Sunday 20 March 2011

Display Control Panel applets with small icons

By default, the Windows 7 Control Panel shows the Category view (Figure C), similar to the default in Windows Vista.

Figure C


The default Control Panel view in Windows 7 is Category.
You can easily change to a more classic view by clicking All Control Panel Items at the bottom of the categories list, but that gives you a list of the items represented by large icons, as shown in Figure D.

Figure D


Clicking All Control Panel Items gives you a view of the applets with large icons.
What if you’d like to display the items with small icons so more of them will fit in the same space? Your first thought might be to click the View menu on the taskbar, but at least in the public beta (build 7000), the icon size choices are all grayed out. However, there’s a little trick: Right-click on an empty space in the window, and you’ll get a context menu from which you can pick View Small Icons. Selecting this command will allow you to display many more items in the same size window, as shown in Figure E.

Figure E


You can display Control Panel items with small icons to fit more into the same space.

6: Format the text in sticky notes

Another new feature in Windows 7 is the built-in Sticky Notes application. You’ll find it on the Start menu. You’ve probably already discovered that you can change the color of notes by right-clicking and selecting a new color. You may also have figured out that you can use the Ctrl + B and Ctrl + I shortcuts to format the text as bold or italic. But did you know that you can make bulleted and numbered lists in your sticky notes, and increase or decrease the text size? Here are some more handy keyboard shortcuts that work within sticky notes:
  • Ctrl + Shift + L (once): Bulleted list
  • Ctrl + Shift + L (twice): Numbered list
  • Ctrl + Shift + >: Increase text size
  • Ctrl + Shift + <: Decrease text size
  • Ctrl + U: Underline
  • Ctrl + T: Strikethrough
Figure F shows an example of how the shortcuts can be used to format text in sticky notes.

Figure F


You can format the text within Windows 7’s sticky notes with keyboard shortcuts.

Turn off Aero Snap

A new feature in Windows 7 is Aero Snap, which causes your application windows to automatically snap into a preconfigured place when you move them to the edges of the screen. Drag a window to the far right, and it will size itself to fill exactly half the screen. Drag it to the top corner and it will maximize to fill the whole screen. This can be handy, but it can also be annoying if you prefer that your windows stay the size you made them. Luckily, you can easily turn Snap off. Here’s how:
  1. Click Start and select Control Panel.
  2. Click Ease of Access Center.
  3. Click Make the Mouse Easier to Use.
  4. Select the Prevent Windows From Being Automatically Arranged When Moved To The Edge Of The Screen check box and click OK.

Put different wallpapers on multiple monitors

If you’re using Windows 7 with two or more monitors, you’ll be pleased to find that multi-monitor support has been improved. One thing I really like about Windows 7 is that when I connect to it via Remote Desktop from another computer, it doesn’t rearrange all my icons as Vista often did with multiple monitors. However, one thing Microsoft didn’t build into Win 7 that some of us were hoping for is the ability to set different wallpapers on different monitors.
In XP and Vista, I used UltraMon to do that, but it costs $40. In a tough economy, many people don’t want to spend that much for a program of that kind. Besides, based on what I read in the forums, it doesn’t yet work reliably on Windows 7. Luckily, I was able to hunt down another application called DisplayFusion. The free version gives you multiple wallpaper support, and the paid version, which costs $20 less than UltraMon, gives you multiple taskbars and window management features. I’ve installed it on two Windows 7 computers and it works great. As you can see in Figure B, you can configure a variety of settings.

Figure B

You can use the free DisplayFusion application to put different wallpapers on each monitor.

Hack 9 (7000) - Windows 7 Installed on a MacBook Pro

Apparently several MacBook Pro users have been able to successfully install Windows 7 onto MacBook Pro’s, the site’s below detail the installation procedures as well as offer a glimpse of the latest operating system running on a Mac.

Hack 8 (7048) – Uninstall Internet Explorer for Good

As a web publisher I would recommend against uninstalling Internet explorer. The reason for this is that it is always good to check your website for browser compatibility. For those users who do not publish online or simply cannot stand Internet Explorer the solution is here.
1. Click on the Start Menu > Control Panel
2. Click on Programs and Features
3. Click on Turn Windows features on or off link located on the left pane.
4. The Turn Windows features on or off window will open, uncheck Internet Explorer 8 and click OK.
5. After a couple of restarts Internet Explorer should be gone for good.

