The control panel contains the basic settings of the Windows operating system. Updating the system and choosing a theme, screen resolution and firewall settings, disabling unused services and much more - all these operations are performed through the control panel.
Instructions
Step 1
There are several ways to open Control Panel in Windows XP and Windows 7. The easiest option is through the main menu. Click "Start", then select "Control Panel". In the window that opens, you can select any settings you are interested in.
Step 2
You can open the Control Panel from the My Computer icon on your desktop. Click it with the right mouse button, select the "Explorer" item. In the explorer window that opens, find the line "Control Panel" in the left column and click it with the mouse. The explorer itself can be invoked by the Win + E key combination.
Step 3
You can open the system settings panel through the "Run" menu command. Click Start, then Run (or just press the Win + R key combination). Enter the command control and click OK. The same command can be used if you are working in the console: "Start" - "All programs" - "Accessories" - "Command line". Enter the command control and press Enter.
Step 4
If you wish, you can configure the "Control Panel" item in the main menu so that when you hover over it, all the settings items are immediately displayed. To do this, right-click on the taskbar (the panel at the bottom of the Windows window) and select "Properties".
Step 5
Select the "Start Menu" in the window that opens and click the "Customize" button. Open the "Advanced" tab, find the "Control Panel" item in the list and check the "Display as menu" option. Click OK. You can customize other menu items in the same way.
Step 6
If you are using Windows 8, the way to open the Control Panel depends on whether you are using a tiled interface or a regular interface. If tiled, then enter Control Panel - Windows will search and show you the control panel icon. When using the normal interface, move the cursor to the lower right corner of the screen and right-click. In the context menu that opens, select Control Panel.
