Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

You Can Make Your Life A Little Easier
By Cate Eales

Appeared January 18, 2007 on castanet.net

You can easily change Windows XP settings to create a computing environment that makes your life a little easier. You absolutely do not have to accept the default settings. You can try something different, and if you don't like it, you can try something else or go back to the way things were. (Wouldn't it be nice if real life was a little more like that?)



Screen Resolution
We've talked before about changing the text size in your browser, but wait...there's more! You can change the way things appear on your monitor, adjusting so that you can see more windows, or so that you see fewer windows, but each is larger.

What?

Most monitors support more than one screen resolution. "Resolution" is expressed as the number of pixels on the entire screen. The higher the number of pixels, the more information you can display on your screen and the smaller each item appears. That's a "high" resolution. Lower screen resolution makes items appear larger and can benefit people with vision impairments.

You can easily try this and see what you like. If you're at all hesitant, begin by setting a Restore Point. (To learn more about System Restore, browse here.

When you are ready to adjust your screen resolution:

Your screen will go black for a few seconds. (Best not to panic.) You'll have about 15 seconds to confirm or reject the change.

When you set a screen resolution, that's the resolution for everyone who uses the computer, even if people have different logons. So you might want to warn your family before they sit down to the computer...or you might want to see how long it takes them to ask what's different!
 

Mighty Mouse ("Here I come to save the day...")
If you are left-handed, or if you simply have trouble using your right hand, you can easily reprogram your mouse so the button functions are reversed. Even if you use your right hand to operate the mouse, you can slow things down or speed things up until you're comfortable with them.

To explore these settings:

If you want to work left-handed, check the box to "Switch primary and secondary buttons" and then click "Apply." You can also change how fast you have to Double-click by using the slider on that same tab.

Clicking on the Pointer Options tab, will allow you to change the speed and other behaviours of the mouse pointer. Some people prefer to have "trails" behind the arrow. Some want the pointer to "snap," or to be able to press a key and find the pointer. If you have a Logitech or other "brand name" mouse, you might have more or different options. Don't be afraid to try different things! Just remember to click on "Apply" and then "OK" to save your changes.
 

Thank you to everyone who wrote with questions, comments, and suggestions. Please keep them coming! Email me at cate@rlis.com.  Remember, you can browse the column archives at any time, subscribe to the column by email, or add the RSS feed to your feed reader.


Links
The Way You Like It http://rlis.com/columns/column76.htm
System Restore http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/systemrestore.mspx
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml
Cate's list of good, free software http://rlis.com/columns/column75list.htm


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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.