10 Tips That Make Windows 7 Simpler Windows 7 feature loads of improvements to streamline workflow and avert many of the headaches found in windows vista. But you can make windows 7 even easier to use by taking advantage of few enhancements you might not have heard about. Following are ten tips that can save time, make navigating your system easier, and give you quick access to commonly used programs and actions.
1. Handy keyboard shortcuts
Windows 7 includes many new keyboard shortcuts that p0ut frequently used actions at your fingertips learn these keystroke combinations and you’ll soon be saving a few seconds of mousing time here and there throughout the day. It adds up. Note: For those who don’t know “windows Logo” refers to key with windows flag on it, generally located between the Ctrl & Alt keys, to he left of the space bar.
Display or hide Explorer preview pane: Alt-P
Display gadgets in front of other windows:
Windows logo – G
Zoom in : windows logo – + (Plus Sign)
Zoom out: Window logo – - (Minus sign)
Max. Windows: windows log – up Arrow
Min. Window : windows logo – Down Arrow
Snap to the left-hand side of the screen
Windows logo- left Arrow
Snap to the right hand side the screen
2. Create keyboard Shortcuts for Programs
In addition to using windows 7’s default shortcuts. You can also create your own shortcuts to launch your favorite programs. First, Right-click on the program icon, choose Properties to open the properties dialog. Click on the dialog’s shortcut tab, click in the shortcut key text box, and press the key you want to use for that program. Your shortcut will use Alt-Ctrl plus your key you can’t overrule standard system shortcuts. Also, you can’t use the Esc, Enter, Tab, spacebar, print Screen, Shift or Backspace keys for obvious reasons.
3. Jump Lists
Windows 7 ‘s new jump lists appear in the Start menu and taskbar Buttons for programs that support the feature. They give instant access to frequently used commands such as opening recent files or performing program actions.
To access Jump Lists you can either click on the right arrow in program’s start menu entry, or right list open. If there’s a document you can just click on the pushpin icon in the right of the document’s entry.
4. Clean up your Screen (Aero Shake)
Focusing on one window when you have multiple windows open can be distracting. But instead of having to minimize every window one by one you can quickly unclutter your screen using Aero Shake. Simply click and hold the title bar of window you want to leave open, give it a quick shake, and you screen will be cleared of all windows except the one you’re working in.
5. Aero Peek
Another option for navigating a screen cluttered with windows is Aero Peek. However the mouse over the lower- right corner of the screen. Click button if you want to keep this view, showing only the desktop.
This takes the place of previous window version show desktop icon in the vanished Quick Launch toolbar. If you’ve moved your Taskbar to the top or sides o f the screen, this button will be at the top right or bottom of the taskbar, respectively
6. Search the Web from you desktop
You can use windows 7’s built-in search as an online search tool without having to launch a web browser, by using search connectors, For instance , if you wanted to search YouTube videos from your desktop, just download and install the YouTube search connector. This adds a “YouTube Search” option to your searches folder, which lets you browse YouTube from Desktop. Note the searches won’t be added to Start menu’s search box.
If you search on something in there first, and then click Enter, you’ll get an Explorer window that now includes, for example: a YouTube Search entry under favorites. Click on this to get results at YouTube right in the Explorer windows. Drag the icon with the right mouse button to crate a desktop icon for search provider. You can find search connectors at sevenforums.com which also teaches you how to create your own.
7. Make internet Explorer 8 load Faster
You can make IE8 load faster by disabling add-ons that slow it down. To find which add-ons you need to eliminate go to Tools>Manage Add-ons, check the load time listed here for each, and delete accordingly.
8. Combine Taskbar Icons
When you have a on of windows or apps opened at once, it can be hard to navigate among them all. Luckily, windows 7 let you combine icons to keep your taskbar neat and organized.
9. Troubleshooting and Document System Problems
Windows 7’s new problem steps Recorder comes in handy when you are looking to troubleshoot and recreate the problem step by step.
You can even add comments. When you’re done, recorder compiles the footage into a zip file you can then e-mail to a tech expert.
10. Add Videos to your Star Menu
You can make your video library easy to access by adding it to your Start Menu. To do so, right-click the Start Button, go to the Properties > Start Menu > Customize and set the videos to “Display as a link.