Some AV users enjoy taking their sequences around to other clubs and groups to project a show. If like me you have a desktop which is filled with program icons and notes, it all looks very cluttered and distracting for your audience when you show the screen.
You can of course easily change the background image from those provided by Mr Gates to one of your choice. Visit control panel / display / desktop. Here you will see a list of Windows supplied background images, click browse and you can find one of your own images. Click apply to view the effect and your image will appear among the Windows pictures in the list on the left.

However your new background image will still be covered with all your many icons. You could go through and delete all these familiar friends but after the show you might find you miss them dreadfully and have to reintroduce them back again. There is another quicker and more convenient way to clear your decks for just the night.

I create another user for my computer, my tidy alter ego to take around on display to audiences. Visit the start/control panel /user accounts . Create a new account and name it “AV Show”. This name will appear on the welcome screen and on the start menu when you switch on your computer. No more displaying all your favourite program icons to the entire world. It’s cool to be clear now!

You will initially be asked if you want to create a computer administrator or a limited account. I create the former. I have two reasons for this. Firstly sometimes on an AV day another person wishes to show their sequences or a new program they have written so I need to be able to load items onto the system. Secondly if I wish to show small utility programs which were created before Windows 2000  or Windows XP   they  may  not work with the limited account setting.

Once you click create account, the new account appears for you to start to use.

If you ever suddenly need to switch to another user account it is very simple. Click start/ click log off / click user and then the account name you need.
When you first bring up your new user screen e.g. AV Show, your first task is to delete any icons from the screen which have transferred across (remember you are only deleting the shortcuts and not your programs).

Then tidy up the task bar. If you are running a sequence it is best if the task bar is not present. So right click on it and select properties. Then you have some choices to make. For shows I prefer to auto hide task bar. It will immediately drop down and disappear. If you take your cursor down to the bottom it will immediately reappear.

Now you have a nice clear tidy background screen with which to start work. You can if you wish put shortcuts to your AVs dropped straight onto this (create a background image in Photoshop with the titles listed and then drop your short cut over the title) or create three small shortcut icons –

1. Shortcut to the folder where you hold all your show AVs and any images that you’ll need to access.

2. Shortcut to your introduction menu page which you’ll have created with invisible buttons to just click and start your show / competition .