Top 70 Tips, Tweaks and Tricks of Windows 7
The collection of top tips, tweaks and tricks to get most out of the Windows 7. Make use of these for great experience.
We rarely let anyone use our Personal Computer because we are afraid that he/she would mess it up, but it seems Microsoft has been thinking about us and came with a solution. The PC Safeguard doesn't let anyone mess your PC Settings because after the User Logs OFF, the configurations are reset back to normal. Of course it will not restore the configurations changed by you, but only the ones done by other Users you define.
To use PC Safeguard, go to Control Panel >> User Accounts and Create a New Account >> Set Up Pc Safeguard >> Switch it ON.
Then you can stay relaxed when others use your Computer, because you won’t find anything changed, including configurations, downloaded Software and Installed Programs.
2) Use of Screen Calibration.
Fortunately, Windows 7 comes with a Display Calibration Wizard that lets us set up the Screen Brightness Properly, so we won’t have any problems viewing Photos or Text. The problem was that on one PC a photo could look Sharp and Bright and on another it looks Awful. Now the problem can be fixed by pressing the Win key and then typing “DCCW”.
3) Use AppLocker.
If we are usually sharing our computer with someone else, then we might want to Restrict their access to your Applications, Files or Documents. Using the AppLocker tool, we have a few options to do this by blocking other Users to access Executables, Windows Installers, Scripts, a Specific Publisher or Path. We can simply do this by pressing the Windows key then typing Gpedit.msc. Then go to Computer Navigation >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Application Control Policies >> AppLocker. Right click on one of the options ( Executables, Installers, or Script ) and Create a New Rule. That should save you from a lot of Headaches.
4) Burn Images.
We all had trouble with Image Burning in Windows, because it couldn't do it itself, a Standalone Software being needed. With Windows 7 this will not be a problem anymore. All you have to do is Double Click the ISO image and Burn it on the CD or DVD that’s inserted in the drive.
5) Display Empty Removable Drives.
Windows 7 will not show Empty Drives by Default, so if you connect an Empty drive to your Computer, don’t worry, just go to Tools >> Folder Options >> View and UnCheck “Hide empty drives in the computer folder”. This doesn't seem like a good idea and it should not be Default Setting, because it will be Hard for Inexperienced User to figure it out.
6) Dock current Windows to Left Side Of The Screen.
This new feature seems useful because sometimes it’s disturbing that Windows seems to float like Crazy on the Screen and it’s Hard to attach them to one side of it. Now this can easily be done using a keyboard shortcut. Press the Windows key + Left key to Dock it to the Left Side of the Screen.
7) Dock The Current Windows To The Right Side Of The Screen by pressing the Windows key + Right key to Dock it to the Right Side of the Screen.
8) Display Or Hide The Explorer Preview Panel by pressing ALT + P to Hide it then once again to display it.
9) Display Gadgets on Top Of Other Windows by pressing ALT + G.
10) Use Background Photo Slideshow.
If we are feeling bored, then we would want to change the background from Time to Time without wasting a time or doing anything. Now we don’t have to do this anymore, because we can now set up a slideshow in Windows 7.
Right click on the Desktop then go to Personalize >> Desktop Background and hold the CTRL key while choosing the Images.
11) Make The Taskbar Smaller.
If we feel like that taskbar is using too much of your Screen Space, then we can choose to make the Icons Smaller.
To do this, Right Click on the Start button >> Properties >> Taskbar and set it to “Use small icons”.
12) Combine Taskbar Icons.
When we have more Windows or Applications Opened, the Taskbar’s Space might not be enough for them all, so you need to Combine them, just like you would in Windows XP or Vista. To do this, Right Click Start button >> Properties >> Taskbar and Check “Combine when taskbar is full”.
13) Multi-threaded File Copy.
If you are a more advanced user, you've already heard about RoboCopy. Now it’s included in Windows 7 and lets you perform Multi Threaded Copies from the Command Line. You can choose the number of threads like this “/MT[:n], which can be from 1 to 128.
14) Maximize Or Restore The Foreground Window by pressing Windows Key + Up Key.
15) Minimize The Active Window by pressing Windows Key + Down Key.
16) Activate The Quick Launch Toolbar.
The Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows XP and Vista seems to be a very Good idea that we might miss using Windows 7. Fortunately though, we can get it back in a Quick few steps. Right Click the Taskbar >> Toolbar >> New Toolbar and type “%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch” into the Folder Box, then Click Select Folder.
To make it look like it would in Windows Vista, Right Click the Taskbar, Uncheck “Lock the Taskbar”, then Right Click the Divider and Uncheck “Show Title” and “Show Text”.
Then Right Click the Taskbar and Check “Show Small Icons” and it should be done.
17) Preview Photos In Windows Explorer, Press ALT + P and a Preview it on the right.
18) Desktop Magnifier.
Press the Windows Key and the Plus ( + ) Key to Zoom In or Windows Key and the Minus ( - ) Key to Zoom Out. We can Zoom anywhere on the Desktop and can even configure our Magnifier. We can choose to Invert Colors, follow the Mouse Pointer, follow the Keyboard Focus, or the Text Insertion Point.
19) Minimize Everything Except The Current Window by pressing the Windows Key + Home Key.
20) Troubleshoot Power Management.
Windows 7 can tell us that how much Power our Computer uses or provide detailed information about the Power usage and issues caused by each Application and Device. This way we can Optimize the way our Battery is used and making it last longer. Press the Windows Key and type “POWERCFG –ENERGY –OUTPUT ”, and it will create a file called Energy-Report.html in the folder specified by you, after observing your Computer for 60 seconds.
21) Web Searches From Your Desktop. Windows 7 lets us search for Online Resources, by adding a connector that be Downloaded for free.
22) Add Videos To Your Start Menu.
If we were looking for a faster way to access your Videos, then Windows 7 has the Right Answer for us.
Right Click the Start button >> Properties >> Start Menu >> Customize and Set the Videos to “Display as a link” and you’re done, you will now find them in the Start Menu.
23) Shift The Window From One Monitor To Another.
If we are using two or more monitors, then we might want to move the Windows from one to another. There is a very simple way to do it.
All we have to do is press the Windows Key + Shift Key + Left or Right Key, depending on what monitor we want to move it to.
24) Customize Power Button.
There is an Option to Replace the “Shut Down” button with another Action, if we rarely shut down the computer, but more oftenly restart it or put it on sleep then we can customize the Power Button.
Right click the Start Button >> Properties and choose the "Power Boot Action” to do whatever you want, from the given options.
25) Easily add a new Font. Adding a new font it’s now easier than ever. Just download the font you want, Double Click it and you should see the Install Button.
26) Stretch The Window Vertically. We can Stretch the Active Window Vertically to the Maximum Display Height by pressing the Windows + Shift + Up Keys. Press Windows + Down Keys if you want to Restore it.
27) Open Windows Explorer by pressing The Windows + E Keys to open a New Instance of Windows Explorer.
28) Create a new instance of the first icon in the Taskbar.
Press Windows + 1 Keys to open a New Instance of the First Icon in the Taskbar. This could prove really useful in some Circumstances.
29) Windows Action Center.
Windows Action Center offers us an Important Information about our Personal Computer, like the Antivirus Status, Updates, Troubleshooting and Provides a Backup Scheduling Feature.
To access it, go to Control Panel >> System And Security >> Action Center.
30) Windows Troubleshooting Platform.
This platform can help us solve a lot of issues we may Encounter, like the Internet Connection, Hardware Devices, Poor System Performance and more. We can choose what to Troubleshoot and it will come with some possible explanations for the Problem that might really help us.
There are a lot of Options, guidance and information available there, so give it a try by typing “troubleshoot” or “fix” after pressing the Windows Key.
31) Turn Off System Notifications.
System notifications are usually disturbing and aren't always useful, so we might want to Turn some of them OFF and this can be done in Windows 7 by Double Clicking the Notification Area Icons in Control panel.
There we can change Notifications and Icons for the Action Center, Network, Volume, Windows Explorer, Media Center Tray Applet, Windows Update Automatic Updates.
32) Turn Off Security Messages.
