July 30, 2009 at 18:50Windows 7 Tricks
- Transfer
All the tricks revealed here are specific to building Windows 7 RC (Build 7100), and most of them, if not all, will be relevant in the final release.
Windows 7 allows you to search remote database websites from your desktop using open standards such as Open Search and RSS. Here are some popular and convenient search providers that you can add to Windows 7:
You can install the above add-ons from the Windows 7 forums , or get a package with several search providers here .
These search connectors work even in the standard dialogs of Windows, such as the Insert Picture ( the Insert the Picture ) in PowerPoint or any other application. You can even drag and drop Flickr images from browser search results in order to copy them to your desktop, without the need for any web browser.
You can lock the computer using the Win + L key combination . However, there is another way to do this - with a single click. Right-click on the desktop, select Create ( New ), Shortcut ( Shortcut ). In the " Type the location of the object " ( the Type the location The of the item ), enter rundll32.exe the user32.dll, LockWorkStation . Click Next ( the Next ), name the shortcut 'Quick Lock', and click Finish ( the Finish ).
If you want, you can give the shortcut a more attractive look, opt for it or the lock icon key: right-click, select Properties ( Properties has ), click Change Icon, enter shell32.dll and select any desired icon. Drag this shortcut and pin it to the taskbar, after which you can remove it from the desktop.
You can set the format of notes in Notes by highlighting the text and using different key combinations, as shown in this screenshot:
Do not forget to use the upgraded tools in Windows 7. With WordPad, you can open and save documents in Office 2007 .docx format and execute the Open Document command for .odt format documents.
Advanced Calculator can convert units, as well as perform operations with dates, calculate fuel consumption, calculate mortgage and leasing payments.
In Paint there are new types of lines for the brush, new shapes and support for the grid. Paint and WordPad have a Print Preview and Ribbon User Interface, which brings ease of setup and preview in realistic layout.
You can select non-contiguous files in the browser using the Ctrl-click combination , but there is an easier way - using the checkboxes. In the browser, click Sort ( the Organize ), then select Folder and Search Options ( Folder and search options ).
On the View ( View Take ), under Advanced settings ( the Advanced the Settings ), scroll through the window to the Use check boxes to select items ( the Use check boxes to the select items ). Now you can easily select multiple objects using only the mouse.
Note:This feature is also available in the previous version (Windows Vista). Thanks, falone .
You can perform a combination of Ctrl + Shift + Click on the icon on the taskbar in order to run the application as Administrator with full access rights (provided that your account has the appropriate permissions). Just follow the combination Shift + Right-click on any shortcut of the program in order to run it as another user, if, for example, you need wider rights, and you are logged in under the account of your child.
ReadyBoost improves the performance of your system by using fast USB flash drives instead of using slower hard drives for system operations. The best result is achieved with flash memory from 1 GB. Just insert your flash drive, and if it meets certain performance criteria, Windows 7 will ask if you want to use it for ReadyBoost technology and recommend the size of the reserved space.
By default, Windows indexes all files that appear in all of your libraries, email, and offline files. You can reduce the time and resources spent on indexing by customizing it for real needs.
Go to the Control Panel ( the Control Plesk Panel ), then indexing options ( the Indexing the Options ). Windows 7 displays a list of paths to currently indexed objects. Click on Change to select only those paths where you often search.
You can also turn off Windows Search and Windows Defender Services, which helps reduce system resources. If you are not looking for files, images, documents, etc. using Windows Explorer or using another search / index program, then you should disable the Windows Search service. If, and only if you use a third-party antivirus program, which is also a firewall (and the best of these programs have such properties), you can also disable Windows Defender (Defender Services).
Click on Start, type and run msconfig . On the Services tab, uncheck the box for the service you want to disable and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Protect USB Flash Drives with BitLocker Encryption . Right-click on the USB drive in My Computer, select Enable BitLocker and follow the instructions to protect sensitive data on your flash drives.
The next time you use your flash drive on another computer, a password will be requested before granting read-only access to data. You can even use the flash drive on older computers running Windows XP / Vista.
System Restore helps you in situations where Windows does not boot on its own. The Windows 7 installation disc also serves as a recovery disc. However, if Windows 7 is preinstalled on the computer, you will need to create a system recovery disk.
Click on Start, type and run recdisc.exe . Insert a blank CD / DVD into the drive, and click Create Disc.
** Caution **
Follow these two tips only if you have enough knowledge to edit the Windows registry. Before making any changes, make sure that you back up the registry!
The taskbar displays previews of open windows when you mouse over a software icon. By default, displaying a preview takes some time. Reduce the time it takes to display a preview using registry settings:
Click Start , run regedit . Then go to
Be careful , as further decreasing this value can cause problems.
Run regedit and go to
This installation tells Windows how long to wait before informing you that the service is not responding to a completion request. This can help you speed up the shutdown process if you have any services running.
1. Adding search providers in Windows 7
Windows 7 allows you to search remote database websites from your desktop using open standards such as Open Search and RSS. Here are some popular and convenient search providers that you can add to Windows 7:
- Bing (by Chakkaradeep)
- Flickr (by Long Zheng)
- Twitter (by Chakkaradeep)
- YouTube
- eBay
- Google news
- Digg
- Deviant art
You can install the above add-ons from the Windows 7 forums , or get a package with several search providers here .
