Fast Forward's Help File

QHow do I hide the icons on my iBook's desktop? I'm new to theApple world, and this task is beyond me.

AWhile a Mac's desktop isn't subject to being littered byshortcut icons for every new program you install -- the mostcommon form of visual pollution in Windows -- it can still getuntidy.

Mac OS X is set up to display icons for storage devices, such ashard drives, USB flash drives, CDs and iPods, automatically. A Macdesktop can also accumulate files you've put there yourself.

To hide the drive and disk icons, click on your desktopbackground to bring the Finder to the forefront. Then go to theFinder menu at the top left of the screen and select Preferences.Then you can select what kind of items, if any, should appear on thedesktop.

For everything else, just delete it if you don't want it. IfSafari is saving downloaded files to the desktop, you can set it tostore them elsewhere. Select Preferences from the Safari menu, thenclick the drop-down menu next to "Save downloaded files to" andselect "Other..." to choose a different spot (for example, create aDownloads folder in your home directory).

Comcast gave me an alternate version of Internet Explorer thathas "provided by Comcast" in its title. How can I scrub that off?

I don't know why companies bother with this kind of advertising -- don't the bills they send suffice to remind their customers ofwho's bringing them the Internet?

To fix this, download and extract the free "ISPUnbrand" program(windowsxp.mvps.org/ie/ispunbrand.htm), then click its "ClearInternet Explorer Branding" button to restore your copy of IE tofactory condition. The program can also clean up your copy ofOutlook Express if your Internet provider has used that as itsbillboard, too.

Rob Pegoraro attempts to untangle computing conundrums and errantelectronics each week. Send questions to The Washington Post, 115015th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or robp@washpost.com.