Hello!
Every computer user (especially the female half :)) tries to give their Windows originality and customize it for themselves. It's no secret that basic settings not everyone likes them, and besides, they can even slow down your PC if it is not particularly powerful (by the way, such effects include the same Aero).
Other users want to disable various graphical bells and whistles, because... we’re simply not used to them (after all, all this didn’t exist in Windows 2000 and XP before. I, for example, am generally quite ascetic about this, but I have to help other users...).
So, let's try to change the appearance of the seven a little...
How to change the theme?
Where can you find a lot of new topics? At the office Microsoft website has a sea of them: https://support.microsoft.com/ru-ru/help/13768/windows-desktop-themes
Theme - in Windows 7, a theme refers to everything you see. For example, the picture on the desktop, window color, font size, mouse cursor, sounds, etc. In general, all display and audio are related to the selected topic. A lot depends on it, which is why we’ll start setting up our OS with it.
In order to change the theme in Windows 7 you need to go to personalization settings. To do this, it is not necessary to go to the control panel; you can simply right-click anywhere on the desktop and select “personalization” from the menu (see Fig. 1).
There are quite a lot of other topics on the Internet; just above, under the title of this subsection of the article, I provided a link to the office. Microsoft website.
By the way, important point! Some themes may even cause your computer to slow down. For example, themes without the Aero effect (which I talked about here:) run faster (usually) and require lower computer performance.
How to change the background, wallpaper on your desktop?
Large selection of ready-made wallpapers: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17780/featured-wallpapers
The background (or wallpaper) is what you see on your desktop, i.e. background picture. This picture has a very big influence on the design. For example, even the taskbar bar changes its color depending on what picture was selected for the wallpaper.
To change the standard background, go to personalization (note: right click on the desktop, see above), then at the very bottom there will be a link “” - click it (see Fig. 3)!
By the way, the background on the desktop may be displayed differently, for example, there may be black stripes along the edges. This happens because your screen has a resolution (more about this here -). Those. roughly speaking, a certain size in pixels. When it doesn't match, then these black stripes are formed.
But Windows 7 may try to stretch the picture to fit your screen (see Fig. 4 - the lowest red arrow: “Fill”). True, in this case, the picture may lose its entertainment value...
How to change the size of icons on the Desktop?
Change icon size- very simple! To do this, right-click anywhere on the desktop, then select the “view” menu, then select from the list: large, medium, small (see Fig. 5).
How to change the sound design?
To do this you need to open in control panels Personalization tab, and then select Sounds.
Here you can change the usual soundtrack to various others: landscape, festival, heritage, or turn it off altogether.
How to change the screensaver?
We also go to the personalization tab (note: right-click anywhere on the desktop), select the screensaver item below.
How to change screen resolution?
Option #1
Sometimes you need to change screen resolutions, for example, if the game slows down and you need to launch it with lower parameters; or check the operation of a program, etc. To do this, right-click on the desktop, and then select screen resolution from the pop-up menu.
Option No. 2
Another way to change the screen resolution is to configure it in video drivers (AMD, Nvidia, IntelHD - all manufacturers support this option). Below, I will show how this is done in ItelHD drivers.
First you need to right-click on the desktop and select “Graphical characteristics” in the pop-up menu (see Fig. 12). You can also find the video driver icon and go to its settings in the tray, next to the clock.
Rice. 12. Graphic characteristics
Rice. 13. Resolution, display section
How to change and customize the START menu?
To customize the START menu and taskbar, click right button click on the “START” button in the lower left corner of the screen, then select the properties tab. You will be taken to settings: in the first tab you can configure the taskbar, in the second - START.
It probably doesn’t make much sense to describe every checkbox in the settings. It’s best to set it up experimentally: if you don’t know what the checkbox means, turn it on and see the result (then change again - look, at random you will find what you need :))..
