 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Reducing Your Desktop Clutter George Skarbek gskarbek@melbpc.org.au |
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While working at the computer I like to see the image of the view from a glider as the screen background and not have a multitude of icons cluttering up the Windows desktop. (See Fig 1 below)
If you have many icons in the desktop then there is a way to organise them into manageable groups. The method consists of creating a new folder, making that folder a shortcut on your desktop and then moving your icons into that folder. Then you see just one icon on your desktop but when you click on it you can reveal a whole box (folder) containing the related icons as shown on my desktop.
I have illustrated this with a folder called "Internet" that contains shortcuts for most programs associated with the Internet. These programs may be Explorer, Netscape, Eudora, diallers for all your ISPs, mail and news readers, online banking, FTP program and others.
To create the new folder, just click once on the root directory of drive C (the top branch) then click on File, New, Folder and in the right-hand side window you will have the opportunity to give it a new name and then hit Enter. Now right click on that folder from Explorer, select Create Shortcut. However, then comes the tricky part. That shortcut will appear in the root directory and must be dragged onto the desktop from Explorer. To find that shortcut you must click on the root directory of Drive C and on the right hand side pane you will find that newly created shortcut. Ensure that Explorer is not maximised and then drag that shortcut onto the desktop.
If you wish to change the icon of your new folder, then right click on that icon and select Properties then Change Icon and you should be given a selection. If you still can't find one you like, browse in the following files: C:\Windows\System\She1132.dll, C:\Windows\System\Pifmgr.dll, C:\Windows\Moricons.dll,C:\Windows\System\Cool.dll, or C:\ Windows\System\User.exe.
The best way to place your existing icons into this new "folder icon" is to
open the new folder by clicking on it and drag the appropriate icons into it. If you wish to add other
programs that are not on the desktop then locate the actual program in Explorer. In the View option ensure
that you have selected Details as the program will be shown as an application and will make it easier for you
to find. The more common programs are:
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe and
C:\Program Files\Netscape\Communicator\Program\netscape.exe
When you drag an application to another folder on the same drive, Windows will create a shortcut for you.
Observe the curved arrow next to the cursor as you drag. If you see a plus sign it means that it is copying
the file. If no sign appears then it indicates that a move is taking place. Generally this is not desirable
and pressing the Escape key will abort the process. To make a shortcut for the dialler you must open the My
Computer icon, then Dial-Up Networking, right-click on the dialler and select Create Shortcut. That Shortcut
will be placed on the desktop and it can then be dragged into your folder. The names of the programs can be
changed by right clicking on the icon and selecting Rename. As the curved arrow already signifies a shortcut
generally there is no need to have the words as well. (See Figure 2)
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Now when you wish to use the Internet just click that icon and all your programs will be readily accessible. Similarly, you can create a folder for all games or all graphics programs and so very significantly reduce the number of icons on your desktop.
For user who do not wish to have coloured writing associated with the folder names, there is a free program that makes the background of Windows 95/98 icons on the desktop disappear. Note my desktop without the Windows background colour behind the writing on the right hand side. It is called Disappear.
It is available from the BBS and from our Intranet files as well as from http://199.227.53.149/disappear
PS. There is a surprising number of glider pilots in computers. For the glider pilots, the desktop is the view from my glider, a DG 202 (15 meter, flapped) taken on a good day. I was nearing 10,000 ft with cloudbase above me, and was climbing at 900 ft/minute until I grabbed my camera and lost the core, but still completed a 500 km flight in under five hours.
Reprinted from the April 2000 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