To Turn OFF Security Messages we have to go to Control Panel >> System and Security >> Action Center >> Change Action Center Settings and we can Turn OFF the following Notifications : Windows Update, Internet Security Settings, Network Firewall, Spyware and Related Protection, User Account Control, Virus Protection, Windows Backup, Windows Troubleshooting, Check for updates, etc.
33) Cycle Through The Open Programs Via Taskbar’s Peek Menu. This works just like Alt + Tab, but opens the menu just Above the Sidebar, doesn't seem very useful.
Give it a try by pressing The Windows Key + T.
34) Run A Program as an Administrator. We can easily Run a program as an Administrator by pressing Ctrl + Shift while opening it.
35) Same Program Windows Switching. If we have more Instances of a Program Running, simply hold Ctrl while Clicking on its icon and it will Cycle through all the Instances.
36) Auto Arrange Desktop Icons. We can now forget about the Right Click >> Auto arrange. All we have to do is hold F5 pressed for a bit and the Icons will auto arrange itself.
37) Encrypt Removable USB Drives. Encrypting an USB Drive has never been Easier. Now we can Right Click on the Removable Drive and then on the “Turn on Bit locker”.
38) Turn Off Smart Window Arrangement.
If we don’t like Windows 7’s New Features that arrange our Windows Intelligently, there’s an easy way to Turn it OFF by pressing the Windows Key >> regedit >> KEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and set WindowArrangementActive to 0.
After we reboot our Computer, the Smart Arrangements will be Turned OFF.
39) Create A System Repair Disc.
Windows 7 Features a Tool that lets us Create a Bootable System Repair Disc that includes some System Tools and the Command Prompt. To create it just press the Windows Key and type “system repair disc”.
40) Hard Link Migration Store. The Hard Link Migration store is only available for New Computers and can Migrate Files, Settings, and User Accounts. The New Hard Link Migration Store uses less Disk Spaces and takes less time.
41) Turn Off "Send Feedback" by pressing the Windows Key >> regedit >> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and set Feedback Tool Enabled to 0.
After we Restart the computer, it shouldn't be there anymore. Also, if we want to Turn it ON again, set the Feedback Tool Enabled to 3.
42) Improved Calculator. Windows 7 features an improved calculator that can do Unit Conversion, Date Calculation, Gas Mileage, Lease, and Mortgage. We can also choose between Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and Statistic Calculator.
43) Open A Folder In A New Process.
Windows 7 opens all Folders in the same Process in order to save resources, but this means if one Folder Crashes, they all Crash. So if we feel like that’s a risk and we don’t have to take it, then we have to Open them all in their Own Processes.
To do this hold down Shift and Right Click the Drive and “Open in New Process”.
Now we will be safe.
44) Problem Step Recorder.
The Problem Step Recorder is a great tool that can be used in more Circumstances. You can turn it on by pressing the Windows Key >> PSR.exe >> Record.
45) Free Codecs Pack. Unfortunately, Windows Media Player still isn't able to Play many Audio and Video files, so we still need some Codecs. The free Codecs Pack can be downloaded easily from Microsoft websites and we shouldn't have any problems.
46) Start Windows Explorer From My Computer.
Windows Explorer Opens in the Libraries Directory by Default. Most of us want to see the My Computer page Instead.
To change it to My Computer press the Windows Key >> explorer >> Properties and in the Shortcut Tab type “%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}”.
Now we have to Right Click the Explorer Icon in the Taskbar and hit “Unpin this program from the Taskbar” and then drag it back from the Start Menu.
47) Clear The Desktop. If there are too many windows on the Desktop, we can clear it by Shaking a Window from Left to Right and all others will Minimize. To Restore the other Windows we have to Shake the Active ones again.
48) Use Gadgets With UAC Turned Off.
Maybe some of have noticed that once we Turn OFF User Account Controls ( UAC ), we can’t use the Gadgets anymore, as a Security measure.
But if we want to risk using them, there is a simple way to do it, even with UAC Turned OFF by pressing the Windows Key >> regedit >> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Sidebar\Settings and create a DWORD value named AllowElevatedProcess and set its value to 1.
Now we should be able to use our Gadgets. If not,then reboot the Computer and it should be done.
49) Fix The Media Player & Media Center MP3 Bug.