Hack 7 (6801/7000) – Make Windows 7 Trial Last 120 Days

Microsoft was nice enough to allow users to extend the 30 day trial period 3 times, which means that you will be able to use the Operating System for 120 days, assuming you follow the instructions below.
Note: In order for you to achieve the 120 days you must wait until day 29 or 1 day before trial expiration in order to take advantage of the loophole
Before proceeding make sure you backup your registry
1. Click on the Start Menu and type “regedit” into the search box, click to open the regedit.exe icon when the program appears in the search results.
2. Locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionSoftwareProtectionPlatform
3. Right-click to open SkipRearm located on the right pane.
4. IF SkipRearm is NOT set to 0 modify it to 0 and click OK to save.
5. IF SkipRearm is set 0 then,
6. Click on the Start Menu and type “cmd” into the search box, right-click on cmd.exe when the program appears in the search results, select Run as Administrator from the drop-down.
7. Type the following command slmgr -rearm and press Enter
8. Click OK when prompted
You can only perform this work around 3 times, after which you will receive an error and you will have to activate Windows to use it.

Hack 5 (6801/6956/7000) - Install TimerNuke (Remove Time based Windows 7 Expiration)

 The TimerNuke patch removes files associated with activation and disables related services. This prevents Windows 7 from blocking you out after you’ve exceeded activation timelines. The patch is simple to install, just download, install, and voila! No more activation blues. You can download the patch from this site or the mirror.

Hack 4 (7000/6801) - Remove Send Feedback link

This simple fix eliminates the Send Feedback link that plagues every window in Windows 7 the guide below will help get rid of this annoyance. Before proceeding make sure you backup your registry

1. Click on the Start Menu and type “regedit” into the search box, click to open the regedit.exe icon when the program appears in the search results.
2. Locate the following Key HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop
3. In the pane to the right of the key hierarchy, right-click on the white space and select New > DWORD (32 bit) Value.
4. When the value appears name it FeedbackToolEnabled.
5. Double-click the value you just created (FeedbackToolEnabled) and enter 0 in the Value Data box. Click OK.
6. Log off the computer and log back on for changes to take effect.

Hack 3 (7000) - Remove Watermark from Windows 7 beta 1 Desktop

Aside from the annoying Send Feedback link discussed below, Microsoft has made every effort to remind us of the beta status of the operating system we are using. This is evident in the watermark embedded on the desktop of every Windows 7 installation. If you’re as annoyed as I am of the disruption of my desktop Zen, the steps below will help you get rid of the infamous watermark. Before proceeding we must first ensure that User Account Control is disabled, follow the steps below to disable.
1. Click on the Start Menu > Control Panel
2. Click on User Accounts and then Change User Account Control Settings and adjust the slider so that it is at the bottom of the screen (Never Notify).
3. When you are done restart your computer.
4. Once your computer has rebooted browse to the following directory, “C:WindowsSystem32en-US”
5. Once you’re in the directory locate and right-click the following file user32.dll.mui
6. Select Properties from the drop-down menu, click on the Security tab and click on the Advanced button at the bottom.
7. Click on the Owner tab in the Advanced Security Settings window and click Edit…(By clicking Edit… you have made yourself the owner of the file)
8. Click OK to accept changes and return to the original file Properties window.
9. Click Edit… under the Security tab.
10. Select Users and a checkmark to the all the checkboxes giving you full control of the file.
11. Rename user32.dll.mui to user32-backup.dll.mui
12. Download the patched version of the files
A. 32 bit Download
B. 64 bit Download
13. Once you’ve downloaded the file extract it to the original directory (C:WindowsSystem32en-US)
14. Restart the computer.

