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The default Display applet window in Windows XP, called the Display Properties dialog box (Figure 19-52), has five tabs: Themes, Desktop, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings. Earlier versions of Windows have a subset of these tabs. The first four tabs have options you can choose to change the look and feel of Windows and set up a screensaver; the fifth tab is where you make adjustments that relate directly to your monitor and video card.

Figure 19-52 Display Properties dialog box in Windows XP

The Personalization applet in Windows Vista offers functions similar to the Display applet, but each function manifests as a clickable option rather than as a separate tab (Figure 19-53). Four of the seven options mirror the look and feel options of earlier versions of Windows, such as Window Color and Appearance, Desktop Background, Screen Saver, and Theme. The last option, Display Settings, is where you make adjustments to your monitor and video card. Two options, Sounds and Mouse Pointers, don’t concern us at all at this time.

Figure 19-53 Personalization applet in Windows Vista

Whether discussing tabs or options, the functions on both applets are pretty much the same, so let’s do this in one discussion. I’ll point out any serious differences among the versions.

Making the Screen Pretty

Three tabs/options in the Display/Personalization applet have the job of adjusting the appearance of the screen: Themes/Theme, Desktop/Desktop Background, and Appearance/Windows Color and Appearance. Windows themes are preset configurations of the look and feel of the entire Windows environment (Figure 19-54).

Figure 19-54 Theme option in the Personalization applet

The Desktop tab/option (Figure 19-55) defines the background color or image. In Windows XP, it also includes the handy Customize Desktop button that enables you to define the icons as well as any Web pages you want to appear on the Desktop. Windows Vista/7 give you the option to position the image on the screen (Figure 19-56), and the Change desktop icons option on the Tasks list in the Personalization applet enables you to choose which system icons (such as Computer, Recycle Bin, and Network) show up on your desktop, as well as which graphical icons they use.

The last of the tabs for the look and feel of the desktop in Windows 2000/XP is the Appearance tab. Think of the Appearance tab as the way to fine-tune the theme to your liking. The main screen gives only a few options—the real power is when you click the Advanced button (Figure 19-57). Using this dialog box, you may adjust almost everything about the desktop, including the types of fonts and colors of every part of a window.

The Window Color and Appearance option in Windows Vista/7 is a little simpler on the surface, enabling you to change the color scheme, intensity, and transparency (Figure 19-58). You can unlock the full gamut of options, though, by clicking the Open classic appearance properties for more color options link.

Figure 19-55 Desktop tab on Display Properties dialog box

Figure 19-56 Desktop Background options in Windows Vista

Figure 19-57 Advanced Appearance dialog box

Figure 19-58 Window Color and Appearance option

Screen Saver

At first glance, the Screen Saver tab/option seems to do nothing but set the Windows screensaver—no big deal, just about everyone has set a screensaver. But another option on the Screen Saver tab gets you to one of the most important settings of your system: power management. Click on the Power button or Change power settings option to get to the Power Options Properties dialog box or Power Options applet (Figure 19-59).

Figure 19-59 Power Options Properties dialog box

The tabs and options define all of the power management of the system. Power management is a fairly involved process, so we’ll save the big discussion for where we need to save power the most: Chapter 21, “Portable Computing.”

Settings Tab/Display Settings Applet

The Settings tab or Display Settings applet (Figure 19-60) is the centralized location