Desktop properties and screen resolution

I prefer a clean and empty desktop, just a nice background picture, the Recycle Bin and possibly the most used applications. Actually you don't need most shortcuts there, if you have a fast accessible Start Menu and Quick Launch menu. Some icons on the desktop are difficult to remove, to remove them anyway you can make use of the application TWEAKUI.

However most people place a lot of shortcuts on their desktop. I have even seen people placing their personal data on the desktop, which is not a good idea to do so (you better put your data in the My Documents folder and place a shortcut on the desktop by right clicking on the file and choose to copy it to the desktop). If you do place shortcuts on your desktop, I have some extra tips. First of all, it is sensible to choose to Auto Arrange the icons. You can by this by right clicking on the desktop, select Arrange Icons By, and enable Auto Arrange. If not enabled yet, you can also check the Align to Grid option, like shown here.

Creating and changing user accounts

Creating a user accounts is easy: Control Panel, User Accounts, Create a new Account. Next you are asked to create an Administrator account or an user account with limited rights. If there is no need for the new user to be an Administrator, it seems wise to create a user account with limited rights. This can cause many troubles setting up the account, because of the limited rights, I advise to create an Administrator account. If needed you can always change this setting later by going back to the user account settings in the Control Panel.

Multiple user accounts

Windows XP offers you the possibility to create and use more then one user account. With different user accounts, you are able to personalize settings and data. Every user has his or here own documents, favorites, e-mail, address book, Live Messenger, ... The only disadvantage is setting up each user account, with all the settings and registry tweaks. Here you read how to optimize this!