Hack 2 (6801) - Enable Windows Aero in Windows 7

Just because Microsoft thinks your computer can’t handle it doesn’t mean they should keep you from trying it. This was the case with Windows Aero in Windows 7, the hack below forces Aero on your PC so that you can enjoy the beauty of transparency. Before proceeding make sure you backup your registry
1. Click on the Start Menu and type “regedit” into the search box, click to open the regedit.exe icon when the program appears in the search results.
2. Locate the following Key HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsDWM
3. In the pane to the right of the key hierarchy, right-click on the white space and select New > DWORD (32 bit) Value.
4. When the value appears name it UseMachineCheck.
5. Repeat and create 2 more DWORD Values, Blur and Animations
6. Double-click the value you just created (UseMachineCheck) and enter 0 in the Value Data box. Do the same for Values Blur and Animations. Click OK.
7. Close the Registry Editor.
8. Click on the Start Menu and type “cmd” into the search box, right-click on cmd.exe when the program appears in the search results, select Run as Administrator from the drop-down.
9. When the Command Prompt opens type the following commands.
A. Net Stop uxsms – this command will stop the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager
B. Net Start uxsms– this command will restart it
10. Once you close the Command Prompt, right click on the desktop and click on Personalize from the menu.
11. In the Personalization window, click on Window Color and Appearance, select Windows Aero from the Color Scheme menu.
This hack should also work on Virtual installations of Windows 7 except VMWare.

Hack 1(6801) – Enable New Windows Taskbar in Build 6801

When Microsoft made Build 6801 available to the public they left out several features that users have been waiting for, among those was the new Windows taskbar to enable the taskbar follow the instructions below.
1. Click on the Start Menu and type “cmd” into the search box, click to open cmd.exe (Command Prompt).
2. Once opened type the following commands in bold;
A. takeown /f %windir%explorer.exe
B. cacls %windir%explorer.exe /E /G User-Name:F (Note: Replace User-Name with your user name in windows 7)
C. taskkill /im explorer.exe /f
D. cd %windir%
3. Before proceeding you must download and extract the following file to the Windows directory (C:Windows) Note: You must choose the correct version below.
A. 32-bit Download
B. 64-bit Download
4. With the Command Prompt open type start unlockProtectedFeatures.exe
5. Restart your computer

9 Amazing yet Simple Windows 7 hacks

If you perform a Google search for Windows 7 hacks right now, hundreds if not thousands of websites clutter the search results page. One can easily lose their patience tracking hacks, determining what build they apply to, and validating that they work.
We’ve set out to organize this clutter into a neatly condensed guide that lists the top 9 Windows 7 Hacks out there. We’ve also made some effort to categorize the hacks by build number, you’ll also notice that some of these are borderline hacks, but are referred to as such so I’m sticking to the description. The list below will include the hacks along with some instructions to perform the hack, you will also be provided with the original sources should you want to follow up on them. If you know of any other Windows 7 hacks or think of a better way to hack Windows 7, feel free to share. Please Note: The hacks listed below are intended for specific builds of Windows 7, some hacks work on some builds of Windows 7, and some may only work on one version. An attempt has been made to identify which hack works on which build. Note the Hack number followed by build number, i.e. Hack 1 (6801) means that this hack has been proven to work on build 6801.

The Aero Interface

The performance impact of the Aero interface has been hotly debated since the time that Windows Vista was first released. I have seen some benchmark tests that indicate that there is no noticeable performance impact associated with enabling the Aero interface. At the same time though, there are people who swear that their PCs run more efficiently without it. In either case though, there is no denying that Aero does consume a significant amount of system resources.
In the current beta of Windows 7, Setup is designed to compute the system index. Assuming that the machine has a sufficient system index score and compatible graphics hardware, aero is automatically enabled. On the other hand, aero is not automatically enabled (although the aero shake and aero peek features are enabled) if you are running Windows 7 within a virtual machine. Windows 7 is designed so that it will not compute the system index if it is running within a virtual machine, and unless a system index is calculated, the aero glass is not enabled.

MSCONFIG

MSConfig has been around in one form or another since the days of Windows 3.1, and is alive and well in Windows 7. Although MSConfig was originally intended as a tool for diagnosing boot problems, it can also be used as a tool for optimizing the system’s performance.
You can launch MSConfig by entering the MSCONFIG command at the Run prompt. When the System Configuration dialog box opens, go to the Startup tab. As you can see in Figure B, this tab shows you which programs are set to run when the system boots, and allows you to disable any unwanted startup items.
Figure B
top_windows_7_performance_tweaks-2
The System Configuration tool allows you to disable unwanted startup items.

Internet Explorer Add-Ons

By itself, Internet Explorer is a fairly efficient application. However, add-ons can really decrease the browser’s performance. Windows 7 actually allows you to see which add-ons are taking the longest to load. From there, you can make a decision as to whether or not you want to disable the add-on in the name of faster load times.
You can check the performance of each add-on by opening Internet Explorer, and selecting the Manage Add-Ons command from the Tools menu. When the list of add-ons appears, scroll all the way to the right, and you will see a column that tells you how long each add-on takes to load, as shown in Figure A.
Figure A
top_windows_7_performance_tweaks-1
Internet Explorer shows you how long it took to load each add-on.

