Teaching you how to make Windows 7 work the way you want it to is what this book is all about. If you were moving in to a house, apartment, or dorm room, you would want to make the space your own. We do the same with just about everything in our lives, yet surprisingly few people take the time to make their virtual space their own, which can make using a computer a frustrating experience.

One of the ways to make Windows 7 your own is to customize the interface. In any operating system, the interface is everything that connects you to your computer and its basic elements, including the desktop, the menu system, and the taskbar. The way these essential elements look depends on appearance settings. The way they behave depends on customization settings associated with your user account.