Chapter 4.  Configuring the Windows 2000 Interface

Perhaps no other topic arouses more interest than tweaking the user interface. Whether it’s something as simple as making the wallpaper fit on the desktop or as complex as integrating live Internet content on the desktop, you’ll find the answers to your interface configuration questions in this chapter. For example, you’ll learn how to configure and use multiple monitors to extend your desktop area.

The Startup folder, which Windows 2000 uses to execute programs automatically at startup, is also covered in some detail in this chapter along with other methods for automatically starting programs. You can bypass the Startup folder when needed to prevent programs from executing, move the Startup folder to a different location, and modify the registry to control program execution.

Customization of the interface is another hot topic, and you’ll find plenty of information in this chapter. Windows 2000 enables you to modify the Start menu, add and remove items from the taskbar, create your own floating toolbars, rearrange the Start menu items, add administrative and other common items to the Start menu, and much more. You’ll also find quick fixes to annoying problems like a Start menu item such as the Control Panel expanding rather than opening when you click it.

In addition to the Start menu and taskbar, you’ll find several solutions to customization issues with folders, the desktop, the Network and Dial-Up Connections folder, special desktop and menu effects, and other topics of interest to most users. You’ll also learn a handful of ways to control the way applications start, how to use command-line switches for shortcuts, and how to start programs with cmd.exe.

Using multiple monitors

You’re not limited to just two monitors; Windows 2000 supports up to ten. Because each monitor requires its own adapter, however, it’s unlikely you’ll be using more than two or three (though some adapters do support multiple outputs). Plus, except in rare circumstances, two or three is plenty.

But why use multiple monitors in the first place? The main reason is to gain more desktop space. Programming, web site development, data analysis, desktop publishing, financial analysis, and even working with large spreadsheets are prime situations for using multiple monitors. You might even use multiple monitors in a word processing task to view one reference document while working on another. And for those few games that support it, multiple monitors offer a nice advantage over single-monitor systems.

Each adapter must be either AGP or PCI. The adapters don’t have to be the same model or even manufacturer. The computer’s BIOS detects the adapters according to their slot order, or in some systems, based on a BIOS setting that enables you to specify the default VGA device. One adapter serves as the primary display, where the logon dialog appears and where most applications will open by default. Some BIOS will let only the AGP card be the primary display; others are configurable.

Setting up the displays in Windows 2000 is relatively easy. All configuration happens through the Display Control Panel object. Each adapter can have different resolution and color depth settings, and you have full control over the arrangement of the desktop on the monitors.

Add and configure multiple monitors

The first task, even before you install additional adapters, is to make sure the adapters are compatible with Windows 2000. Check the adapters’ documentation to make sure, or check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest Windows 2000 drivers. When you have everything you need, follow these steps to add and configure the additional adapter(s):

  1. Shut down the system and install the new adapter(s).

  2. Restart the system. Windows 2000 should automatically detect the new hardware and install the necessary drivers or prompt you to provide the driver disk. If it doesn’t detect the new hardware, run the Add/Remove Hardware wizard in the Control Panel to install the adapters.

  3. Open the Display object in the Control Panel or right-click the desktop and choose Properties to open the Display properties.

  4. Click one of the numbered display icons or select an adapter from the Display list.

  5. Adjust the settings for the selected adapter based on the following list:

    Display

    Select the display adapter whose properties you want to change.

    Colors

    Select the color depth for the selected adapter.

    Screen Area

    Specify the screen height and width (resolution) for the selected adapter.

    Use this device as the primary monitor

    Show the logon dialog box, desktop icons, and taskbar on the selected display.

    Identify

    Briefly show the monitor number on the display to help you identify it.

    Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor

    Enable the selected display and include the desktop on it.

  6. Repeat step 5 for the other adapters.

  7. Click and drag the numbered monitor icons to arrange the displays according to your physical monitor layout.

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