Defining the personalization settings

The personalization settings for Windows Server 2008 define the look of the display, the themes you use, and special features, such as the use of effects. You can access these settings in a number of ways. The easiest method is to right-click the Desktop and choose Personalize from the context menu. This window is also accessible by opening the Personalization applet in the Control Panel. No matter how you open the Personalization window, you see a list of options.

Microsoft provides a Spartan appearance for Windows Server 2008 for a good reason: Most administrators aren't very interested in fancy displays for a system they interact with for only a few minutes each day. The efficiency of the display is more important than how it looks. In fact, the special appearance of the client operating systems isn't even available. Unless you specifically install the Desktop Experience feature (not a good use of system resources or screen real estate), you won't find the Windows Server 2008 options available as one of the personalization settings. For the most part, the choices you have are very limited, as described in this list:

• Window Color and Appearance: You can choose from the Windows Classic, Windows Standard, or a number of high-contrast settings to define Windows color and appearance. However, the Appearance and Settings dialog box, which appears when you click the Window Color and Appearance link, contains an Effects button. When you click Effects, you see a listing of effects that you can use to enhance your display, such as Use the Following Method to Smooth the Edges of Screen Fonts. Selecting these effects uses system resources, but you can make the display easier to see in some cases by using them.
• Desktop Background: The Windows background setting is limited to a number of colors and a few pictures.
• Screen Saver: The screen savers are limited to the Blank and Windows Logo screen savers. Of course, you can always add screen savers (files that have the SCR file extension) from other systems. You must place these additional files in the \Windows\System32 folder of the server.
• Sounds: In most cases, you won't have access to any sounds on the server unless you have a sound card installed and start the Windows Audio service.
• Mouse Pointers: Windows Server 2008 provides a full range of mouse features. You can switch the buttons, change the double-click speed, and even use all the accessibility features you my have used in the past.
• Theme: You can create and save themes in Windows Server 2008. In addition, the Windows Server 2008 setup includes the Windows Classic theme, and you can use other themes you've obtained from other sources. However, the standard theme support in Windows Server 2008 is very thin, and you really don't need themes to manage your server efficiently.
• Display Settings: Clicking this link displays the Display Settings dialog box, where you can view the current display resolution and number of colors for your monitor. Use the Resolution slider to change the display resolution, and the Colors drop-down list box to change the number of colors that your server displays. When you click OK, Windows makes the changes and asks whether you want to keep them. In addition to these standard settings, you can click the Advanced Settings button to see any advanced configuration options that your display adapter and monitor provide. These settings are vendor specific, so you need to refer to your vendor documentation for details.