Setting up showing hidden files and folders
Here, it is best to enable the display of hidden files and folders in Explorer (many beginners get lost and don’t know how to do this), as well as showing file extensions of any file types (this will help avoid some types of viruses that disguise themselves as other types of files).
This will also allow you to know for sure what kind of file you want to open, and also save time when searching for some folders (some of which are hidden).
To enable display, go to control Panel, then to the tab design and personalization. Next, look for the link “ Show hidden files and folders"(in the Explorer settings section) - open it (Fig. 17).
- uncheck the box next to “ hide extensions for registered file types«;
- move the slider to “show hidden files, folders and disks" (see Fig. 18).
Desktop gadgets
Gadgets are small information windows on the desktop. They can notify you about the weather, about visitors mail messages, show time/date, exchange rates, various puzzles, slides, CPU load indicators, etc.
You can use the gadgets installed in the system: go to control Panel, enter “gadgets” into the search, then you just have to choose the one you like.
By the way, if the presented gadgets are not enough, then you can additionally download them on the Internet - there is even a special link for this under the list of gadgets (see Fig. 19).
Important note! A large number of active gadgets in the system can cause a decrease in computer performance, slowdowns and other delights. Remember that everything is good in moderation and do not clutter your desktop with unnecessary and unnecessary gadgets.
That's all for me. Good luck to everyone and bye!
Some users are not satisfied standard view "Taskbars" in Windows 7. Some of them strive to make it more unique, while others, on the contrary, want to return the familiar look of earlier operating systems. But do not forget that having correctly configured this element interface to suit you, you can also improve the ease of interaction with your computer, which ensures more productive work. Let's see how we can change "Taskbar" on computers with the specified OS.
Before moving on to describing options for changing the interface object under study, let's find out which specific elements in it can be changed:
- Color;
- Icon size;
- Grouping order;
- Position relative to the screen.
Method 1: Windows XP style display
Some users are so accustomed to the Windows XP or Vista operating systems that even on the newer Windows 7 OS they want to see familiar interface elements. There is an opportunity for them to change "Taskbar" according to wishes.
But in the properties window "Taskbars" You can make other changes to the specified element; it is not at all necessary to adapt it to the Windows XP interface. You can change the icons, making them standard or small, by unchecking or checking the corresponding checkbox; apply different order groupings (always group, group when filling, do not group) by selecting the desired option from the drop-down list; automatically hide the panel by checking the box next to this option; activate the AeroPeek option.
Method 2: Change color
There are also users who are not satisfied with the current color of the interface element they are studying. Windows 7 has tools with which you can change the color of a given object.
- Click on "Desktop" RMB. In the menu that opens, navigate to the item "Personalization".
- At the bottom of the displayed tool shell "Personalization" navigate by element "Window color".
- A tool is launched in which you can change not only the color of the windows, but also "Taskbars", which is what we need. At the top of the window, you must specify one of the sixteen colors available to choose from by clicking on the corresponding square. Below, by checking the checkbox, you can activate or deactivate transparency "Taskbars". Using the slider located even lower, you can adjust the intensity of the color. To get more options for adjusting the coloring display, click on the element "Show color settings".
- Will open additional tools in the form of sliders. By moving them left and right you can adjust the level of brightness, saturation and hue. After completing all the necessary settings, click "Save changes".
- Colors "Taskbars" will change to the selected option.
In addition, there are a number third party programs, which also allow you to change the color of the interface element we are studying.
Method 3: Moving the “Taskbar”
Some users are not satisfied with the position "Taskbars" in Windows 7 by default and they want to move it to the right, left or top of the screen. Let's see how this can be done.
Method 4: Adding a "Toolbar"
"Taskbar" can also be changed by adding a new one to it "Toolbars". Now let's see how this is done using a specific example.
As you can see, there are many options for changing "Toolbars" in Windows 7. You can change the color, arrangement of elements and general positioning relative to the screen, as well as add new objects. But this change does not always pursue only aesthetic goals. Some elements can make operating your computer more convenient. But of course, the final decision regarding whether to change the default view and how exactly to do this rests with the individual user.
