Using the Control Panel Using the Control Panel to change how Windows looks
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This article, Using the Control Panel, was last updated on 31 July 2009 and is now out of date and held in our online archive for reference. Explore our latest Technology articles.
Changing the way your computer looks
Click on this heading in the main Control Panel window and you’ll gain access to all the settings and options relating to the way your computer looks and feels. One quick and easy way to customise your PC’s appearance is to change the theme.
Appearance
From the main Control Panel screen, click on Appearance and Personalization > then click the Change the theme link under the Personalization heading at the top of the window.
Theme settings
In the Theme Settings dialogue box, choose a theme from the drop-down menu. For example, if you don’t like Vista’s default theme, you could switch to Windows Classic. Click OK to apply your changes.
Clock, language and regions
If you take your laptop PC on holiday with you it can be useful to change the time zone temporarily.
The time zone
From the main Control Panel screen, click Clock, Language and Region > then click the Change the time zone link under the Date and Time heading.
Changing zone
In the Date and Time dialogue box, click the Change time zone button > select your time zone from the drop-down list > click OK > click OK again to finish.
