Arrange Icons on the Vista Desktop

1. Modify the icons displayed on your desktop by using any of these methods:

• Right-click the Windows desktop. In the resulting shortcut menu, choose Sort By, and then choose one of four criteria: Name, Size, File Extension, or Date Modified.

• Click any icon on the desktop and drag it to a new location.

• Right-click the Windows desktop, choose View, and then make sure that Auto Arrange isn’t selected. (If it is selected, deselect it.) Now you can click any icon and drag it to another location on the desktop.

2. To automatically add certain folders to your desktop, right-click the desktop and choose Personalize. In the resulting Personalization window, click the Change Desktop Icons link in the Task pane.

3. In the resulting Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, select any of the Desktop Icons check boxes to automatically display shortcuts for items such as Internet Explorer, the Computer, or the Recycle Bin.

4. Click OK to save the settings and click Close to close the Personalization window.

To change an icon used for the preset folders that you set up in the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, select an icon preview and click the Change Icon button. In the Change Icon dialog box that appears, click another icon, and then click OK twice. However, be careful when using this feature: If somebody who uses your computer isn’t aware of the changed icons, he could start clicking the wrong icon and potentially not only waste time but possibly run a program that you don’t want him to run. If you make changes and decide to go back to Microsoft’s original idea of a good icon for programs, click the Restore Default button in the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box.