Enabling Windows 7 God Mode!

God Mode is easy to set up too, just do this:

Create a new folder anywhere.
Rename the folder by pasting this name exactly as it appears (copy it first):
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Win7GodMode

Set Auto Login in Windows 7 for Any User Account

Step 1 : Go to Run. (Press http://media.snaphow.com/images/logo_windows.png + R)
Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account
Step 2 : Type in control userpasswords2 and press enter.
Step 3 : In the User Accounts window, uncheck the option "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer"
Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account
Step 4 : Click Apply. It will pop a window "Automatically Log On" where you have to enter the user account name, password of that account you want to auto login with.
Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account
Step 5 : Click OK and its done.
Next time you boot your PC, laptop it will auto login in windows 7 desktop with the account you specified above. Sometimes this is useful for public computers at schools, colleges where the PC boots directly into a "limited user" account.

Set Auto Login in Windows 7 for Any User Account

Step 1 : Go to Run. (Press http://media.snaphow.com/images/logo_windows.png + R)
Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account
Step 2 : Type in control userpasswords2 and press enter.
Step 3 : In the User Accounts window, uncheck the option "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer"
Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account
Step 4 : Click Apply. It will pop a window "Automatically Log On" where you have to enter the user account name, password of that account you want to auto login with.
Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account
Step 5 : Click OK and its done.
Next time you boot your PC, laptop it will auto login in windows 7 desktop with the account you specified above. Sometimes this is useful for public computers at schools, colleges where the PC boots directly into a "limited user" account.

How to Setup Auto Login in Windows 7 PC for Any User Account

An useful tip is to setup auto login in windows 7 because if you are using a laptop or netbook you really don’t need password verification that much, even for your home PC (if you are alone or single).
This way you can avoid the useless password logon screen which takes a few sec. Also you can turn on your pc, laptop and grab coffee and come back to see a nicely booted windows desktop screen.

Bonus Tip: Record a PC Problem Step by Step with Problem Steps Recorder

Record a PC Problem Step by Step with Problem Steps Recorder
Windows 7 comes with the awesome Problem Steps Recorder to automatically capture the steps you take on a computer, including a text description of where you clicked and a picture of the screen during each click (called a screen shot).
Once you capture these steps, you can save them to a file that can be used by a support professional or someone else helping you with a computer problem.

Drag and Drop Files from your Jumplist into Gmail as Attachment


Jumplists are your most recently used files etc by an application. Right Click on a Taskbar launch icon to show the jumplist.
Drag and Drop Files from your Jumplist into Gmail as Attachment
Now gmail has this useful feature that lets you drag drop files into the browser while composing to automatically add it as attachment to that email message (see details).
So you can drag drop files from jumplists for eg: right click on the word icon drag drop the file into gmail compose window to add it as attachment. There are other site which let you to upload files via drag drop and you can use this technique for them too.
Note: To add any program like Word to taskbar right click on the program in start menu and select "Pin to Taskbar".

Search Tips in Windows 7 Explorer

Search Tips in Windows 7 Explorer
Use the asterisk (*) as wildcard : For eg: To search for all files with the extension .doc type *. doc
Search by Size : Type size: and it will show you options to search by size (see above). Simple select a range and then add your keywords.
Search by Type : Type type:image or type:doc or type:video along with keywords to specify you search for file type.
Here is a list of search codes finding files using Windows 7 search.

Run Start Menu Programs as with Administrator Privileges Directly


Extended Options in "Send To" in Right Click Menu

Extended Options in "Send To" in Right Click Menu
Hold down [Shift] key and then right-click on any file etc to get more advanced version of Send To with extra send to locations. Very useful to send files to your Library folders etc. I also use FileMenuTools for some super advanced right click menu for managing files etc.

Save Images, Copy Files to the Desktop Quickly

Save Images, Copy Files to the Desktop Quickly
Click hold the item, like an image on a webpage and drag and drop it into the Show Desktop button in the right-down corner of the screen, it instantly shows the desktop. Release the mouse hold and the item will be saved, copied to your desktop. You can use this copy any file to desktop.

System Repair Utility

Windows 7 now includes the ability to create a system repair disc, which is essentially a CD-bootable version of Windows that just includes the command prompt and a suite of system tools. Just type “system repair disc” in the Start Menu search box, and you’ll be led to the utility.