Recently at work I was asked to buy a laptop as a gift for a foreigner. Everyone understands that in Russia laptops are aimed at Russian-speaking users and it is quite difficult to find a laptop with a pre-installed English operating system. You could, of course, buy a laptop without an operating system. Buy English Windows and install it yourself. But, you know, I didn’t want to have unnecessary difficulties with installing and searching for drivers, since this often happens with laptops. Therefore, I decided to buy a laptop with Windows preinstalled.
Quite recently, a new operating system from the small soft ones went on sale - Windows 7. Wonderful. I have already tested it on my home computer. It works stably and quite quickly. Better than Vista. Therefore, the choice of preinstalled operating system was determined. There was only one tricky BUT. Windows 7 has several editions that differ in the set of different features...
Users of Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 7 Enterprise know that changing the interface language is a simple matter. Go to the control panel, click "Clock, language and region", and then select "Change interface language". Well, then you simply choose from the list provided in which language you want to view your interface. If the required language is not in the list, then you need to select "Install or remove interface languages" and install new language from a batch file. The file can be downloaded from the Microsoft website or via Windows Update from the "optional updates" section. It's simple.
Users of others Windows editions 7 such as Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium and Porfessional, changing the interface language is not allowed. If you go to the control panel, select “Clock, language and region”, and then “Change interface language”, you will not find the section where the language is changed.
Windows Help says the following:
Note
The interface language section will be available if LIP is already installed or if this edition of Windows supports MUI. MUI packages are only available for Windows versions 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise.
It was on this rake that I stumbled, because I did not know that the ability to change the language for Windows 7 Professional, with which I bought the laptop, was not provided.
What to do? The laptop cannot be exchanged; there is no money for another laptop. Remove the existing operating system and install the one downloaded from Internet Windows 7 Ultimate and slip her the left key, and then also break into the protection of the small soft ones so that the activation would work, I didn’t really want to either.
As usual, in such situations we turn to the oracle of the entire Internet, Mr. Yandex or Google, whichever you like best. Running around various forums and articles on the Internet, to my great happiness I managed to stumble upon one article on the website www.thevista.ru. We must pay tribute, well done guys, they helped us out in difficult times. Those who wish to obtain more detailed information can follow this link. And here I will provide the same information, but in an abbreviated version.
So. There are 2 methods for changing the interface language.
Option #1. Suitable for all editions except Sarter (Elementary).
To change the interface language from Russian to English, you must perform the following steps:
1. Boot Windows 7 into recovery mode (Repair Your Computer) via F8 at the boot stage.
2. Open a command prompt window (Command Prompt)
3. Enter the command dism /image:D: /Set-SKUIntlDefaults:en-US
Be careful with the word SKUIntlDefaults. Don't mix up the letters. INTL, not INITL.
4. Restart your computer and load Windows 7 in normal mode.
5. Open a command prompt window (Command Prompt)
6. Enter the command bcdedit /set (current) locale en-US
7. Enter the command bcdedit /set (bootmgr) locale en-US
8. Reboot
English language, as you may have noticed, I did not install it, since it was already installed earlier. The fact is that when the operating system was pre-installed on the laptop, English was the base language and an additional language was installed along with it - Russian. You can check this by going to the control panel, selecting "Clock, language and region", then "Install or remove display languages" and select "Remove display languages". In the resulting list you will see English and Russian.
In this cunning way, we changed the interface language and remained with legal activation.
Option #2. Suitable for all editions of Windows 7.
1. Install the Vistalizator program
In the operating room windows system 7 Microsoft has made many design improvements appearance– a well-designed collection of styles, fonts and general interface design. But no matter how beautiful he is this interface– it is still standard and very quickly gets boring for a sophisticated (and not so experienced) user. So today I would like to talk about how to change the standard windows interface 7.
