Tech Files

The Control Panel

An Infomercial that could change your life!

Have you ever wanted to change the resolution of your desktop?

Have you ever wanted to add new hardware to your system?

Have you ever wanted to uninstall a program from your computer?

Do you want to change the language on your PC to Russian?

Never fear…
[chorus of trumpets]

The Control Panel is here!
[audience gasps]

Here’s an actual story from Mary, a long-time user of the Control Panel:

“I remember back in the days before the Control Panel. Making changes to my system was such a hassle! But once I discovered the Control Panel, all my worries just went away. Right there, in one place, I had access to every little thing I needed. Thanks Control Panel!”

[Actual results may vary.]

But, what you might ask, makes the Control Panel so special? At the heart of the Control Panel is it’s Applet-based technology. The ability to use so many powerful, yet small, programs simultaneously is what gives the Control Panel its great functionality.

Here’s a story from Eduardo, another satisfied user:

“My kids installed some software on my computer but they don’t use it anymore. I wanted to get rid of it but thought it would take too much time. Using the Control Panel, I was able to remove the programs in just a few seconds. Thanks Control Panel!”

Don’t just believe these statements – try The Control Panel for yourself. A question I hear often is:

“Will Control Panel work on my computer?”

My answer:

“Yes. In fact, it’s already there. Just look. Go to Start, Settings, and voila! There’s the Control Panel. It seems that someone loves you enough to install Control Panel, thus making your life just a bit easier.”

Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP? It doesn’t matter – The Control Panel is built right in.

Now let’s take a look at some of the different features of The Control Panel.

Accessibility Options: This applet allows persons with auditory or visual impairments to change the appearance of items on the screen, either increasing text sizes or the size of the cursor. Even if you don’t have limited vision, be sure to check this applet out – it’ll make life a lot easier.

Add New Hardware: With the simple wizard format of this applet, you can easily add or remove any piece of hardware from your system. Just follow the easy to read menus and you’ll be using that new CD-RW in no time at all.

Add / Remove Programs: Running out of storage space? Just want to clean up your machine? Then, you can use this applet to clean all those unused applications off your system.

Administrative Tools: For most people, this isn’t a very useful tool – however, to the computer administrator, it’s a God-send. With this one little menu, the Admin will be able to manage all aspects of his fleet of PCs. Check out these useful features:

• Computer Management: With a keen Explorer-style interface, this one tool gives an Administrator access to a wide range of utilities – Disk Defragmenter, User Account configuration, and Device Manager. No longer does an Administrator have to sift through several menus to access a system’s configuration information – it’s all right here in one convenient, intuitive spot.
  

• Performance: Need to monitor the available bandwidth of your network connection? Perhaps monitor memory usage to see if an upgrade is in order? This applet-within-an-applet can do all this and so much more.
  

• Local Security Policy: Editing local security policies couldn’t be easier with this tool. You can configure access rights for each user account, change the options for login/logout, and much more than can be listed here.

Display: Don’t like the color of your desktop? Want to help those old eyes of yours by turning down the resolution of your desktop? You can do it all, and so much more, with this applet.

• Screen Saver: Tired of Flying Windows? Would you rather have a personalized message scroll across the screen? By clicking on this tab under the Display applet, you can choose and configure all the screen savers built-in to Windows, including any that you might have installed as well.
  

• Settings: Changing your desktop resolution, the color depth of your screen, and configuring multiple-monitor support are just a few things you can do by clicking on this tab under the Display applet. Be sure to click on the Advanced button to see the other options which can be available, depending on the graphics card installed in your system.
  

• Desktop: Unhappy with the default color scheme of Windows? With this menu, you can change every visual aspect of the Windows user interface – destop color, icon size, fonts, -- use your imagination, it’s all possible.

Folder Options: Use this applet to change the ways that filenames and directories are presented on your machine. You can choose to hide file extensions, show files as icons or in a list, and show the hidden system files on your machine.

Internet Options: Do you want to tweak Internet Explorer? This is the place to do it. You can adjust security options, connection settings, as well as the appearance of the browser windows and so so so much more.

Keyboard: If you’ve ever wanted to switch your keyboard layout to Swahili, this is the applet to use.

Mouse: Are you left-handed and do you want the primary mouse button to be the right one? Are you having problems double-clicking items on the desktop? Any problem you may be having with your mouse (no, not the pet one in your pocket), you can fix with this applet.

Network: Check out your current network connections and their status. Can’t figure out whether you’re at 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps? You can figure it out here.

Printers: Need to check whether the letter to your grandmother is about to print? Check here – you’ll find an icon for the printers which are currently installed on your system.

Regional Settings: Daylight savings time over yet your computer is still an hour slow? Use this applet to adjust the date and time settings, as well as formats, on your machine.

Sounds: With this, you can replace the generic error “Beep!” with any sound you want – perhaps a clip from your favorite song?

System: Why isn’t my sound card working? The System applet allows you to view a list of all the hardware installed in your machine as well as update or reinstall drivers for those devices.

• Device Manager: Giving you ready access to every bit of installed hardware on your system, this utility is a powerful one indeed. From it, you can update device drivers, identifying malfunctioning hardware, or remove hardware completely from your system (Don’t forget to remove the hardware physically from your system as well!)
  

• General: Providing a quick reference to the basic information about your system, the General tab under the System applet reveals the name of your current operating system, how much memory is installed, and to whom your computer is registered (which should be you – it is your computer, isn’t it?)

Users: If more than one person uses your computer, this is for you. You can give each person their own account, allowing them each to use The Control Panel to set their own individual preferences.

 

Remember, The Control Panel is different for every version of Windows. Certain applets listed here might be renamed or moved to a different area in each flavor of Windows but, rest assured, they still retain the same amazing abilities as descrived here. Be sure to take some time to explore The Control Panel you have and before you know it, you’ll be a Windows genius too!