If you’re like most people, you probably have a notification area on your desktop that shows the latest updates for your applications and services. But if you’re like me, you also have an odd character in that notification area that’s always there, even when I don’t need it. I’m talking about the Windows Notification Area’s “Odd Character.” This character is a small, white square that appears in the top-left corner of the notification area and is always there. It’s usually just one letter, but sometimes it has two or more letters. And it’s always there even when I don’t need it. There are a few ways to add this character to your notification area. The first way is to right-click on the Odd Character and select “Add to Notification Area.” The second way is to open the “Notification Area” properties of your desktop application and then click on the “Odd Character” tab. The third way is to open the “Notification Area” properties of your computer and then click on the “Odd Character” button at the bottom of the window. The fourth way is probably best because it works without any extra steps. Just type “oddcharacters” into a text editor and then click on the “Add To Notifications” button. You’ll be able to add any characters you want to your notification area without having to worry about adding them one by one like I do above.
Open Control Panel and double click on Regional and Language Options.
Next, under the Formats tab click on the “Customize this format” button.
Now under the Time tab, enter in the character and / or symbols you think would get a great laugh in the AM / PM fields. You can basically enter in whatever you want up to 12 characters. Click OK twice to get out of Regional and Language Options.
Here are a few examples of what you can achieve. From your name to old chat emoticons.
If your co-worker is not aware of this trick … they will have a heck of a time trying to correct it. Each different example you create will show up now in the drop boxes.
This trick also works in XP. Control Panel Regional and Language Settings Customize Time tab.
Have Fun! Please share any funny stories you might have with this one!