Hiding the Windows Live Messenger Icon.

In Windows 7 the Windows Live Messenger icon is now very visible in the taskbar (see image below). If you prefer it the way it was before; hidden in the system tray there is a solution for this as well;Windows Live Messenger appears by default on the taskbar.
Close Windows Live Messenger, edit the shortcut properties and set the application to run in Windows Vista compatibility mode.
UPDATE!: As Kevin points out in the comments below this tip unfortunately does not work any more. If you are running the original beta or any interim builds it does work, but not in the RC version.

ISO Burning.

Ever wanted to burn ISO images? Without the need for third party utilities you can do it directly in Windows 7: Double-click on any DVD or CD .ISO image and you’ll see a helpful little applet that will enable you to burn the image to a blank disc.You can burn an ISO image to disk with this built-in utility in Windows 7.

Starting Explorer from “My Computer”.

If you spend more time manipulating files outside of the documents folders than inside, you might want to change the default starting directory for Windows Explorer so that it opens at the Computer node:
The Computer node in Windows 7.
To do this, navigate to Windows Explorer in the Start Menu (it’s in the Accessories folder). Then edit the properties and change the target to read:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

If you want the change to affect the icon on the taskbar, you’ll need to unpin and repin it to the taskbar so that the new shortcut takes affect. It’s worth noting that Win+E will continue to display the documents library as the default view.

Pin Your Favorite Folders.

If you’re always working in the same four or five folders, you can quickly pin them with the Explorer icon on the taskbar. Hold the right-click button down and drag the folder to the taskbar, and it will be automatically pinned in the Explorer Jump List.

The Widescreen Tip.

Almost every display sold these days is widescreen, whether you’re buying a notebook computer or a monitor. While it might be great for watching DVDs, when you’re trying to get work done it can sometimes feel like you’re a little squeezed for vertical space.The solution: Dock the  taskbar to the left hand side of the screen. The Windows 7 taskbar feels almost as if it was designed with vertical mode as the default – the icons work well on the side of the screen, shortcuts like the Win+T trick mentioned previously automatically switch from left/right arrows to up/down arrows, and so on. The net effect is that you wind up with a much better proportioned working space.

How to open more instances of one application.

If you’ve already got an application open on your desktop (for example, a command prompt window), and you want to open a second instance of the same application, you don’t have to go back to the start menu. You can simply hold down the Shift key while clicking on the taskbar icon, and it will open a new instance of the application rather than switching to the existing application. For a keyboard-free shortcut, you can middle-click with the third mouse button to do the same thing. (This trick assumes that your application supports multiple running instances, naturally.)

Running with Elevated Rights.

Want to quickly launch a taskbar-docked application as an administrator? It’s easy – hold down Ctrl+Shift while you click on the icon, and you’ll immediately launch it with full administrative rights (assuming your account has the necessary permissions, of course!)

Installing from a USB Memory Stick.

If you want to install Windows 7 on a computer that does not have an optical drive you can use a USB memory stick instead. Reformat the memory stick as a FAT32 drive, and copy the contents of the Windows 7 Beta ISO image to the memory stick using xcopy e:\ f:\ /e /f (where e: is the DVD drive and f: is the removable drive location).

Rearranging the the Taskbar icons.

Tthe icons in the new taskbar aren’t fixed in-place and can be reordered to suit your needs, whether they’re pinned shortcuts or running applications. What’s particularly nice is that once they’re reordered, you can start a new instance of any of the first five icons by pressing Win+1, Win+2, Win+3 etc.You can also drag the system tray icons around to rearrange their order, or move them in and out of the hidden icon list.

Which add-on in IE8 is slowing it down?

If you feel like Internet Explorer is taking a long time to load your page, it’s worth taking a look at the add-ons you have installed. One of the more helpful little additions in Internet Explorer 8 is instrumentation for add-on initialization, allowing you to quickly see whether you’re sitting around waiting for plug-ins to load. Just click Tools / Manage Add-ons, and then scroll right in the list view to see the load time. On my machine, I noticed that the Research add-on that Office 2007 installs was a particular culprit, and since I never use it, it was simple to disable it from the same dialog box.

Problem Steps Recorder.