Themes and styles
One of the options for changing the interface in Windows 7 is the ability to change windows theme 7 and install a variety of themes. To do this, you need to go to the website of themes for windows 7, decide on a suitable theme and, of course, install it. But changing the Windows 7 theme is not so easy; often, when downloading and unzipping a certain theme, the user receives a set of files that are unclear where and how to install. In this case, a wonderful program comes to our aid - Windows Themes Installer, which allows you to change the Windows 7 theme with just three clicks This program does not require installation and is very easy to use. We simply launch the program as an administrator, wait until it patches the system so that themes can be installed into it freely, and then simply specify the path to the theme files from the program window. Once the path to the theme files is specified, simply click on the “Install Theme” button. Installed theme will appear in the right list of themes and in order to apply this theme we just need to click on the Apply Theme button. We managed to change the theme, the appearance of the system will change according to your preferences.
Appearance of the start button
The design of the start button in the Windows 7 operating system can also be customized according to your own preferences. The most in a simple way change start windows 7 – This is to use a very good program called Windows 7 Start Button. The program comes with ten different design options for the start button. After applying the option you like, the explorer will reboot and you will see your Start button in a new design. Using this program, changing the start of Windows 7 will not be difficult.
Change windows 7 icons
Next, in order to change the appearance of your operating system we will change the design of the icons installed programs. In standard windows set There are quite a lot of different icons, but if they do not suit you, then additional icons can be downloaded here. But, back to our article, we talked about how to change icons in Windows 7. But changing the appearance of icons for all programs is a rather long and tedious task. We won't waste time on it. Let's just download it useful application 7 conifier, allowing you to change windows icons 7 for all programs is just one click and contains, as a bonus, several very beautiful design themes.
This program allows you to easily switch between all the icon sets we have. When you first start, I recommend making a backup of all your standard program signs; if you don’t like the changed design style of program signs, you can return to the standard design at any moment. As you can see, changing Windows 7 icons is very simple
In general, anyone can change the design in Windows 7, even those without special knowledge. Practice redesigning your operating system and create something truly unique.
Windows 7 OS has wide functionality for personalization and changing the appearance style of most controls. Many users, especially those who recently switched to 7 from XP, are still tormented by nostalgia for the familiar interface. I especially want to change the Start panel.
Installing the classic theme
Windows 7 comes with several pre-installed themes. Among them there are basic ones that can radically change the graphical display of the interface of the entire OS. Including returning the Start panel to its classic look. Also, the use of simplified design themes can significantly save processor, video card and RAM. To change the OS theme to classic, you need to do the following:
- Start menu.
- Select “Control Panel”.
- Here we find the “Personalization” item.
There is also another way to get here. Directly from your desktop. This method of transition is much faster and occurs through the right-click submenu.
- Right-click on the desktop.
- Select the bottom item “Personalization”.
- In the “Change sound and image on your computer” window, go to “Basic (simplified) themes”.
- Click on the “Classic” theme icon to activate it.
After this, the graphical display of all interface elements of Windows 7 will become classic. Including the Start panel. You can change the theme to the previous one by clicking on its mouse icon (left button).
We configure everything in detail
We managed to bring the Start panel back to its classic look. But still, the desired result may not be entirely satisfactory. Therefore, we will configure this panel in detail. To do this you need to do the following:
- Right-click on any free space"Start" panel and go through "Properties".
- Go to “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties”.
- Go to the “Start Menu” tab.
- Here you can set the action of the Shutdown button in Windows 7.
- To change the display and behavior of each group of elements, go to the “Customize Start Menu” dialog box through the “Customize” button.
- Here you can also set the number of items to display in the menu.
Configure using the Classic Shell program
If there are not enough opportunities and such fine tuning“Start” in Windows 7, then you will need a small Classic Shell utility. With its help, you can customize the display of not only the start menu, but also Explorer, and return the classic look of IE 9. It is completely free. And its Russified version can be downloaded from the developer’s website. It needs to be done.