Both Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center come with a Bug that can damage our MP3s by filling missing Metadata Automatically on imported MP3 files. This can cut a few seconds from the beginning of the tracks and can prove really Disturbing. This problem can be fixed by Microsoft using the fix.
50) Search Everything In Your Computer.
Windows 7 offers the possibility to search all File types, including unknown ones and this could help us in some cases. Though it is not Recommended, because it’s much slower than normal search, we can give it a try by doing the following :
Launch Windows Explorer >> Tools >> Folder Options >> View and Check “Try to search the content of unknown file types”.
If we don’t need it anymore, don’t forget to clear it for an Increase the Speed.
51) Mouse Gestures.
Windows 7 has not only brought Gestures for those who use Touchscreen Devices, but also for Mouse Users too. So, instead of Right Clicking a Taskbar Icon to access the jump list, we can hold Left Click and drag upwards to smoothly call it up. In addition, clicking and dragging down the Address Bar in Internet Explorer will open the Browsing History. There can be more gestures yet not discovered.
52) Configure Your Music Favorites.
If we've already fixed the Windows Media Center, now we might think of ways to improve our experience with it. The Media Center creates a list of favorite songs based on how often we play them, our ratings and date we've added them.
If we aren't comfortable with the way they thought it out, change the way it sorts your favorites by going to Tasks >> Settings >> Music >> Favorite Music.
53) Turn Off Recent Search Queries Display.
Windows 7 holds and displays the recent search queries by default. This can often prove to be irritating. No need to stress though because it can be disabled.
Press the Windows Key >> gpedit.msc >> User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Windows Explorer and double click on “Turn off display of recent search entries”.
54) Advanced Disk Defragmentation.
Fortunately, Windows 7 offers much better Defragmentation than Vista and also lets us configure it a bit from the command line.
To do it, press the Windows Key >> CMD. We can Defragment our Hard Disk from the command line by typing “defrag” and we have the following options : /r will defrag multiple drives simultaneously, -a performs a defrag analysis, -v prints the report, -r treats files with at least 64 Mb of fragments like are not fragmented, -w will defrag everything. An example is “defrag C: -v -w” to defrag the whole drive C.
55) Make Internet Explorer Load Faster.
If we want Internet Explorer to load Faster, we need to disable the add-ons that slow it down, so go to Tools >> Manage Add-ons and check the load time for each one. We can choose for our self the ones we can live without and ones that would Increase the Load Speed.
56) Media Center Automatic Download.
Windows Media Center 12 allows us to schedule Data Downloads, so it can be done without disturbing us. To do it go to Tasks >> Settings >> General >> Automatic Download Options and we can configure it to Start and Stop the Download whenever we want.
57) Remove The Sidebar.
Windows 7 doesn’t seem to Feature the Sidebar anymore, but it still exists and runs in the Background, being launched automatically at Startup. So if we want to get rid of it, there are two ways.
The easier one is to press the Windows Key >> MSCONFIG.EXE >> Startup and clear the Sidebar box.
The hard way is to press the Windows key >> regedit, find and delete the registry key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. This can save our some RAM consumed with no use.
58) Volume Tweaking. Don’t you like that Windows 7 automatically reduces the Volume when it detects PC calls ? We can Turn OFF this feature by Right Clicking the Speaker Icon in the Taskbar >> Sounds >> Communications and get rid of it.
59) Run a Program as another User. Windows 7 comes with the possibility to Run a Program both as an Administrator or Another User, by Right Clicking on the Executable or Shortcut while holding down the Shift key. Then we have to select “Run as another User”.
60) Use Virtual Hard Disk Files.
We can now Create and Manage Virtual Hard Disks Files in Windows 7 as if they are Real Disks. This can allow us to use a Live Windows Installation on the Virtual Disk without the need to Boot the Virtual Computer.
To create a Virtual Disk we have to press the Windows Key >> Right Click on Computer >> Manage >> Disk Management >>> Action >> Create VHD. There we can specify the location and size of our Virtual Hard Disk File.
To attach the Virtual Disk File press the Windows Key >> Right Click Computer >> Manage >> Disk Management >> Action >> Attach VHD and we have to specify the location and if it’s read only or not.