These search connectors work even in the standard dialogs of Windows, such as the Insert Picture ( the Insert the Picture ) in PowerPoint or any other application. You can even drag and drop Flickr images from browser search results in order to copy them to your desktop, without the need for any web browser.
2. One-click screen lock
You can lock the computer using the Win + L key combination . However, there is another way to do this - with a single click. Right-click on the desktop, select Create ( New ), Shortcut ( Shortcut ). In the " Type the location of the object " ( the Type the location The of the item ), enter rundll32.exe the user32.dll, LockWorkStation . Click Next ( the Next ), name the shortcut 'Quick Lock', and click Finish ( the Finish ).
If you want, you can give the shortcut a more attractive look, opt for it or the lock icon key: right-click, select Properties ( Properties has ), click Change Icon, enter shell32.dll and select any desired icon. Drag this shortcut and pin it to the taskbar, after which you can remove it from the desktop.
3. Setting Notes
You can set the format of notes in Notes by highlighting the text and using different key combinations, as shown in this screenshot:
4. Use new tools
Do not forget to use the upgraded tools in Windows 7. With WordPad, you can open and save documents in Office 2007 .docx format and execute the Open Document command for .odt format documents.
Advanced Calculator can convert units, as well as perform operations with dates, calculate fuel consumption, calculate mortgage and leasing payments.
In Paint there are new types of lines for the brush, new shapes and support for the grid. Paint and WordPad have a Print Preview and Ribbon User Interface, which brings ease of setup and preview in realistic layout.
5. Use Checkboxes in Windows Explorer
You can select non-contiguous files in the browser using the Ctrl-click combination , but there is an easier way - using the checkboxes. In the browser, click Sort ( the Organize ), then select Folder and Search Options ( Folder and search options ).
On the View ( View Take ), under Advanced settings ( the Advanced the Settings ), scroll through the window to the Use check boxes to select items ( the Use check boxes to the select items ). Now you can easily select multiple objects using only the mouse.
Note:This feature is also available in the previous version (Windows Vista). Thanks, falone .
6. Shortcut for launching the program on behalf of the Administrator
You can perform a combination of Ctrl + Shift + Click on the icon on the taskbar in order to run the application as Administrator with full access rights (provided that your account has the appropriate permissions). Just follow the combination Shift + Right-click on any shortcut of the program in order to run it as another user, if, for example, you need wider rights, and you are logged in under the account of your child.
7. Boost productivity with ReadyBoost
ReadyBoost improves the performance of your system by using fast USB flash drives instead of using slower hard drives for system operations. The best result is achieved with flash memory from 1 GB. Just insert your flash drive, and if it meets certain performance criteria, Windows 7 will ask if you want to use it for ReadyBoost technology and recommend the size of the reserved space.
8. Configure Windows Search / Defender Services
By default, Windows indexes all files that appear in all of your libraries, email, and offline files. You can reduce the time and resources spent on indexing by customizing it for real needs.
Go to the Control Panel ( the Control Plesk Panel ), then indexing options ( the Indexing the Options ). Windows 7 displays a list of paths to currently indexed objects. Click on Change to select only those paths where you often search.
You can also turn off Windows Search and Windows Defender Services, which helps reduce system resources. If you are not looking for files, images, documents, etc. using Windows Explorer or using another search / index program, then you should disable the Windows Search service. If, and only if you use a third-party antivirus program, which is also a firewall (and the best of these programs have such properties), you can also disable Windows Defender (Defender Services).
Click on Start, type and run msconfig . On the Services tab, uncheck the box for the service you want to disable and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
9. Protect USB Drives with BitLocker
Protect USB Flash Drives with BitLocker Encryption . Right-click on the USB drive in My Computer, select Enable BitLocker and follow the instructions to protect sensitive data on your flash drives.
The next time you use your flash drive on another computer, a password will be requested before granting read-only access to data. You can even use the flash drive on older computers running Windows XP / Vista.
10. Creating a system recovery disk
System Restore helps you in situations where Windows does not boot on its own. The Windows 7 installation disc also serves as a recovery disc. However, if Windows 7 is preinstalled on the computer, you will need to create a system recovery disk.
Click on Start, type and run recdisc.exe . Insert a blank CD / DVD into the drive, and click Create Disc.
** Caution **
Follow these two tips only if you have enough knowledge to edit the Windows registry. Before making any changes, make sure that you back up the registry!
11. Fast download preview
The taskbar displays previews of open windows when you mouse over a software icon. By default, displaying a preview takes some time. Reduce the time it takes to display a preview using registry settings:
Click Start , run regedit . Then go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse. on the right, open the key MouseHoverTimeand lower its value from the standard 400 to about 150 . Be careful , as further decreasing this value can cause problems.
12. Quick Shutdown
Run regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Locate the key WaitToKillServiceTimeouton the right, double-click to edit, and change its default value from 12000 (12 seconds) to 2000 (2 seconds) or more. This installation tells Windows how long to wait before informing you that the service is not responding to a completion request. This can help you speed up the shutdown process if you have any services running.