Windows 7 Geek Tips
The following is a complete list of our Windows 7 Geek Tips
Are you looking for a program to manage your e-mail? Or maybe one to write a blog
with? Want to remotely connect computers and sync files between them? How about
creating a photo gallery or movie? You can do all of these and ...
If you use a program or visit a website on a
regular basis in Windows 7, you may want to
pin it to the Start menu or taskbar
for quicker access. When you pin a program or
website to the Start menu or taskbar,
you can always see ...
Have you ever needed to change a setting on your
Windows 7 laptop / netbook quickly? Maybe change
the screen brightness or turn on/off your
wi-fi? You can do just that and more with Windows
Mobility Center inside ...
During the normal use of your computer, you will accumulate a
number of unnecessary files (temporary setup / internet
files, recycle bin, etc.). You can remove these files with the
built-in Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) utility ...
A client recently asked me if I knew of any alternative to
Microsoft Office. As a firm believer in open source software,
I told him about OpenOffice.org 3 from Oracle.
It is a complete office software suite with a word
processor, ...
I am always looking at different ways to improve the performance of
Windows. One of the ways is to use ReadyBoost
that is built into Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
ReadyBoost can speed up your computer by caching files
...
E-mail is a great form of communication. But dealing with the spam can be a
nightmare. I bought my first domain in the '90's, I have been dealing with spam
ever since. Luckily for me, I found a program to deal with it ...
In a previous article, I discussed Microsoft Security
Essentials (MSE). I like the easy of use, the
integration with Windows Update and the small footprint it has,
especially on my netbook. Recently, Microsoft has released ...
Let's face it, some of the software we use on a daily basis has become subject to
security vulnerabilities and exploits. Software manufacturers due their best to
develop and test fixes / patches as fast as possible, but this ...
As more and more people are moving from Windows XP to
Windows 7, I thought I would spotlight a series of articles that I
wrote.
Network shell (Netsh) is a tool an administrator can
use to configure and monitor network devices on Windows based
computers at a command prompt. A common use of Netsh, is to
reset the TCP/IP stack back to default ...
Your computer has two types of memory, Random Access Memory
(RAM) and Virtual Memory. All programs use RAM,
but when there isn't enough RAM for the program you're trying to run,
Windows temporarily moves information ...
In this article, I share my five favorite tips for maintaining your Windows 7 computer.
In this article, I am going to spotlight Microsoft Security Essentials
(MSE). This is not Microsoft's first venture into the ant-virus market, but it
is probably the best. Having used the some of the more well know anti-virus
software ...
I recently got an e-mail asking if I knew why the installation of software that
was downloaded would fail on Windows 7. This issue is actually
part of Windows 7's User Account Control. Let's say I
was surfing the web with Internet ...
In this article, I thought I would share my top five favorite Windows 7
features I find most useful.
Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts (based on Windows 7)
I this article, I an going to show one of the uses for Virtual Machines
in Windows 7. More and more often I am asked 'How can I get
an old program to run on Windows 7?'. I ran into this issue a few years
back when one of my ...
I recently came across a useful application called Virtual Router over at
CodePlex. It creates a Wifi Hot Spot on any computer running Windows 7 (all versions except Starter) or
Windows Server 2008 R2. I installed it on my ...
In this article, I'd like tell you about Windows Double Explorer, a CodePlex project. This handy program manages two or more versions of
Windows Explorer in one application in Windows 7.
One of applications you can integrate into Windows Explorer is Image Resizer.
With a right click on a picture, you can quickly resize a photo without ...
When I migrated from Windows XP to Windows 7, one of the things I have missed is the Microsoft Powertoys. A couple of the functions have been integrated into
Windows 7 (Open Command Window Here and Power ...
In this article, I show how to list everything contained in the Control
Panel in Windows 7 in one folder. I had read couple of
articles concerning the Windows 7 'GodMode' and I thought I
would take look into. The way it works is you ...
Windows 7 provides several ways to find files and folders. There isn't one best
way to search—you can use different methods for different situations ...
Searching in Windows 7 can be as simple as typing a few letters in the search
box, but there are also advanced searching techniques that you can use ...
Windows 7 uses the index to perform very fast searches on your computer. Here are
some advanced indexing settings you can change ...
