Limit the amount of desktop shortcut icons to only those programs you use on a regular basis. If you only use the program occasionally delete the shortcut. I've seen desktops with so many icons that searching for one I wanted took several minutes to locate. That totally defeats the purpose of having them there to easily find your MOST USED programs.
I would suggest a couple of other options to easily locate some of those programs. Put a few in the "StartMenu" that you use less frequently. Click "Start". The programs at the top of the column is the "StartMenu. And delete the ones there you don't use. Then group your programs in the "StartMenu Programs" list to make the rest easier to find. See my START MENU
page for more details.
Show Desktop Icon
Access the desktop quickly to get to those shortcuts. If you have a lot of programs running or windows open then it takes some time to minimize everything to the taskbar in order to see the desktop. Instead just click on the "Show Desktop" icon in the Quick Launch area of the task bar just to the right of the "Start" Button.
While this might seem pretty obvious to most people it totally eludes more people than you can imagine. I've seen plenty of computers where the icon was removed on purpose and accidentally. Some times it's just hidden. Look for and click on >> to see if it's hidden. And I don't know how may times I've heard "Is there a way or a keyboard command to minimize all windows at once?" (yes there is a keyboard command) Let me know if you need help replacing it. I'll elaborate more on the task bar later.
Icon Arrangement and Name
Arrange your icons on the desktop manually so they are easy to group or find or just to see your background picture better. Avoid the auto arrange or arrange by name, type, size or date. Take control of your desktop. Don't settle for windows settings. Right click an empty area of your desktop. Look for Arrange Icons in the menu. Uncheck everything. Now left click and hold to drag the icons where you want them.
Rename your icons to your specifications. Make the name shorter or just name it something that makes more sense to you. Most users can just right click the icon then click rename. Type in a better name.
Taskbar/Display options
Next look at the bottom of your screen below your desktop for the taskbar. See it? If not why? I really hate hidden taskbars or partially hidden programs in the system tray. And for good reason.
The task bar is broken into three sections. By default the section next to the Start button is the Quick launch area. To the right of that is the Open Windows section. And the last section on the right side is the System Tray. They all have a purpose and I'll break it down as to why I have my preferred settings.
QUICK LAUNCH: As stated above don't hide or remove the Show Desktop icon. This is not a shortcut icon. Everything else here is just a shortcut and can be replaced easily. So delete the shortcuts you don't need. You may have some on your desktop or numerous other places already. Then create and add a couple you might want handy. Keep it at a minimum because unknown to many is the little known fact that it does actually consume minimal resources to load these. I'm greedy when it comes to conserving resources. Besides if your not using them often why clutter the area and take up space.
OPEN WINDOWS: The middle section displays all open windows and programs you have open. Don't hide the taskbar or you can't easily switch back and forth between these without having to hover your cursor at the bottom of your screen then wait for it to display. What an extra pain. This also will let you know if your getting any alerts of different kinds or some types of hidden popunder ads. Always keep this showing so you can tell what's happening on your computer. Don't let things run or change without your knowledge. Which brings me to the last section.
SYSTEM TRAY: This section displays programs that are running as soon as you start your computer. Another good reason to not hide your taskbar. You should always know what is or is not running. For instance I want to know if my antivirus program or firewall loaded up correctly when I start my computer.
Periodically I glance to see if they are still active. This has saved me some trouble in the past. Some viruses actively seek to disable these. Once before I had my system secure a dialer program installed itself behind my back. Imagine my surprise when I tried to link to a web page and couldn't. I looked at my system tray and saw two internet connections. I immediately shut down and located the problem and fixed it. So don't hide these things.
Windows XP by default will hide all but the most recently used programs in the system tray. So change it so they always display. I always display everything here. My display consists of the Volume control so I can adjust sound easily. My Antivirus program and Firewall which I want running at bootup. My Internet connection status. And the date and time just because I like it.
If you have much more than that showing then you seriously need to consider shutting down programs from running at startup to save resources. Don't just hide them with the "out of sight, out of mind attitude. Save resources and save space. If you want a larger viewing screen don't hide the taskbar hide some of the Toolbar. See the next page.
And while I'm commenting on the taskbar let me tell you one more thing. I really really (yes that's two reallys) hate icons in the taskbar that are so tiny that you have to spend time trying to get your cursor placed just right to click on them. Besides I don't see as well as I used to. Make them larger. Change your display properties. Right click an empty area of your desktop then click properties. Click on the Apperance tab then select Icons and click it. Set a numerical larger size. Remember the original size because if you set it too large the icon display will lose clarity.
Well that's all for this page. Go to the next page for toolbar/scrollbar.
