Is there a way to change folder icons in Windows Vista from something besides those annoying manila folders?
As in previous versions of Microsoft Windows (and on the Macintosh), you can change many of the desktop and folder icons to other images.
One way to change the standard Windows desktop icons (like the Recycle Bin) is by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Personalize from the menu. On the left side of the next window, choose “Change desktop icons” and select the icon you want to change. Click on the Change Icon button to open a window to select a new icon from the offerings, or browse to a file or folder of icons you might have downloaded from the Web.
You can change a folder's icon by right-clicking on it and selecting Properties from the resulting menu. Click on the Customize tab in the Properties box, then click on the Change Icon button at the bottom of the box. If you don't want to use one of the standard Windows icon options, click the Browse button to hunt around your hard drive for the icon you want and click the Open button to select it. Click on the OK button to complete the process.
If you're interested in getting new icons, the IconFactory Web site is a good place to start. It offers free icon downloads for Windows and Macintosh systems. For Mac OS X users, the site also has instructions at iconfactory.com/help/help_mac.html. If you'd like to make your own icons, there are plenty of programs to choose from, including Microangleo's Toolset 6 (www.microangelo.us) and Axialis IconWork-shop (www.axialis.com/iconworkshop).
I have tried to remove Norton AntiVirus 2003 from my operating system, but nothing I tried works. What can I do?
Symantec has a free Norton Removal Tool that's supposed to get rid of Norton 2003 software, as well as later versions of its programs and all Norton software. You can download it at tinyurl.com/6oq8f. For troubleshooting help, go to the company's technical-support pages (www.symantec.com/techsupp).
I noticed some Web sites have a “Creative Commons license” on the page? What does this mean?
Many Web sites guard their content with a Creative Commons license, which is a legal protection based on copyright laws. A Creative Commons license states how other people can use the content, and it applies to the same types of works that are protected under copyright law. Along with Web sites, things such as blogs, videos, photographs and audio recordings are among the content types covered.
If you apply for a free Creative Commons license, you have the chance to state how other people can use your work – including adapting it, attributing it, distributing it or using it for commercial purposes. The license doesn't give you the power to stop people from using your material in ways that are protected by standard copyright law, like fair use of the work.
(The concept of fair use, described at www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html, includes the ability to reproduce a short excerpt or quotation of a work for the purpose of education or criticism.)
Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation founded in 2001. More information is available on its Web site at www.creativecommons.org. For those considering a Creative Commons license, detailed information on the types of licenses and what rights each type protects can be found at wiki.creativecommons.org/FAQ. The Creative Commons license has held up in court.