I am currently planning my migration from Windows XP to
Windows 7. Since there is no way to do an 'in-place'
upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, I
normally would need to back-up my current system ...
Having my new system built, I am ready to start my migration from Windows XP to
Windows 7 ...
It's time to find out what type of hardware and software we have installed. We
also want to collect any software licenses, too. I have found two programs very
useful ...
Now that we have performed the basic procedures (drive imaging and software / hardware inventory and
downloading drivers) I normally do before a clean install, it's time to get
into the installation details ...
With our installation of Windows 7 complete, it's time to move
on to the applications and settings ...
In the course of writing this series of articles about migrating from
Windows XP to Windows 7, I have been slowly moving my
production time from my old system to the new one ...
In this article, I am going to show how to use another one of my favorite
applications, Command Prompt and Open Command Window
Here ...
Default locations for user files in Windows 7.
In this article, I am going to show how to change the default locations of
user files and modify the library properties in Windows 7 ...
Windows 7 has many features that allow you to use your
computer without a display ...
You can reduce the amount of information on your screen so that it's easier to
read, and you can set up your keyboard to make typing easier ...
You can change the mouse pointer and turn on other features that can help make it
easier to use your mouse on the Make the mouse easier to use
page ...
If you sometimes have trouble seeing items on your screen, you can adjust the
settings to make text and images on the screen appear larger, improve the
contrast between items on the screen, and hear on-screen text read aloud ...
You can use your keyboard to control the mouse and make it easier to type certain
key combinations ...
Windows provides settings for using visual cues to replace sounds in many
programs. You can adjust these settings on the Use text or visual
alternatives to sounds page ...
Windows 7 has two features to help you use the computer without using a mouse or
keyboard ...
You can use your voice to work with windows and programs. Usually, you can just
say the command that you want to perform ...
Instead of relying on the physical keyboard to type and enter data, you can use
On-Screen Keyboard. On-Screen Keyboard
displays a visual keyboard with ...
Magnifier enlarges different parts of the screen. This is
especially useful for viewing objects that are difficult to see, but also for
seeing the whole screen more easily ...
Windows comes with a basic screen reader called Narrator that
reads text on the screen aloud and describes some events (such as an error
message appearing) that happen while you're using the computer ...
If you use a specific program on a regular basis, you can use the Task
Scheduler Wizard to create a task that opens the program for you
automatically according to the schedule you choose ...
One of the components of the Internet connection on your computer is a built-in
set of instructions called TCP/IP. TCP/IP can sometimes become
corrupted ...
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your
computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can
work more efficiently ...
You can help solve some computer problems and improve the performance of your
computer by making sure that your hard disk has no errors ...
To make sure you don't lose the files that you create, modify, and store on your
computer, you should back them up regularly. You can manually back up your files
any time or set up automatic backups ...
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) hosts and
displays administrative tools created by Microsoft and other
software vendors ...
I finally got around to installing the Beta release of
Windows 7. Did the first install into a VM (virtual
machine), just to get the feel for the new OS. I installed a copy of
Sun xVM VirtualBox, version 2.2.2, which has predefined
settings for ...
Since my last post, Windows 7 RC1 has been released. I am now
assembling a production system to use for the installation of RC1. I have
changed my mind on how I wanted to test this new OS from Microsoft. My original
idea was to use ...
Well, I went shopping and here is what I came up with. I like to utilize
local vendors when ever possible, but this system had a
processor requirement that I could not find cheaply from my favorite
vendor. I wanted a Quad-core ...
Antec cases have always been a great investments, as I have
owned several. They range from ...
I finished assembling the Windows 7 test system in about three
hours. The wring for the
Antec Skeleton case
proved to be a challenge. But I was ready for it, as the Antec P-180
I have also has a unique wring layout (the power supply ...
In this article, I give an overview of the key features that I built the
Windows 7 test system to evaluate, Quad-cores,
64-bit operating systems / applications and
Virtualization Technology (Virtual Machines).
With the Windows 7 test system running, it's time to see what it
can do. Keep in mind that the total cost for just the hardware (less the
Antec Skeleton case) was around
$525. I went over to Adobe
and downloaded the 64-bit trial version of ...