Microsoft^™ Windows^™ 98 comes with settings designed to meet the average user's work needs.  These settings balance your computer's memory with the demands that various programs place on it. They also specify the size of desktop icons or the order of programs on the Start menu, among other things; and they allow for esthetic elements, such as your desktop background (called wallpaper), or the sounds your computer makes. You can change these settings to suit your personality, and to make working on your computer more fun.

Change your computer's tune
Your computer makes sounds that respond to what you do.  For example, it might play a few notes when you start it up or receive an e-mail message, or it might chime to get your attention. You can replace these responses and others with different sounds or turn the sound off altogether. See Adding sound to system events to learn how.

How about a change of scenery?
Windows 98 comes with fifteen wallpapers and nineteen desktop patterns.  You can choose one of these to replace the original teal green desktop.  See Changing your wallpaper to learn how.

If you really want to place a personal stamp on how your screen looks, choose a desktop theme. Themes not only change your background, but your desktop icons, mouse pointer, and system sounds. You can choose to apply only those theme elements that you want. See Adding desktop themes to learn how.

If you see a picture on the Internet that you'd like to use as wallpaper, you can, thanks to the Active Desktop feature.  You can use any HTML document as your wallpaper, or add live Web content and Web channels to your desktop. See Adding live Web content to your desktop to learn how.

Microsoft Plus! 98
You might want to check out Microsoft Plus! 98, a software package you can buy that works with Windows 98 to make your computer run even more efficiently, and gives you even more fun.  It includes games, a deluxe CD player program, and seventeen new desktop themes.

World Traveler, Science Fiction, Architecture, Jazz, Geometry, and High Fashion themes join a cast of cartoon characters that includes Garfield, Doonesbury, FoxTrot, and Cathy, among others. Many of these themes also come with 3-D screen savers. See About Plus! 98 to learn more.

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