Change the Desktop Background

It's called Bliss. That's the dreamy pasture scene that serves as the default desktop background for Windows XP. But you're not a Microsoft drone, are you? You see the desktop background as a canvas on which you will let the world know something about you. This is your opportunity for personal expression. So whether it's a favorite movie poster, a NASCAR driver, or a picture of the dog or the grandkids, if it's in a digital format, you can use it as the desktop background.

Here's how to change your background:

1.	Launch the Appearance and Themes applet in the Control Panel, and select the "Change the desktop background" task, as shown in Figure 5-4. Figure 5-4. Changing the desktop background.
2.	You see the Display Properties dialog box. (You also could have launched this by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing Properties.)
3.	Choose the Desktop tab, as shown in Figure 5-5. Figure 5-5. Choose a new picture for the desktop.
4.	Use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the list of choices that have been preloaded by Windows. The section above shows you what the new background will look like.
5.	If you want to use a picture you have saved on your hard drive, choose the Browse… button and then select the appropriate graphics file in the ensuing dialog box. Where the picture resides on your hard drive will depend on where you saved it. Use the Look In drop-down menu to help you navigate the contents of your computer.
6.	Click Apply to commit the background selection and then click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box.

And there's an even easier way: if you want to use one of your own pictures, there's a shortcut available that prevents you from having to go through the steps above. Just browse to the desired picture using Windows Explorer, right-click it, and choose Set as Desktop Background from the context menu.