Using the Control Panel

Most of Windows' configuration settings are set via a utility called the Control Panel. In reality, the Control Panel is just a folder or library that contains lots of individual configuration utilities (also called applets); it's through these utilities that the actual configuration takes place.

How the Control Panel Works

You open the Control Panel by clicking the Start menu and selecting Control Panel; that's easy enough. What you see next is the default Control Panel. This view of the Control Panel is designed for the casual user, with shortcuts to take you directly to various configuration options.

The default Control Panel is organized into eight sections, each corresponding to a type of task:

• System and Security, with separate links to Review Your Computer's Status, Back Up Your Computer, and Find and Fix Problems.
• Network and Internet, with separate links to View Network Status and Tasks and Choose Homegroup and Sharing Options.
• Hardware and Sound, with separate links to View Devices and Printers, Add a Device, Connect to a Projector, and Adjust Commonly Used Mobility Settings.
• Programs, with a separate link to Uninstall a Program.
• User Accounts and Family Safety, with separate links to Add or Remove User Accounts and Set Up Parental Controls for Any User.
• Appearance and Personalization, with separate links to Change the Theme, Change Desktop Background, and Adjust Screen Resolution.
• Clock, Language, and Region, with separate links to Change Keyboards or Other Input Methods and Change Display Language (Ultimate Edition only).
• Ease of Access, with separate links to Let Windows Suggest Settings and Optimize Visual Display.

Click any of the major section links and you see a new set of links. For example, when you click Appearance and Personalization, with major sections for Personalization, Display, Desktop Gadgets, Taskbar and Start Menu, Ease of Access Center, Folder Options, and Fonts. Under each section are additional links that lead directly to specific configuration utilities.

Keep clicking through the links and you're eventually led to the utility used to configure a particular setting. For example, when you click the Personalization link, Windows displays the Personalization window; when you click the Folder Options link, Windows displays the Folder Options dialog box. It may take a few clicks, but eventually you get to where you want to go.

So this is what I meant when I said that the Control Panel is actually a folder that holds various configuration utilities or applets. It's the individual utilities that enable configuration, but you get to those utilities via the Control Panel.

Not to be confusing, but the individual configuration utilities in the Control Panel are sometimes themselves called control panels. I prefer the term configuration utility, just to keep things clear.