By default the only items on the Windows Server 2003 desktop are the Recycle Bin and the taskbar. That's it. Everything else has been cleared away to allow you to customize the desktop anyway you want. The problem is that some of the missing items, such as My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer, were pretty useful, or at least most of us have grown so accustomed to having the items on the desktop that we expect them to be there. So, if you're like me, the first thing you'll want to do to customize the desktop is to add frequently accessed programs, files, and folders and to restore the missing items. Another thing you might want to do is to customize the taskbar so that it works the way you want it to. By default, the taskbar doesn't automatically hide or lock, and it might include items that you don't want.
Windows Server 2003 allows you to drag program shortcuts, files, and folders from a Windows Explorer window onto the desktop. Simply click the item you want to move, hold down the mouse button, and drag the item to a location on the desktop. When you release the mouse button, the item is moved from its original location to the desktop. If you want to copy the item instead of moving it, press Ctrl, click the item, then hold the mouse button while dragging the item to the new location. On the desktop, release the mouse button, and then release the Ctrl key.
You can, in fact, use the copy and move techniques to add shortcuts for My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer to the desktop. But there's another way to add these items to the desktop so that they appear as standard desktop icons instead of shortcuts. Right-click the desktop, and choose Properties. Select the Desktop tab, as shown in the following screen:
While you are here, you might want to choose a new background. Simply scroll through the list of available backgrounds until you find one that you want to use. When you are ready to continue, click the Customize Desktop button in the lower-left corner of the dialog box to display the Desktop Items dialog box, as shown in the following screen:
In the Desktop Items dialog box, select the items that you want to display on the desktop, for instance, My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer. Several uses for My Computer and My Network Places aren't obvious but are great time-savers.
Use My Computer in the following ways:
Right-click and choose Manage to start Computer Management.
Right-click and choose Properties to display the System utility in Control Panel.
Right-click and choose Map Network Drive or Disconnect Network Drive to manage network shares.
Use My Network Places as follows:
Right-click and choose Search For Computers to find computers on the network.
Right-click and choose Properties to display the Network Connections utility.
Right-click and choose Map Network Drive or Disconnect Network Drive to manage network shares.
The taskbar is one of those areas of the desktop that most people take for granted. It's sort of like people think, "Hey, there's the taskbar, what can I click?" when they should be thinking, "Hey, there's a taskbar. It tracks all the running programs for quick access and I can customize it to work the way I want it to." Beyond the Start button, the taskbar has three main areas:
Quick Launch Provides quick access to the desktop and commonly used applications. Technically, it is a type of toolbar, and it is fully customizable.
Programs/Toolbars Shows icons for running programs, which can be grouped according to type, as well as the toolbars that are selected for display.
Notification Shows the system clock and programs that were loaded automatically at startup and that are running in the background.
You can change the behavior and properties of these taskbar areas in many ways.
In the default configuration, the taskbar appears at the bottom of the screen and is sized so that one row of options is visible. As long as the taskbar position isn't locked, you can move it to any edge of the Windows desktop and resize it as necessary. To move the taskbar, simply click it and hold the mouse button while dragging it to a different edge of the desktop. When you move the mouse toward the left, right, top, or bottom edge of the desktop, you'll see a gray outline that shows you where the taskbar will appear. When you release the mouse button, the taskbar will appear in the new location.
With a leftor right-docked taskbar, you'll often have to resize the taskbar so that it is wider than usual to ensure that you can read the program names. I've found this approach useful when I am troubleshooting a system and I have lots of programs running and want to be able to switch quickly between them. In contrast, a top-docked taskbar seems to remove the clutter from the desktop, and I've found it useful when I don't want to use the Auto Hide feature.
To resize the taskbar, move the mouse pointer over the taskbar edge, and then drag it up or down, left or right, as appropriate. If you resize the taskbar so that it isn't visible (different from Auto Hide), you should still see a gray bar on the edge of the screen where the taskbar is docked. When you move the mouse pointer over the gray bar, the arrow pointer should change to the resize pointer, allowing you to resize the taskbar so that it is visible. On computers with a Windows key, you can press the Windows key and the Start menu will pop out from the edge of the screen that has the minimized taskbar, revealing the location of the taskbar as well.
Windows Server 2003 has several features that control the visibility of the taskbar. You can enable the Auto Hide feature to hide the taskbar from view when it is not in use. You can lock the taskbar so that it cannot be resized or repositioned. You can also make the taskbar appear on top of other windows when you point to it. Once the taskbar is positioned and sized the way you want it, I recommend enabling all three of these options. In this way, the taskbar has a fixed location and is visible when it is pointed to, ensuring that it isn't accidentally hidden behind other windows.
