Windows Vista, by default, chooses the best display settings for your computer which includes screen resolution, refresh rate, and color, based on your monitor. The setting for every computer differs depending on the kind of monitor that is used– CRT or LCD. Screen resolution is the setting that determines how much information is displayed on the screen that is measured horizontally and vertically in pixels. Refresh rate is the frequency at which the screen is redrawn. These can be adjusted according to your preference.

The process to follow in changing Windows Vista’s display settings can be done in a few seconds. All you need to do is right-click on a vacant area on the Desktop and select “Personalize” from the menu that pops up. The Personalization box will appear. Click on “Display Settings” which is located at the bottom part (it is the seventh item from the top).The Display Settings dialog box will appear. There you can set the resolution and colors that would best fit your set up. You can drag the resolution slider to the right for higher resolutions and drag left to lower the resolution. You can also click on the “Advanced” button to get to more advanced settings for color management and properties of your adapter and monitor. But I advice not to tamper with what is in the Advanced button because it is for expert technicians. The default settings in the “Advanced” button are usually the best settings and the safest. The display settings of XP and Vista are almost the same so if you are familiar with that of XP you will not be lost in the display settings of Vista.

You can actually fine tune the display and the whole look of Vista by tweaking everything that is in the Personalization box. To adjust window color and appearance simply click on the radio button under the color. Check or uncheck on the “Enable transparency” checkbox if you want the window bar to be transparent. By clicking on the slider and dragging it to the left or to the right as how you want the settings to be, You can adjust the color intensity. By clicking on “Show Color Mixer” and adjusting the scales as desired, you can make adjustments on the hue, brightness, and saturation of the colors.

You can also change desktop background if you click “Desktop Background” and select the image you would like to use. If you want an image that is in one of the folders in your computer, just click on the Browse button and locate the folder that contains it and select the image and click “Open”. The Desktop background will then be changed to that image.

You may also set the Screensaver properties by clicking on “Screensaver”. By clicking on the drop down list you will be able to choose the screen saver to use. You can also see the adjustment box for the time it will take to activate the screensaver when the computer is idle. By clicking on the up or down arrow buttons, you can add or subtract to the number of minutes before screensaver launches.