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Chapter 8: Customizing Your Computer
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Adjusting the screen and desktop
settings
You can adjust the computer display settings for brightness, contrast, and
horizontal and vertical image position using the controls on the front of your
computer display. For more information about these adjustments, see
“Computer display” on page 26.
Adjusting the color depth and display area are two of the most basic display
settings you may need to change. You can also adjust settings such as the display
background and screen saver.
Adjusting the color depth
Color depth is the number of colors in the graphic displays. Various image types
require various color depths for optimum appearance. For example, simple color
drawings may appear adequately in 256 colors while color photographs need
millions of colors to be displayed with optimum quality.
Windows lets you choose from several color depth settings. We recommend that
the 32-bit True Color setting be used at all times.
If the color in your images seems “false” or “jumpy,” especially after you have
played a game or run a video-intensive program, check the color depth setting
and return it to 32-bit True Color, if necessary.
To change the color depth:
1 In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel
window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click
Appearance and Themes.
- OR -
In Windows 2000, click
Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control
Panel window opens.
2 Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens.