Web pages and mouse options in Windows 7

Web Pages on the Desktop in Windows 7

In Windows 7 you can add one or more Web pages to your desktop. You can add one big Web page that covers your entire desktop, or you can leave room on the side for your desktop icons. You can also add a number of small windows with different Web pages in them. You can lock these small Web pages into place, or you can allow them to be resized and moved around.

1. From the Windows 7 Start menu, select Control Panel.

2. Select Appearance and Theme.

3. Select Change the desktop background. The Desktop tab in the Display Properties dialog window appears.

4. Select the Customize Background button. This displays the Desktop Items dialog with the General tab shown.

5. Click on the Web tab.

6. Select the pages you want displayed on your desktop by checking the boxes next to the names. Remove the check to remove the page from the desktop. If the page you want added is not listed, you can add it by clicking the Add button and following the prompts provided in the Windows 7 wizard.

When you add a Web page, it is copied to your machine in case you disconnect from the Internet. If you are no longer using a page in the list, you can click the Delete button to remove it.

7. Check or uncheck the Lock Desktop Item check box. If this is checked, you can’t change the size of the Web pages you placed on the desktop. If it is not checked, you can change the size of the Web pages on the desktop. To change the size, place the cursor near the top of the Web page. A title bar is displayed with Full Screen, Most Screen, and Close icons. Click your choice of these.

8. Click OK to exit the Desktop Items dialog window.

9. Click Apply to place the selected Web pages onto the desktop.

10. Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog window.

Mouse Options in Windows 7

The mouse is something that you constantly use with Windows 7; however, many people don’t realize they can customize it. There are a number of options in Windows 7 for the mouse that can be changed. Some of these help you to control the mouse better; others are simply for fun. The following steps will help you customize many of the available mouse options:

1. Select the Control Panel from the Windows 7 Start menu.

2. Click on the Printers and Other Hardware category.

3. Click on the Mouse Control Panel icon in the lower part of the Windows 7 Printer and Other Hardware window. This presents the Mouse Properties dialog window. The Buttons tab appears. If it isn’t displayed, click on the Buttons tab.

4. Customize the basic button properties.

Click the box next to Switch Primary and Secondary Buttons if you’d like to change the function of the right and left mouse buttons.
Drag the slider within the Double-Click Speed area to change how much time can pass between clicks to count as a double click.
Select the box next to Turn on ClickLock to turn the ClickLock feature on. Unselect to turn the feature off.

5. Select the Pointer Options tab on the Mouse Properties dialog window. This presents you with the new Windows 7 options.

6. Customize your mouse’s pointer options:

Set the speed that your mouse pointer moves by adjusting the slider in the Motion section. The closer to Fast that you set the slider, the less you will have to physically move the mouse in order to get the pointer to move. The closer to Slow that you set the slider, the more you will physically have to move the mouse in order to move the pointer, and thus the more precise control you’ll be able to exercise.
Check the box next to Display Pointer Trails to turn on mouse trails. In Windows 7 this feature causes copies of your pointer to trail behind the primary pointer. The faster you move, the larger the gap in the trails. You can also adjust the gap in the trails by moving the slider between Short and Long. To turn the trails off, uncheck the Display Pointer Trails box.
Check the box next to Hide Pointer While Typing if you’d like to have the pointer disappear when you type. This keeps the pointer out of your way.
Check the box next to the Show Location of Pointer When I Press the CTRL Key if you would like to have help finding the pointer. In WIndows 7, when this option is checked and when you press and release the Ctrl key, circles hone in on the pointer location. This helps you find the exact location of the pointer.

7. Click the Apply button to save the changes you’ve selected.

8. Click the OK button to close the dialog window.

Customizing the Windows 7 Mouse Pointers

Within Windows 7, the default mouse pointer on the screen is a white arrow outlined in black. When the system is busy because a task is taking time, an hourglass is displayed. When you drag an item to an invalid area, the pointer changes to a circle with a slash through it. These are all the standard Windows 7 pointers; however, they are not the pointers you have to use! The following steps walk you through customizing your Windows 7 pointers:

1. Select the Control Panel from the Windows 7 Start menu.

2. Click on the Printers and Other Hardware category.

3. Click on the Mouse Control Panel icon in the lower part of the Printer and Other Hardware window. This presents the Mouse Properties dialog window.

4. Select the Pointers tab in the Mouse Properties dialog window. You should see a new window.

5. Select an item from the Scheme list in Windows 7. The drop-down list within the Scheme area contains different sets of pointers that you can use. When you select an item from this list, the Customize portion of the screen changes to show you the specific pointers in the scheme. You can scroll through the list of pointers in the Customize area. Go through the schemes until you find one that has pointers you like. If you like all of the pointers in the scheme you find, you can continue to Step 8. If you want to change one or more of these pointers, continue to the next step.

6. Change the pointers you don’t like. You can change individual pointers within the Customize area. Use the following steps for each pointer you want to change:

Select the pointer you want to change by clicking on it.
Select the Browse button. This presents the Browse dialog window with pointers displayed. Your pointers may be different depending on the extra Windows 7 programs that are installed on your computer. You can use the pointers in this default location, or you can look for pointers in other locations on your computer.
Select a pointer file by clicking on a pointer name in the Browse dialog, and then click the Open button. The selected pointer is added to the current scheme.
Repeat Step 6 until all the pointers are customized to your liking.

7. Click the Apply button to apply your selections.

8. If you would like to save your pointer selections as your own scheme, select the Save As button in the Scheme area. This displays a pop-up window that you can use to enter a scheme name. Press OK to save the scheme name.

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