Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org.
QUESTION: I just purchased a new Windows 7 PC and would like to customize my desktop with my own background picture. It’s so different from Windows XP, can you get me started?
PC CLUB: Windows 7 has changed the procedure somewhat from Windows XP but it’s still easy to set up. The first thing you need to do is to decide if you want the same picture all of the time or do you want to cycle through several picture every few minutes or even every day. Next, locate the picture or group of pictures that you want to use. Select a group if you are going to want to rotate them or make a slide show. Here are the steps:
1. Place the picture or pictures you want to use in the Windows 7 Pictures folder. This is not required but it makes it easier to locate them in Step 5.
2. Right-click an empty spot on your Desktop and choose Personalize.
3. Click Save theme over at the right before making any changes so you can get back to where you started.
4. Select Desktop Background in the lower left.
5. In the upper right click the drop down box labeled Picture location and select Pictures Library.
6. Use the Select all or Clear all buttons as required for your selection. You can choose pictures by clicking on them.
7. When you see the picture or pictures you want, select only one for a Desktop that doesn’t change or several for a slide show. If you don’t see what you want, click the Browse button to locate more pictures.
8. If you’ve chosen to go with a slide show, select how often you want the picture to change by using the Change picture every box.
9. You can use the Picture position box to determine how your picture appears on the screen. The Fill option is usually the best.
10. Click Save changes if you’re finished or Cancel to start over.
You can also change your Desktop icons by repeating Step 2 and selecting Change desktop icons. In the window that opens you can choose any of the five icons that are listed to appear on your Desktop. As you can see there are many options for configuring your Desktop and these are a few of them.
For those of you who like a solid color for your Desktop, follow Steps 1 through 3 above but in the Picture location drop down box click Solid Colors and make your choice.
Ed Schwartz is a member of the North Orange County Computer Club. To send in a question, go to edwardns.com and click the Contact Me menu. Archives of previous columns are also on the website.