16 Ways People Customized Their Computers in the '90s

Computer customization in the 1990s transformed standard beige computers into personalized spaces long before the advent of modern profiles, RGB lighting, and themed environments. People customized icons, cursors, colors, fonts, sounds, boot screens, and desktop layout to make Windows more their own. Many of the utilities and files used for this kind of customization were provided by Microsoft Plus! products, shareware CDs, BBSes, computer magazines, and even the emerging web. Some of the customization was practical, some delightfully impractical. All of it demonstrated how quickly computer users stopped viewing their PCs as interchangeable appliances.

1. They Changed Their Desktop Wallpaper

In the early 90s, a computer desktop was normally delivered in an uninteresting way – all business-like and without decoration. This didn’t last long. The user would change the wallpaper using Windows options, turning a boring screen into something else with colorful patterns, tiled pictures, or custom images. With Windows 95, changing wallpaper became particularly convenient, and soon bitmap files covered the screens of every household PC. Someone went for landscapes, someone for sports cars or cartoon figures or even family vacation photos scanned on a flatbed scanner. And some downloaded pictures from bulletin board systems and early websites. With a new wallpaper, a common beige computer suddenly acquired individual character.

2. They Replaced the Default System Sounds

However, quiet computers did not remain quiet for long when people began using their own system sounds. Microsoft Windows gave people an opportunity to customize their beep, startup sounds, and warning messages through WAV files. Opening Windows could result in hearing a line from a movie, a sound effect from a cartoon, or the catchphrase from one’s favorite TV show. Sound collections were distributed via floppy disks, CD-ROMs, BBSs, and even the Internet. People would assign different sounds to different error messages, mail arriving at their computer, and other program actions such that each click had a voice of its own.

3. They Installed Wild Screen Savers

Screen Savers were the reason why idle computers became mini-shows in the 1990s. Rather than keeping the computer screen black, people opted to put up graphics that moved around, twirled, flew, or even acted out a small story. Microsoft Windows had some of the usual screen savers, like Mystify and Flying Windows, while other screen savers from third-party companies could be quite bizarre. The most popular example would be Berkeley Systems’ After Dark, known for its flying toaster module, which would fly around on your computer screen. Offices, bedrooms, and computer labs in schools got moving pictures every time the computers were not in use.

4. They Swapped Out Desktop Icons

Users of computers frequently customized icons, which were the images that stood for programs, folders, and shortcuts. Shortcuts became more noticeable in Windows 95, and there were many icons to customize standard icons with. An ordinary folder could be turned into a chest of treasure, and games could be given a skull, spaceship, and even a cartoon image. Icon files could be acquired from shareware sites, computer publications, bulletin board systems, and web pages. Some people would try to match each icon to a certain theme, while other users opted for a colorful combination. The customization of icons did not affect processing speed, but it definitely made the desktop more personal.

5. They Installed Complete Desktop Themes

Themes were implemented in Windows 95 by way of Microsoft Plus!, making it effortless for consumers to change multiple aspects of the computer all at once. Themes were made up of a variety of things, such as wallpapers, icons, colors, sounds, mouse pointers, and screensavers, all put together into one theme design. Examples of Microsoft Plus! include Dangerous Creatures, Inside Your Computer, and Science. There were other theme packs, which ranged from pictures of nature to sports and entertainment. Adding on a theme pack was like decorating your room without lifting anything. It was possible to change the mood anytime you got bored.

6. They Changed Their Mouse Cursors

The arrow displayed on the screen was not necessarily required to be a plain old boring white pointer. Users of the Windows operating system had the choice to use other cursor themes, or download different ANI and CUR files, which modified the pointer’s appearance. The pointer turned into dinosaurs, hourglasses in animation, colored arrows, funny hands, and many more varieties. Cursor themes were also available in the Microsoft Plus! pack, making the pointer part of an overall desktop theme. They were available on shareware discs and on download sites, and interested users would collect different styles. Some animated pointers appeared attractive for the first few minutes but were distracting after an hour.

7. They Covered Their Computers With Stickers

Long before the advent of glowing keyboard designs, many PC users decorated their machines with stickers. The large beige cabinets and big CRT monitors provided ample room to stick band logos, brand stickers, school stickers, cartoon figures, or advertising logos. Stickers from software packages and PC magazines found their way to places beside the floppy drives or monitor control buttons. Some younger users went so far as to decorate their whole cabinet, whereas some prudent owners put only one or two stickers on their machine. They were not very elegant-looking, but they helped to identify otherwise identical family or office computers.

