Customizing Windows for Personal Use (2 of 3) (312934)

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Using the Windows Magnifier

Your mother's vision has declined to the point that she has difficulty seeing objects and text on the computer screen. She is coming to visit you and will want to use your computer to send email messages. You would like to set up Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition so that your mother can easily use it.

You can use either the Accessibility Wizard to set up Windows Me for users who have low vision, or you can turn on the Magnifier. You can use the Accessibility Wizard to make several changes to how Windows displays objects and text, such as increasing the size of Windows controls and icons and making changes in color scheme and screen contrast. You can also use the Magnifier to make most of the same changes, but it can be easily turned on and off. For that reason, the Magnifier can be a good choice for a visually challenged user sharing your computer only on occasion.

In this exercise, you want to set up your computer for your mother who will be using your computer only a few times during her visit. You decide that setting up the Magnifier is a better choice for her than stepping through the Accessibility Wizard.

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Magnifier.
   
   The Windows screen is split horizontally. The top portion of the screen shows a magnified version of the desktop, which is visible at normal magnification in the lower half. The Magnifier Settings dialog box appears.
   
   
2. In the Magnification Level box, click the control up arrow once to increase the level of magnification to 3.
3. In the Presentation area, select the Start Minimized check box, and then click Exit.
   
   The Magnifier Settings dialog box will be minimized the next time the Magnifier is turned on.

Adjusting Accessibility Settings

You can change the font size in Control Panel, which might be a good option for some users with special vision needs. In Control Panel, double-click the Display icon, and then click the Appearance tab. In the Scheme list, you can select the Windows Standard (Extra Large) or several other Large or Extra Large options. Or, you can change the font size of individual elements. In some Windows programs, you can zoom to magnify the display, and in Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can change the text size on the View menu. If you have special needs, you should experiment with the accessibility and display options to find the combination of settings that works best for you.

Instead of using the Accessibility Wizard to turn on Windows accessibility options, you can set them up directly from the Accessibility Properties dialog box. You can also make adjustments to the accessibility options once you have used the wizard to set them up. You can turn on or make adjustments to the keyboard, sound, display, and mouse, plus other adjustments to how the accessibility features function on your computer.

To adjust other accessibility settings, in Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon, and then click a tab in the Accessibility Properties dialog box to change a specific setting. The following table describes changes you can make to the settings.

           Accessibility
Area       Feature             Function
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keyboard   StickyKeys          Allows one-key-at-a-time entry for key
                               combinations like CTRL+ALT+DELETE. 

           FilterKeys          Ignores brief, repeated keystrokes. 

           ToggleKeys          Generates a sound when pressing CAPS LOCK, 
                               NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK. 

           Show Extra          Shows extra keyboard shortcuts in programs. 

           Keyboard Help       programs.
           in Programs   

Sound      SoundSentry         Generates visual warnings when the system 
                               makes a sound. 

           ShowSounds          Displays captions for sounds and speech. 

Display    High Contrast       Changes colors and fonts for easier reading. 

           Cursor Settings     Changes the mouse pointer blink rate and 
                               mouse pointer width.  

Mouse      MouseKeys           Enables the numeric keypad to control the 
                               mouse pointer. 

General    Automatic Reset     Turns off accessibility features if Windows
                               is idle for a selected period of time. 

           Notification        Gives a warning when turning accessibility 
                               features on and off. 

           SerialKey Devices   Sets up alternative input devices to replace 
                               the keyboard and mouse.