Windows Vista Uncooperative icons

Every time I try to change my desktop background, lots of really annoying things happen (chosen photo appears as dinky, minute picture with black background, not full-screen, for example) but for now, the one thing that's bugging me is that my icons insist on lining up vertically on the left side of my screen. I prefer them to be at the bottom of my screen, but they will not stay there.

I have tried unlocking the toolbar and moving them, but they still will not cooperate.

 

If I have any problems with the desktop background pictures, I make them the same as Windows sample pictures.

I use Paint or the photo editor (gallery) to get them to the same dimensions as the sample pics (1024 X 768). The sample pictures are .jpeg, so when editing, I save them as that, see the "Save as" drop-down bar. Trying to "stretch" a portrait photo to a landscape will probably cause strange things.

Matt

 

Thanks for writing, guys.

Steve: When I right-click on my desktop, I get a drop-down which includes "View/Sort by/Refresh/Graphics/New/Personalize." I don't see anything about "Auto Arrange" or "Align to Grid." Am I looking in the wrong place?

Mattman: HAHAHA! You assume that I actually know what you're talking about. Do I have a photo editor? All I've got regarding photos is the program I installed with my Canon digital camera...

 

Well, broni --

That (sort of) did the trick! Thank you.

I was allowed to move the icons somewhere near the bottom, but not actually down at the bottom. As they sit now, they are about 2/3 of the way down my screen, butting into my desktop photo.

At least I now know where to look to make this kind of change. Thanks for enlightening me. I just don't know why I can't put them where they were before... ???

 

Baring my ignorance: How do I take a screenshot?

 

Find a photo, right-click on it and select Open with... You should have the choice of Paint or Photo Gallery. In those programs you can do quite a deal of basic editing. Make a copy of a photo and do some tests.

In Paint you will find Attributes, that shows you how many pixels the photo consists of. I just chose one of mine and it was around 3500 X 2200 pixels. I would edit/adjust that (I might crop the image) to get it close to 1024 X 768 pixels that Windows uses for it's standard backgounds (you must know the one with the rolling grassed hills, blue sky and clouds in Win XP). That will fit the screen nicely. If you have a wide screen monitor try to work on 1920 X 1200 pixels.

If your camera is 10 Megapixel, then the photos could be around 10000 X 7000 pixels. Windows does it's best to fit it to the screen, but I prefer doing it manually.

Play with editing some photos, at the least it will improve your experience level. You can make an ordinary photo into something quite spectacular.

Matt

 

Thank you so much, Matt. That's the first time anyone has ever taken the time to teach me that. Such handy, helpful info...

broni -- I never know I had a Prnt Scrn button. This is also a new revelation. However, I am sorry to report that nothing at all happens on my desktop when I press the button. I did close all of the windows except for my desktop.

 

Sorry I've been away. Not ignoring you guys!

So, if nothing appears on my desktop screen, how am I going to find the "paint," etc. commands?

 

Well, I managed to save it as a jpeg, but I don't know how to get it onto the message board...

 

Broni, only subscribing members have the ability to attach/upload files.

noclue, you will need to put the picture on a photo hosting website, for example Photobucket.
http://au.search.yahoo.com/search;_...2=sg-gac&1=sado=1&p=free photo hosting&fr=sfp