The Problem Steps Recorder provides a simple screen capture tool that enables you to record a series of actions. Once you hit “record”, it tracks your mouse and keyboard and captures screenshots with any comments you choose to associate alongside them. Once you stop recording, it saves the whole thing to a ZIP file, containing an HTML-based “slide show” of the steps. It’s a really neat little tool and I can’t wait for it to become ubiquitous on every desktop! The program is called psr.exe; you can also search for it from Control Panel under “Record steps to reproduce a problem”.The Problem Steps Recorder provides an easy way for users to record a problem repro for later diagnosis.

Find more themes/styles on your computer.

 If you’ve tried to change your desktop wallpaper, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a set of wallpapers there that match the locale you selected when you installed Windows. (If you picked US, you’ll see beautiful views of Crater Lake in Oregon, the Arches National Park, a beach in Hawai’i, etc.) In fact, there are several sets of themed wallpapers installed based on the language you choose, but the others are in a hidden directory. If you’re feeling in an international mood, simply browse to C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT and you’ll see a series of pictures under the Wallpaper directory for each country. Just double-click on the theme file in the Theme directory to display a rotation through all the pictures for that country. (Note that some countries contain a generic set of placeholder art for now.) I have posted a separate post explaining this one in more detail. You can find it here!

Multi-Monitor Windows Management.

The earlier tip on window management showed how you can dock windows within a monitor. One refinement of those shortcuts is that you can use Win+Shift+Left Arrow and Win+Shift+Right Arrow to move windows from one monitor to another – keeping them in the same relative location to the monitor’s top-left origin.

Cut Out The Clutter.

Working on a document in a window and want to get rid of all the extraneous background noise? Simply hit Win+Home to minimize all the non-active background windows, keeping the window you’re using in its current position. When you’re ready, simply press Win+Home again to restore the background windows to their original locations.

Miscellaneous

  • Win+P: Display the project options, which you can then use the arrow keys (or keep hitting Win+P) to switch to the different options. image
  • Win+X: Open the Windows Mobility Center.
  • Win+G: Bring gadgets to the top of the Z-order (Sets the focus to a gadget).

Windows Explorer

  • Ctrl+(mouse scroll wheel): Change the view/zoom in Windows Explorer. (This is the same as clicking the Views button or selecting one of the view options from the button’s dropdown list.)
  • Shift+(right mouse click on any folder or file): Displays an expanded context menu: < image
    (The additional Open options only appear for folders but the “Copy as path” option appears for both folders and files.)
  • Alt+P: Show/hide the preview pane.ar

Taskbar

  • Win+Space: Use “Aero Peek” to see any gadgets or icons you've got on your desktop.
  • Win+R: Opens the Run dialog.
  • Win+T: Move the focus to the first taskbar. (Pressing again will cycle through them.)
  • Win+Shift+T: Move the focus to the last taskbar. (Pressing again will cycle through them.)
  • Ctrl+(mouse click on a single application icon in the task bar): Toggle through each of the open windows in order. The best example of this is Internet Explorer. If you have five tabs open in a single Internet Explorer instance, holding the Ctrl key while repeatedly clicking on the single IE icon in the task bar will toggle through each of the five tabs in order.
  • Ctrl+Shift+(mouse click on an application icon in the task bar): Launch that application with full administrative rights. You can also use Ctrl+Shift+Enter for commands from the search bar for the same action.
  • Shift+(mouse click on an application icon in the task bar): Launch a new instance of the application rather than switching to the existing application. (You can also middle-click with the third mouse button or scroll wheel.)
  • Win+1 .. Win+5: Launch a new instance of any of the first five icons on the task bar. (By the way, the icons can be reordered to suit your needs by simply dragging them around and can be pinned shortcuts or running applications.)
  • Shift+(right mouse click on an application icon in the task bar): Show the Window menu. (You get different menus depending on whether the application is running or has multiple instances open.

Window Management

  • Win+Left Arrow and Win+Right Arrow: Dock a window to the left or right half of the screen.
  • Win+Shift+Left Arrow and Win+Shift+Right Arrow: Move a window from one monitor to another, keeping them in the same relative location to the monitor’s top-left origin.
  • Win+Up Arrow and Win+Down Arrow: Maximizes and restores/minimizes a window.
  • Win+Shift+Up Arrow and Win+Shift+Down Arrow: Maximizes and restores the vertical size of a window.
  • Win+Home: Minimize all the non-active background windows, keeping the window you're using in its current position. (Press Win+Home again to restore the windows to their original locations.)
  • Win+(plus key) and Win+(minus key): Zoom in or out using Windows Magnifier.
  • Win+E: Opens Windows Explorer.
  • Win+U: Opens the Ease of Access Center.
  • Win+D: Show/hide the desktop.
  • Win+F: Opens the Search Results window.
  • Win+L: Locks the computer.
  • Win+B: Sets focus to the “Show hidden icons” button on the task bar.
  • Win+M: Minimizes all windows.
  • Win+Ctrl+F: Opens the Active Directory Find Computers dialog.

