Because more and more people are using the Internet, Windows allows you to view web content on your desktop as you would in a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, a program specifically designed to view web content on the Internet. Web items are elements you can place on the desktop to access or display information from the Internet. For example, you can add a web item to display stock prices or weather information continuously. When you place Web items on the desktop, they are active, which means the web content is updated as the content changes while you're connected to the Internet. In addition, you can also customize the desktop to show or hide the familiar icons My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, or Internet Explorer. Display or Hide Desktop Icons -
| Right-click a blank area on the desktop, and then click Properties. | -
| Click the Desktop tab. | -
| Click Customize Desktop. | -
| On the General tab, select or clear the check boxes to show or hide desktop icons. | -
| To change the appearance of an icon, select the icon, click Change Icon, select an icon, and then click OK. | -
| Click OK. | -
| Click OK. | See Also See " Cleaning Up the Desktop " on page 86 for information on customizing the desktop. | Add Web Content to the Desktop -
| Right-click a blank area on the desktop, and then click Properties. | -
| Click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop. | -
| Click the Web tab. | -
| Click New. | -
| Click Visit Gallery to download free web items, type a Web address to a specific web page, or click Browse to select a picture or HTML document. | -
| Click OK, and then click OK again. | Display or Hide Desktop Web Content -
| Right-click a blank area on the desktop, and then click Properties. | -
| Click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop. | -
| Click the Web tab. | -
| Select or clear the check boxes to show or hide desktop icons. | -
| Click OK, and then click OK again. | Did You Know? You can add web pages as active desktop items . In your browser, locate the page you want to add as an active desktop item, right-click the page, and then click Set As Desktop Item. | |