8. They Painted Their Beige Computer Cases

Other individuals took it one step further, painting their PC towers. Almost all the PC towers manufactured during this time were in either shades of beige, gray, or white; hence, a wonderful canvas for the hobbyists. Hobbyists would remove the faceplates or panels of the PC towers, prepare them adequately, and paint them using spray paint in either darker or brighter colors. Black cases started becoming quite fashionable towards the end of the decade as PC case arrangements had become more style-conscious. Some even tried auto paint or painting manually. It was a tedious task, as painting could block buttons, holes, and drives if done carelessly. However, if done right, it made a PC tower look unique.

9. They Created Their Own Windows Color Schemes

Windows’ colors provided yet another fast way to escape the monotonous gray interface. The users were able to change titles, menus, background colors of windows, text, and other elements of the interface through the “Display Properties” option. Some opted for dark colors with bright letters, while others favored such colors as purple, teal, blue, or garish mixes of them. There were pre-set color schemes available in Windows too, including the high-contrast ones. One could spend an entire afternoon experimenting with them since any changes would affect almost all windows on the display. Nevertheless, not all mixes were readable, and some options appeared rather strange after a good night’s sleep.

10. They Customized the DOS Prompt

Customization was not just limited to users who spent hours writing commands; it was also possible for the DOS prompt itself to be customized. While PROMPT allowed for customization of how the screen displayed information prior to writing the command, ANSI.SYS made it possible for DOS displays to show colored text, among others. Experienced DOS users would often modify AUTOEXEC.BAT files so as to make sure their customized DOS prompt automatically showed up at system boot time. Some DOS prompts showed the current directory, some showed the date, and some showed the time. Some even experimented with color schemes in order to make the prompt more unique.

11. They Replaced the Windows Startup Screen

The boot process itself turned out to be a field of play for self-assured PC owners. Windows 95 usually showed its trademarked cloud-covered logo when it booted up, but it was found out that one can replace the bitmap in the LOGO.SYS file with another one formatted accordingly. Special screens upon boot-up popped up on software compilation disks and enthusiasts’ websites; some of them had jokes, drawings, names of computer companies, and even custom-made images. There were similar tricks to make your screen at the computer shutdown different too. It took much more work to change these files compared to choosing wallpaper; thus, this was particularly rewarding.

12. They Personalized What Happened at Startup

Individuals have also configured the events that followed once the computer was booted up. Users of Windows 95 would configure shortcuts within the Startup folder to have the programs they liked start automatically once they logged in. Prior DOS and Windows configurations made extensive use of AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, and other files in order to dictate the actions during startup. A user would be able to initiate a menu program, load a mouse driver, set environment variables, or even start an application that is frequently used without entering any further commands. For those well-versed individuals, configuring the boot sequence was similar to instructing the computer in a routine.

13. They Loaded Their Computers With Decorative Fonts

Families who had multimedia personal computers would usually personalize their computer by installing fancy fonts. There were TrueType fonts available in Windows, and there were huge font libraries that could be found in the 1990s on floppy disks, shareware CDs, magazine cover CDs, and even on the Internet. Fonts, including those with scripts, futuristic designs, odd alphabets, and various display fonts for use in greeting cards, school papers, newsletters, and handmade signs, were available for installation. It was also easy to change fonts because of programs like Microsoft Word and desktop publishing programs. Too many fonts could sometimes slow down your system, but being conservative was definitely not the fun way to go.

14. They Rearranged Every Desktop Shortcut

Another way for owners to customize their PCs was by moving the contents of the Windows desktop around. One could move the icons around into rows, spread them around on the background wallpaper, or sort them according to whether the application was a game, academic work, utilities, and so forth. Windows 95 came with the addition of the task bar and the Start menu, offering more options to personalize the system according to one’s daily activities. Some kept their desktops empty, whereas others populated them with as many icons as possible. The applications that one used frequently would be placed in easily accessible locations so as to open them quickly.

15. They Added Custom Case Badges

Sometimes, computer case stickers were upgraded by hardware aficionados to stickers that were more indicative of their computers. The small square or rectangular stickers were found on the front side of the desktops and represented either the computer manufacturer, processor, or even local computer stores. The stickers for builders or upgraders included representations of Intel processors, AMD processors, motherboard makers, and other hardware parts inside the PC. They were very small when compared to a tower case, but at the same time, such stickers gave the home-built PCs a more finished look. To those building the computers themselves from various parts, the sticker was like an automobile hood ornament.

16. They Started Modifying the Cases Themselves

By the late 1990s, hobbyists were beginning to modify their cases not only for aesthetics but also for cooling reasons as well. With faster processors and graphics hardware generating more heat, hobbyists began adding more fans, cutting openings in the case, and experimenting with different case configurations. Some hobbyists installed clear acrylic windows to show off motherboards, cables, hard drives, and expansion slots usually concealed behind metal covers. This involved using tools, thought, and guts because one wrong cut would render the case unusable. Unlike wallpaper, it could not be removed at the click of a button.