Desktop refers to the main screen area (see fig 1.1 below) of the Windows^® operating system from Microsoft. It is the first screen you see after Windows has loaded.

In fig 1.1 above we have pointed out some of the areas of the desktop:

Icons - Small graphical images that can represent your computer's programs, files, folders, and printers amongst other things.

Start button - Gives access to the Start menu, which is used to access your programs, settings, printers and more.

Taskbar - One of the taskbar's main uses is to switch between any open programs or documents.

Clock - The clock displays the current time (hover the mouse pointer over it to see the current date).

You can customise your desktop to suit your preferences, below are a few ways you can customise the Windows desktop:

Change the background colour.
Add a background picture
Change the look of icons

To learn more about the Windows desktop see our course section, where you will find Windows 98 and Windows XP tutorials which include the desktop in more detail.

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