Computer & Internet Newbie Guide

If you find no useful purpose to have the yellow speaker displayed in the lower right corner (by the clock) of your tray, it’s easy to remove the display.

• Go to your Start Menu
• Click Settings
• Click Control Panel
• Click Sounds and Multimedia (may just say Multimedia)
• Click the Audio tab

Playback section:

• Tick off ‘Show Volume Control On The Taskbar’ (This tick box may also show in the first tab ‘Sounds’)
• Click Apply
• Click ‘OK’

If you want to display the yellow speaker again, simply go through the above steps and check the ‘Show Volume Control On The Taskbar’ on. That’s it!

Sometimes when you install software on your computer, an entry for that software is made into your right click menu. One extra entry isn’t so bad, but they can sure add up! Here is how to edit your right click menu:

Warning: This involves modifying your Registry. If you make a mistake, your computer and/or programs can stop functioning properly. Use this tip at your own risk.*You could decide to export your registry file to your desktop before making any changes. That way you can return anything that you’ve changed your mind on. (Once in the Registry Editor, Click the top option ‘Registry’ then ‘Export Registry’ and follow the prompts - then to replace your registry settings, choose ‘Import Registry’).

Edit Right Click Menu

• Go to your Start Menu
• Click Run
• Type: Regedit
• Click OK
• Go to this folder in the Registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
• Then folder: Software
• Then folder: Microsoft
• Then folder: Internet Explorer
• Then folder: MenuExt

Now in this last folder (MenuExt) you will find folders representing the items you want to remove.

Simply delete the folders that you no longer want included in your right click options.

This method simply removes the various software addons, not the built in Microsoft entries such as ‘Properties’ ‘Print’ ‘View Source’ etc.

Changing Your Desktop Background To A Web Graphic

Have you come across a website graphic that you’d love to have as your desktop background? That’s easy enough to do. Simply:

• Surf to the website that contains the graphic you want

Once page is loaded, right click on the graphic and select:

• Set As Background

That’s it! The picture should now be displayed on your desktop

Now you can customize this by right clicking on an empty spot on your desktop then:

• Select ‘Properties’
• Select the Desktop Tab (may have ‘Background’ tab)
• Choose ‘Stretch’ or ‘Center’ or ‘Tile’ to customize the look you want

Changing Your Desktop Background - Another Option

You can also change your desktop to a graphic that’s preloaded with your Windows system.

• Right click an empty spot on your desktop
• Select ‘Properties’

In the ‘Background’ Tab, you’ll see an open box with various graphic files. Just click through these (watching the top display example to see the graphics as you click them) and when you’ve decided on which one to use, make sure you’ve selected that graphic by highlighting it then clicking ‘Apply’ then ‘OK’.

Your desktop should now be changed to the graphic you selected.

Changing Your Desktop Background To One Of Your Pictures

Do you have a picture of your family or a pet that you’d love to have as your desktop graphic? It’s simple to do! Ensure you have a copy of your picture on your computer (save it to a folder and note which one), then:

• Right click on an empty spot of the desktop
• Click ‘Properties’
• Choose the ‘Background’ Tab
• You’ll notice a ‘Browse’ button - click that
• Now go to the location on your computer where you’ve saved a copy of the picture you want to use
• When you find the picture, select it
• Click ‘Open’
• Click ‘Apply’
• Click ‘OK’

That’s it!

For Windows XP settings - here’s a quick reference from Microsoft:

Microsoft.com: Change Your Desktop Background (Win XP)