desktop colors; minimize to tray

I use Win2k, but my wife's (networked) laptop uses XP Pro. She finds the candy-colored desktop scheme distracting and hard to read, especially on a high-contrast LCD screen. Are alternate schemes available?

Also, the invaluable tray icon signalling "Minimize all open windows and boxes to tray" (the pencil hovering over a sheet of paper) is missing; how do I put it into XP's tray?

Bob Bollini

 

How about checking these links and see if you can find something useful:
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=24782

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/energy_blue_theme.html

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/tune-01.html

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/tune-010.html

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/tune-02.html

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/customizing.html

There are so many options that can tweaked and customized that I hardly know where to begin answering this in a more personalized specific manner. The first thing you need to do is become more familiar with what xp can do or allow you to do when it comes to customizing Themes. The biggest decision is whether to use "xp style" or "Classic" Desktop and startmenu. Warning: All of this can be quite time consuming and dependant upon your attention span, patience, pickiness and level of amusement.

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As for the "minimize all widows" task you can do this with a right click in the systray. The option "show desktop" is among the list, this minimizes all open windows. Right click again and select "undo minimize all ".

Or you can show "Quick launch" toolbar and use the "showdesktop icon ", again available on a rightclick but this is on the taskbar its self.. This shortcut can also be copied and put almost any where you'd find it the handiest to use. From within the quicklaunch toolbar> "Right click and hold to DragNdrop it on the links bar in IE, pin it to you startmenu, put it on your desktop etc. (when dropped, choice the option to "copy here').