1. Once the computer is started, place the mouse arrow in the clear part of the screen away from the desktop and click the Right mouse button.
   
   
2. Select Properties from the drop down menu: the Display Properties box appears.
   
   
3. Select Appearance, on the top tabs.
   
   
4. The information within this area is all about choosing the colour options for your display pages.
   
   
5. Select Colour, in the middle of the window, by clicking the 'down' arrow.
   
   
6. You now have three options. These are to (i) change your desktop background colour (ii) two different ways to make a new colour. Ask your teacher for the set of instructions for one of these three options.

Changing your desktop background colour

1. Select Desktop from the drop down menu if it's not already in the Item box.
   
   
2. Choose one of the colours in the colour palette which appears.
   
   
3. With Desktop written in the Item box, click on the down arrow by the Colour selection box.
   
   
4. Choose and click on any of the 20 colours on display. You will see parts of the screen change as you select.
   
   
5. Click on Apply at the bottom and the screen will change to your chosen colour.

Making a new colour (1)

1. Click on the Other option at the bottom of the palette box. A new Basic colours palette appears on the left near the top with 48 colours in it and, on the right, a 'rainbow' of colours on a mixing plate with a 'sight' marker on it.
   
   
2. Choose one of these basic colours and then move the little 'sight' around on the mixing plate by selecting it, holding down the left mouse button and sliding it about. As you do this the shade in the Colour/solid box will alter.
   
   
3. Play around with the colours and watch the slider on the right hand side which indicates how light or dark the colour is.
   
   
4. When you have found a colour you would like to keep, save it.
   
   
5. Click on the Add to Custom Colour box, and it will appear in the Custom Colour collection.
   
   
6. You can navigate around the Custom Colour boxes using the 4 direction arrows on the keyboard, so that you can put your colour wherever you want in the Custom Colour collection.
   
   
7. You can use the new colour you have made as your desktop background colour by clicking on your Custom Color, then click on OK (which takes you back to the Appearance page).
   
   
8. If it looks good in the sample section then click on Apply and you will see your desktop take on your colour.
   
   
9. If you're not happy, go back and alter it. In this way you can build up a bank of your own colours.

Making a new colour (2)