Once you have used your computer for even a few days and have installed programs, set preferences, and created data, your computer is like no other in the world. It is as unique as a snowflake.

Yet there is still some hidden human need to personalize a computer even more. I have never seen a television with stickers, stuffed animals, or beads hanging from it. Yet, I have seen computers filled with stickers, surrounded by teddy bears, and covered with photos of family and friends. I have even seen some painted bright colors and draped with alumni flags. Perhaps a computer is more like a refrigerator where you might see notes, magnets, and photographs. Certainly as the kitchen has always been a family-gathering center, the computer is now also becoming a center for every member of the family.

Other than painting your computer or draping it with photos and other paraphernalia, there several other fun ways to customize the computer.

Windows XP

If you are lucky enough to have Windows XP installed on your computer, you can easily set up a different, customized look for each user in your home.

Click on Start. Then choose Control Panel, then User Accounts. While in this area you can set up an account for each user, choose a password for them and even choose an icon to represent that user. I highly recommend that you set up a user account for any visiting friends or grandchildren that use your computer, as well. This will allow them to have fun with their own settings and will also keep them from messing with your programs, icons, and settings.

You can also set up users with older operating systems like Windows 98 or Windows Me, but it is much easier and works much better with Windows XP.

Color Your Desktop

If you are sick of Microsoft blue, you can change your computer desktop to any color of the rainbow. You can also fill it with a pattern, an image, or a favorite photo. Just right-click on any blank part of the Windows desktop and choose Properties. Then look through the Appearance and Desktop tabs. You will find that you can use this area to customize just about everything about your computer desktop.

You can use any picture as your desktop background, even one you find on the Internet. Just right-click on any picture and choose Set as (Desktop) Background.

Screen Savers & Themes

Screen Savers appear on your computer screen after a certain period of inactivity. They are colorful, sometimes animated graphics that are made just for fun. Right-click on any blank part of the Windows desktop and choose Properties, just as you did to color the desktop. This time however, you will want to focus on the Screen Saver tab. Here you can set the amount of time that will lapse before the screen saver turns on. You can also choose from all the screen savers that are installed on your computer. If you don’t see anything you like, go to any search engine like Google or Yahoo  and type in the words Screen Saver. You will be presented with a list of Web sites that offer every type of screen saver from tasteless to truly artistic. Mac users needn't be left out. There are plenty of sites for you. Some, like Mac Screen Savers are exclusively for Mac users.

If you are using Windows XP, while you are looking at the Screen Savers, you should also investigate the Themes tab. If you are using an older version of Windows, you won’t see a theme tab, but various themes are available.   A theme is a background plus a set of sounds, icons, screen savers, and other elements that will set everything up with a single click. Free themes can also be found on the Internet or purchased from Microsoft in a package called the Microsoft Plus!.

Customize Icons

Change any icon on your computer by right-clicking on the icon and choosing properties. Click on the Change Icon button and choose any icon you like. Windows comes with a set of standard icons, but you can find millions of others on the Internet, if you desire.

Move the Taskbar

There are a lot of things that you can change in your Windows settings. You can even move the Taskbar that normally resides on the bottom of the screen to the top or sides of the screen. Just place your cursor in any blank portion of the Taskbar and drag it to any other edge of the screen. If it doesn’t move, you may need to unlock it first. Do this by right-clicking on any blank area of the Taskbar, then click Lock the Taskbar to clear the check mark.

There are many different ways to customize your computer.  Once you start, it can be difficult to stop. But go ahead and have some fun. Start off with these simple customizations, and before long you may be ready to create your own icons, customize the sounds on your computer, and change your mouse and pointer settings, as well. What ever you do – go ahead – make it your own.