Microsoft KB Archive/312934

= Customizing Windows for Personal Use (2 of 3) =

Article ID: 312934

Article Last Modified on 8/28/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

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This article was previously published under Q312934



SUMMARY
The information covered in this article is provided by: Microsoft Press.

This article is part 2 of a series of three articles that explain how to customize Windows Millennium Edition (Me) for personal use. Part 2 focuses on how to use the Windows Magnifier and adjust accessibility settings. To view the remaining articles in the series, click the link to the topic you want to view:

312933 Customizing Windows for Personal Use (1 of 3)

316610 Customizing Windows for Personal Use (3 of 3)

This information is an excerpt from the Microsoft Windows Me Step-by-Step book, &quot;Lesson 1: Customizing Windows for Personal Use&quot;. Learn More About Microsoft Windows Me Step-by-Step.



Using the Windows Magnifier
Your mother's vision has declined to the point that she has difficulty seeing objects and text on the computer screen. She is coming to visit you and will want to use your computer to send email messages. You would like to set up Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition so that your mother can easily use it.

You can use either the Accessibility Wizard to set up Windows Me for users who have low vision, or you can turn on the Magnifier. You can use the Accessibility Wizard to make several changes to how Windows displays objects and text, such as increasing the size of Windows controls and icons and making changes in color scheme and screen contrast. You can also use the Magnifier to make most of the same changes, but it can be easily turned on and off. For that reason, the Magnifier can be a good choice for a visually challenged user sharing your computer only on occasion.

In this exercise, you want to set up your computer for your mother who will be using your computer only a few times during her visit. You decide that setting up the Magnifier is a better choice for her than stepping through the Accessibility Wizard.
 * 1) Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Magnifier.

The Windows screen is split horizontally. The top portion of the screen shows a magnified version of the desktop, which is visible at normal magnification in the lower half. The Magnifier Settings dialog box appears.


 * 1) In the Magnification Level box, click the control up arrow once to increase the level of magnification to 3.
 * 2) In the Presentation area, select the Start Minimized check box, and then click Exit.

The Magnifier Settings dialog box will be minimized the next time the Magnifier is turned on.

Adjusting Accessibility Settings
You can change the font size in Control Panel, which might be a good option for some users with special vision needs. In Control Panel, double-click the Display icon, and then click the Appearance tab. In the Scheme list, you can select the Windows Standard (Extra Large) or several other Large or Extra Large options. Or, you can change the font size of individual elements. In some Windows programs, you can zoom to magnify the display, and in Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can change the text size on the View menu. If you have special needs, you should experiment with the accessibility and display options to find the combination of settings that works best for you.

Instead of using the Accessibility Wizard to turn on Windows accessibility options, you can set them up directly from the Accessibility Properties dialog box. You can also make adjustments to the accessibility options once you have used the wizard to set them up. You can turn on or make adjustments to the keyboard, sound, display, and mouse, plus other adjustments to how the accessibility features function on your computer.

To adjust other accessibility settings, in Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon, and then click a tab in the Accessibility Properties dialog box to change a specific setting. The following table describes changes you can make to the settings.           Accessibility Area      Feature             Function --

Keyboard  StickyKeys          Allows one-key-at-a-time entry for key combinations like CTRL+ALT+DELETE.

FilterKeys         Ignores brief, repeated keystrokes.

ToggleKeys         Generates a sound when pressing CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK.

Show Extra         Shows extra keyboard shortcuts in programs.

Keyboard Help      programs. in Programs

Sound     SoundSentry         Generates visual warnings when the system makes a sound.

ShowSounds         Displays captions for sounds and speech.

Display   High Contrast       Changes colors and fonts for easier reading.

Cursor Settings    Changes the mouse pointer blink rate and mouse pointer width.

Mouse     MouseKeys           Enables the numeric keypad to control the mouse pointer.

General   Automatic Reset     Turns off accessibility features if Windows is idle for a selected period of time.

Notification       Gives a warning when turning accessibility features on and off.

SerialKey Devices  Sets up alternative input devices to replace the keyboard and mouse.