You can enable these options as shown in the following screen by right-clicking the taskbar and then choosing Properties from the shortcut menu. Afterward, select the Lock The Taskbar, Auto-Hide The Taskbar, and Keep The Taskbar On Top Of Other Windows options as appropriate. Then click OK.
Note
Locking the taskbar doesn't prevent you from changing the taskbar in the future. If you want to change the taskbar, all you must do is right-click the taskbar and then clear Lock The Taskbar. You can then make any necessary changes and, if desired, relock the taskbar to ensure the settings are protected from being accidentally changed.
As discussed previously, Windows Server 2003 implements many of the interface changes of Windows XP. One of these interface changes has to do with how like items are displayed on the taskbar. In versions of the Windows operating system prior to Windows XP, each item was displayed with a separate icon. Beginning with Windows XP, similar items are grouped together to reduce taskbar clutter. For example, if you open multiple MMCs and the taskbar needs additional room for other items, these consoles are grouped under a single button and are then accessible by clicking the button and selecting the individual MMC you want to use. In some ways, this is a good thing, but it can be confusing.
You can control whether similar items are grouped together by right-clicking the taskbar and then choosing Properties from the shortcut menu. Afterward, select Group Similar Taskbar Buttons to enable this option or clear Group Similar Taskbar Buttons to disable this option.
The notification area, also referred to as the system tray, is the area on the far right side of the taskbar. It shows the system clock as well as icons for programs that were loaded automatically by the operating system at startup and that are running in the background. When you point to icons in the notification area, a ScreenTip provides information on the running program. You can right-click the program icon to display a menu of available options. Each program has a different menu of options, most of which provide quick access to routine tasks.
User-specified programs that run in the background are managed through the Startup folder. The Startup folder is configured at two levels. Under the All Users folder, there is a Startup folder for all users of a given system. Any program referenced in the All Users folder is run in the background regardless of which user logs on. Within the profile data for individual users, there is a Startup folder specific to each user's logon. Programs referenced in a personal Startup folder are run only when that user logs on.
You can add or remove startup programs for all users by right-clicking Start and then selecting Explore All Users from the shortcut menu. This opens Windows Explorer with the Documents And SettingsAll UsersStart Menu folder selected, as shown in Figure 10-3.
Figure 10-3. Exploring All Users gets you to the Start Menu folder for all users of the computer; then you must work your way down to the Startup folder under Programs
In the left pane, double-click the Programs folder under Start Menu, and then click Startup. You can now add or remove startup programs for all users as follows:
To add startup programs, create a shortcut to the program that you want to run.
To remove a startup program, delete its shortcut from the Startup folder.
You can add or remove startup programs for individual users as well, such as the administrator. To do this, log on as the user whose startup applications you want to manage. Right-click Start, and then select Explore from the shortcut menu. This opens Windows Explorer with the %UserProfile%Start Menu folder selected. In the left pane, double-click the Programs folder under Start Menu, and then click Startup. You can now add or remove startup programs for this user as discussed previously.
Inside Out: Why log on as the user to access the Startup folder?
You might be wondering why I told you to log on as the user whose startup applications you want to control. Technically, you don't need to do this, but it is easier if you do. Why? Because when you select Explore, you'll be taken to that user's Start Menu folder— sometimes getting the right user profile folder is half the battle, especially on a system that has been upgraded or renamed or reinstalled and that contains several different profile entries for each user. If you can't log on as the user, access the Documents And Settings folder on the system drive, and work your way down through the user's profile data folders. These are listed by account name.
User-specified programs that run in the background are only one type of program that is displayed in the notification area. Some programs, such as Automatic Updates, are managed by the Windows operating system. For example, Automatic Updates runs periodically to check for updates to the operating system. When an update is detected, the user can be notified and given the opportunity to apply the update. Other types of programs are configured during installation to run in the background at startup, such as an antivirus program. You can typically enable or disable the display of notification area icons related to these programs through the setup options in the related applications. Windows Server 2003 also provides a common interface for controlling whether the icons for these programs are displayed in the notification area. This allows you to specify whether and how icons are displayed on a perprogram basis.
To control the display of icons in the notification area, right-click the taskbar, and then choose Properties from the shortcut menu. If you want all icons to be displayed, clear the Hide Inactive Icons option, and then click OK. If you want to customize the appearance of icons, select the Hide Inactive Icons option, and then click Customize. This displays the Customize Notifications dialog box shown in Figure 10-4.
You can now optimize the notification behavior for current items displayed in the notification area as well as items that were displayed in the past but aren't currently active. The Name column shows the name of the program. The Behavior column shows the currently selected notification behavior, which is typically Hide When Inactive, but which can also be set to Always Hide or Always Show.