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Okay, now the important stuff: changing the dorky picture Windows automatically assigns to your user account. When you first create a user account, Windows XP dips into its image bag and randomly assigns to accounts pictures of butterflies, fish, soccer balls, or even more boring images. However, customizing your picture is fairly easy. (It's even easier if you have a digital camera.)
After you log on, click the Start button and choose Control Panel. Click the User Accounts icon and select Change My Picture. (Administrators have to click Change an Account first and then choose the account that needs a new picture.) A new window appears, as shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 1: Assign a different picture to your user account. |
If any of the currently shown pictures appeal to you, click a picture and click the Change Picture button. Done! To assign a picture that's not shown, click the Browse for More Pictures button. A new window appears, this time showing the contents of your My Pictures folder. (This folder is where your digital camera stores your pictures.) Click a desired picture from the folder, choose Open, and click Change Picture. That's it!
As shown in Figure 2, a new picture now replaces the old rubber ducky picture. You can also replace the picture with a picture of your own face.
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Figure 2: Use the User Accounts area to assign your own picture to your account. |
Here are a few things to remember about changing a user account picture:
 | - Don't worry about choosing a picture that's too big or too small. Windows XP automatically shrinks or expands the image to fit the postage-stamp-sized space.
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- All users can change their pictures — administrators and limited accounts. And pictures are about the only thing that guests are allowed to change.
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