The Taskbar

In previous versions of Windows the area to pin a program was

called Quick Launch. Now its just referred to as the Taskbar. The
nice thing about the changes to this area in Windows 7 are that
you can easily pin programs and actually have added functionality
besides just quickly accessing them. A deciding factor for what
programs should go into the Taskbar is what additional features it
has when you right click the icon in the Taskbar.

Obviously, you want to keep the programs to a minimum in the

Taskbar so it doesnt get too confusing, but even with a lot of
icons, it still is much cleaner than previous versions of Windows.
There are other things you can do in the Taskbar to clean up or
simplify it. To access these, right click on the Taskbar and choose
Properties once more. Youll see that youre already at the Taskbar
options. Something to make note of is, first off, making sure the
Taskbar is locked its just nice to have that. Another option is
auto-hiding the Taskbar. I like this because it gives laptops with
smaller screens (or even large ones for that matter) a little more
viewing real estate when a window is in full screen mode.

The last check box allows you to have small icons. This is
especially nice for netbooks, but I prefer it on my 16 laptop
screen because I dont need big icons, and if you dont need
them, why have them. It allows you to pack a few more in a
smaller space and, in my opinion, helps keep the desktop cleaner
looking.

Below is what small icons look like. I recommend trying this out on
your own computer, as you will see a much greater difference
than in images like these.

Utilizing The Windows Explorer Pop-up Menu

Im actually not talking about the window that pops up when any
given folder is opened. This is indirectly related to the previous
section, Managing The Taskbar, but I wanted to emphasize this
feature to avoid it being missed.

In Windows 7, whenever you right click on the Windows Explorer

icon on the Taskbar, you will get a pop-up menu similar to the one
below. The only thing different between yours and the one in the
screenshot are the additional folders Ive pinned to it, which you
can simply do by dragging any folder icon onto the Windows
Explorer icon. Then if you right click it again, youll see your folder
pinned. They can also be organized by dragging them around in
any order you prefer.

Dont Forget The Notification Tray

In previous versions of Windows before Windows 7, the

Notification Tray wasnt very neat, nor was it customizable. Now
however, some, not all, of the icons have the same theme. Thats
not all you can do with them though. If there is an icon that is out
of place, you can click, hold and drag it to the other icons area.

The fact that the Notification Area is much cleaner and more
customizable now really allows you to have a nice desktop, so
take advantage of it.

Excellent Programs To Use

In the introduction, I mentioned that I would introduce you to a
couple of programs that would be really helpful to you. Two of
these have actually been mentioned in Tinas article, which I
linked to above, so I will keep all three of these short by simply
mentioning them with a brief description.

RocketDock

Tina covers this one quite well, but theres one thing that she
didnt mention about it, and that is an optional add-on you can
install called Stack Docklet. You can see it in action in the image
above. It makes not having folders on your desktop much easier
to deal with.

Launchy
Launchy has been covered quite a bit on MakeUseOf, I guess its
because its such an awesome program. As long as you can
remember the first couple letters of a program, Launchy will find
it. Just open it up with a keyboard shortcut (or the long way
through the Notification Tray) and start your application in
seconds.

Fences

Fences is a program that allows you to group your desktop icons

by type. It gives you some options as to whether you want to
create your own Fences or you want it to detect and sort the icons
by their category. For messy desktops, such as what mine looked
like in the image at the beginning of the article, having Fences
group your icons is very nice. Even if it doesnt do it perfectly, it
still makes it faster.

Fences can be easily customized in many ways.

One more thing I really like about Fences is that a simple double
click on the desktop hides all your icons. So even if you have
some that you want on your desktop, you can remove them all
and bring them back in two clicks, literally.

Conclusion

Now that you have the know how in cleaning up your desktop,
theres no excuse to not have it look great and impress your
friends in the process. There are lots of other programs such as
Rainlendar and Rainmeter, which add a plethora of additional
functionality, but for a basic, simple, clean desktop, you dont
need anything like that. Stay Organized with Rainlendar Calendar
Stay Organized with Rainlendar Calendar Read More

Do you have any other tips for Windows users striving to have a
clean and organized Windows desktop? If youre new to some of
these tips, which one do you feel will be most beneficial to you?

Note: Making my desktop that messy for this article was torture.
Pure torture