To initialize a Virtual Hard Disk we press the Windows Key >> Right Click on Computer >> Manage >> Disk Management >> Action >> Attach VHD and specify the location, click Ok and then Right click on the Virtual Disk and Click on Initialize Disk. Select the Partition Style we want to use and then Right Click on the Unallocated Space and click “New Simple Volume” and follow the Instructions Wizard. Now, a new hard drive appears in Windows Explorer and we can use it as a real partition.
61) Remove Windows Live Messenger in the Taskbar.
To get rid of the Windows Live Messenger Tab and put it back on the System Tray, go to C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger, Right Click msnmsdgr.exe and set its Compatibility Mode to Windows Vista.
62) Lock The Screen. There is No Lock Screen Button in the Start Menu anymore, so we have to press the Windows Key + L to Lock it.
63) Create A Screen Lock Shortcut. In case we don’t like Short keys or if we keep on forgetting them, then there is an another option for Screen Lock by simply creating a New Shortcut to C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll, Lock Work Station and place it wherever we want.
64) Enable Run Command In Start Menu. If we miss the old Run Command button in Windows XP, then there is an Option to get it back in Windows 7 by Right Clicking an Open area in Start Menu >> Properties >> Start Menu >> Customize and Check “Run Command". Now it should be done.
65) Improve Desktop Window Manager For Nvidia Graphics.
Sometimes the Animations for Desktop Window Manager don’t look very well and are not very smooth enough and this is because Desktop Window Manager renders effects with No Transparency and Blurring, but we can Turn OFF Animations for more pleasant Graphics by pressing the Windows Key >> Right Click on Computer >> Properties >> Advanced System Settings >> Performance >> Settings and Clear “Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing” >> OK. Now it is done.
66) Change Default Save Location For Files.
Windows 7 is a bit different from Vista, because it saves Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music under the Public folder inside C:\Users. We might not want to save your Documents, Pictures, Videos or Music to this location, but at our own locations and we can do it quite easily by pressing the Windows Key >> Click Username and Double Click folder we wish to Change. Then we will see Include Library Locations.
Click on that text >> Right Click on the folder we wish to set like default >> “Set as default file location” >> Ok. Now it is done.
67) Make 64 Bit Windows Media Player Default.
Windows comes with the 32 Bit version of Media Player by default. If we are a x64 User, we can keep the System Cleaner by only Installing one set of Codecs by pressing Windows Key >> Right Click on Command Prompt >> “Run as administrator” >> type “ unregmp2.exe /SwapTo:64? " >> press the Windows Key >> “regedit” >> HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wmplayer.exe\ >> Double Click on value >> change “%ProgramFiles(x86)” to “%ProgramFiles%”. Now we would be using the 64bit Windows Media Player.
68) Multiple Instances of Windows Explorer via Taskbar.
If we want to Run more Instances of the Windows Explorer just by hitting the Startbar, we can do it by following these steps :
Unpin Windows Explorer from the Taskbar >> press Windows Key >> Accessories >> Right Click Windows Explorer >> Properties >> change shortcut path to
" %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} " ( if we want default as My Computer )
or
" %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5} " ( if we want default as Libraries ).
Now repin Windows Explorer to Taskbar and it is done. All that is required for opening more Instances of it is just a click of the middle mouse button. If someone is not pleased with what we've done, change the shortcut path back to %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe.
69) Make The System Clock show AM / PM Symbols.
By default Windows 7 does show the Time in 24 Hours Format, so if someone want to get the AM / PM symbols, press the Windows Key >> type intl.cpl >> Addition Settings >> Time where Long Time is set to HH:mm and change it to HH:mm tt, for example, where tt is the AM or PM symbol ( 21:12 PM ).
To change it to the 12 hour format, we need to type it like this hh::mm tt ( 9:12 PM ).
70) Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility Mode.
If our websites don’t render correctly, we might need to Enable Internet Explorer 8 to display them in Compatibility View. This issue is because of the Updated Rendering Engine, which causes a lot of trouble.
To do it, Open Internet Explorer >> Tools >> Compatibility View Settings and Check “Display all websites in Compatibility View” >> Ok. Now it is done.
So these are the Top 70 Tips, Tweaks and Tricks of Windows 7.