How to Change the Display Language (Including Welcome Screen)

  1. Click on Start Menu, then go to Control Panel.
  2. Click on Clock, Language, and Region option (or Regional and Language Options icon in Classic View).
  3. Click on Change display language under “Regional and Language Options”. For users on Classic View, click on Keyboards and Languages tab.
  4. Under Display language, choose a language from the list.
    If no list of display languages been shown, make sure that you have installed additional language packs or files.
  5. Click OK (skip if you intend to change the language of Welcome screen too).
The new language is now applied to user interface. Log off and log on again to apply the change. The new language set is applied for your user account only, but not on Welcome screen nor default user account settings for new users. To effect the change of language in Welcome screen and/or default user account, follow these steps:
  1. In the “Regional and Language Options” window, click on Administrative tab.
  2. Click on Copy to reserved accounts button under “Reserved accounts” section.
  3. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation by UAC, type the password or provide confirmation.
  4. In the “Regional and Language Settings” dialog box, check to select System accounts (local system, local service, and network service) check box. The system accounts are special accounts used by Windows‌ services. This setting allows administrators to specify a display language and keyboard layout for the Welcome screen. It also sets the display language for users who have not specified a display language.
    Optionally, to copy the current settings to the default user account, select the Default user account (new users) check box. The default account is used as a template for creating new user accounts. This setting allows administrators to set the default format, keyboard layout, and display language for new users. Any user account created on the computer after the settings have been copied to the default user account has these settings applied to it. Existing user accounts are not affected.
  5. Click OK to apply the change.

Knowing the Jump Lists

Jump Lists is a new feature in Windows 7 that provides a handy way to quickly reach the files you have been working with, aka Recent Files. Most of the Microsoft applications, including Windows Explorer, IE, and Office, have the feature already built-in. Right-click these icons on the taskbar will show you the most recent accessed, opened files. And as tip 3 states, if there are other files you want to keep handy, you can just pin them to the Jump List so they’ll always appear.
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Enjoy, and if you have any tips that we haven’t covered, show them in the comments please.

Navigating the Taskbar without Mouse

Yes, it’s true that you can navigate through the taskbar, even full-screen preview the window, without using a mouse. How? Let’s start with a image+T which shift your attention to the taskbar and makes is as your active screen. And then you can use the left and right arrow keys to select the application, and up/down arrow keys to preview the window. Just hit Enter to select or launch it. To exit, simply press Esc, the key usually at the left up corner of your keyboard.

Using Windows Key to Quick Launch the Program

for the first five icons, you can quickly launch them with a simple keystroke: Any of the first five icons can be opened by pressing image+1, image +2, etc

Double-up Your Windows

When working within an application, sometimes you just want more of a good thing. To open another window of the same application (assuming the app can run more than one instance), simply hold Shift and click the taskbar icon. You can also middle-click your third mouse button for the same result.

Pin a Folder You use the most

Before, we do that by creating a shortcut either on the desktop or the Quick Launch Toolbar. Now, with pin concept in new taskbar, you can completely forget about the crappy shortcut. I never liked it. To do that, simply hold your mouse over the folder you want to pin up, right click, and drag it onto the taskbar. Windows 7 then automatically pins itself to the Explorer Jump List. To open the folder, right click the Explorer icon and click the folder you want.
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Enable the Quick Launch Toolbar

For people like me who loves the Quick Launch Toolbar so much, you can still do so in Windows 7. However, it won’t look exactly the same as before. To do so, right-click the empty space in taskbar, go to Toolbar and New Toolbar and browse or type “%userprofile%\appdata\roaming\microsoft\internet explorer\quick launch” into the folder box, and then click Select Folder.
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7 Tips on New Taskbar in Windows 7

New settings in Taskbar Properties
From the taskbar properties in 7, you can make the icon smaller, define the location of the taskbar, and taskbar icons combine options. To do this, right-click the empty space in taskbar, then go to properties.
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Finding a character a lot easier

Now you don’t need an application like Word to find and insert an non-standard symbol. You can do so right from Fonts window. Just click Find a character menu in the left panel, which opens the Character Map. Select  the characters you want to use and click Copy button to copy them into the clipboard so you can paste them later on in other applications.
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Support more weights in Font common file dialog

If the font you choose has more than 4 standard weights, now it’s supported in Font common file dialog in Windows 7.
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Fonts can be installed as a shortcut

As you noticed from the screenshot above, you can actually install a font using a shortcut, meaning that the actual font file can be stored elsewhere, as long as you can access it.

Hide fonts based on regional settings

Because there are a lot of fonts available in Windows 7, hiding fonts that aren’t designed for your language helps you find the font easier.
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Grouping multiple weights together

It wasn’t a big deal but does make the preview a lot easier. For example, font Trebuchet MS has 4 different weights. Instead of showing them individually, it’s now grouped all together. Clicking the Preview button opens 4 separate font windows.
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Grouping multiple weights together

Windows 7 has got rid of the ancient Add Font dialog box that has served Windows for more than 20 years. It took great courage for Microsoft finally replacing it with a much simple installation process with Install button built right in the preview window.
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How To Tell If My Computer is Capable of Using "Wake the computer to run this task" for A Scheduled Task?

Windows 7 has a very useful feature when scheduling a task, called "Wake the computer to run this task". Once it’s enabled in a particular scheduled task, it can wake up a sleeping or hibernating computer to run the task when the time is up. It’s useful because you can schedule a task to be run during the night while still keeping the computer in sleeping or hibernating mode to save the energy.
You can simply tick to enable this open from Conditions tab in the task’s properties window.
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Now, since this feature can be used by various hardware on your computer, you may wonder which or if my computer has the right hardware equipped to be able to take advantage of this feature. And here is a quick way of telling you so. Simply run the following powercfg command in the Dos Prompt window:
powercfg -devicequery wake_armed
And here is what I’ve got on my laptop.
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Note that, if you like and use this feature extensively, you may end up having quite a few tasks trying to wake up your machine all night. And it can easily get lost without knowing how many tasks that have been set that way are in place. And the powerful powercfg has another option -waketimers that can easily solves this mess.
powercfg -waketimers
If you are interested in how to set up a task that can wake up the machine and run the task, check out this post that shows you the detail steps how to wake up a sleeping windows 7 computer to run a Microsoft Security Essentials scheduled scan.

How To Convert A Dynamic Disk Storage Back To Basic Without Losing Any Data in Windows 7

Basic storage uses normal partition tables supported by all Windows versions right from MS-Dos, while a Dynamic disk storage has the feature that basic disks do not have, such as support for volumes spanning multiple disks, RAID 1 or RAID 5 disk arrays. It was introduced to give those who want disk redundant but couldn’t afford the hardware cost. Since the hardware array components are getting cheaper and cheaper, the use of dynamic storage has become less and less. But Windows 7 still supports it and you can benefit from it greatly.
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The downside of use Dynamic storage is that once the disk converted to Dynamic and being partitioned and used it can not be converted back to Basic without losing data, as the Convert to Basic Disk option will be greyed out once it’s been used. You will need a 3rd party tool to break it, for example, EASEUS Partition Master.
The Home Edition of EASEUS Partition Manager, which is FREE for home use, provides a feature that can easily convert a being used Dynamic disk back to Basic disk without losing any data that are stored on the disk.
To convert, simply download the software and install it on your computer. The downloading and installation process are very easy and straightforward. Just follow the wizard and you will be fine.
Then, launch the program, which scans and lists all partitions that are available, whether it’s dynamic or basic.
Right-click on the Dynamic Disk you would like to convert, and choose Convert to basic disk.
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Click on Apply button at the bottom right side of the window.
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Click on Yes button in the popup message box.
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Click on Yes button in the next window to agree to reboot the computer to perform the operation. You should save and close all other applications you still have open in case of losing any data.
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The computer then will be rebooted and the EASEUS Partition Master will launch itself automatically and perform all the changes.
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Depending on how big the partition you are converting, it may take a long time to get the job done. Once it’s finished, it will reboot again to your Windows 7 desktop.
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Finally, congratulation, you have successfully converted your long-used dynamic disk back to basic disk.
It looks fairly easy, doesn’t it?