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Useful USB devices for your computer

In this article, I show some of my favorite and useful USB devices.

Netbook connected to 42" plasma TV

Some of my favorite devices run through USB ports. Here are just a few:

Flash Drives:
Probably the most popular of all USB devices. They are great for storage, boot disks, etc., but have an average life of around 10,000 reads/writes.

Wired / Wireless Keyboards and Mice:
The second most popular USB device has to be the wired and wireless keyboard and mouse. Everybody needs a keyboard and mouse.

Hard Drives & DVD/CD Drives:
I use a multi-functional converter. It's a great way to mount a hard drive from a computer that has failed. Or use it with a hard drive for storage, boot drive, etc. The best one is to connect it to a standard 5.25" DVD burner and use it to create Recovery Disks on laptops/netbooks.

COM & LPT Ports:
Yes, there are still devices that require COM ports and printers that use LPT ports. And you can get USB converters to support them.

There are a ton of USB devices out there. These are but a few of my favorites.

List everything contained in the Control Panel in Windows Vista and Windows 7 in one folder

This article shows how to list everything contained in the Control Panel in Windows Vista and Windows 7 in one folder. I had read a couple of articles concerning the Windows 7 'God Mode', and I thought I would look into it. The way it works is you create a new folder and give it a specific name. Then, when you open that folder, it displays the contains of the control panel. Let's give it a try.

First, create a new folder and cut & paste the following in the name:

Control Panel.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Note:
For this article, I am going to use the name Control Panel. You can use whatever you like; keep the GUID extension (.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}) at the end
.

The first thing you will notice is that the folder now has a Control Panel icon. Double-clicking it reveals the complete contains of the Control Panel. I thought to myself, 'Pretty sweet, but how does it work?'. I quickly found the answer. The folder extension references the GUID (Global Unique Identifier) for the Control Panel in the registry and lists everything in the Control Panel.

Search and find a file or folder in Windows 7

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.

Use the search box on the Start menu

You can use the search box on the Start menu to find files, folders, programs, and e-mail messages stored on your computer.


The Search Box on the Start menu

To find an item using the Start menu:

  • Click the Start button, and type a word or part of a word in the search box.
  • Search results appear as soon as you start typing in the search box.

    As you type, items that match your text will appear on the Start menu. The search results are based on text in the file name, text in the file, tags, and other file properties.

    Note:
    When searching from the Start menu, only files that have been indexed will appear in search results. Most files on your computer are indexed automatically. For example, anything you include in a library is automatically indexed. Click here for more information about performing faster searches using indexing options in Windows 7

    Use the search box in a folder or library

    You're often looking for a file that you know is in a particular folder or library, such as Documents or Pictures. Browsing for the file might mean looking through hundreds of files and subfolders. To save time and effort, use the search box at the top of Windows Explorer.

    To open Windows Explorer:

    Press To
    +E Open My Computer.
    +F Search for a file or folder.


    The search box in a folder or library

    The search box filters the current view based on the text that you type. The search looks for text in the file name and contents; and in the file properties, such as tags. In a library, the search includes all folders included in the library and subfolders within those folders.

    To search for a file or folder by using the search box:

  • Type a word or part of a word in the search box.
    As you type, the folder or library contents are filtered to reflect each successive character you type. When you see the file that you want, stop typing.
  • You can also use other techniques in the search box to quickly narrow down a search. For example, if you're searching for a file based on one or more of its properties (such as a tag or the date the file was last modified), you can use search filters to specify the property in your search. Or, you can type keywords in the search box to narrow down your results even further. Click here to learn how to use search filters and keywords in Windows 7.

    Expand a search beyond a specific library or folder

    If you can't find what you're looking for in a specific library or folder, you can expand the search to include different locations.

    1. Type a word in the search box.
    2. Scroll to the bottom of the list of search results. Under Search again in, do one of the following:
      • Click Libraries to search across every library.
      • Click Computer to search across your entire computer. This is how to search for files that aren't indexed (such as system or program files). However, be aware that the search will be slower.
      • Click Custom to search for specific locations.
      • Click Internet to search online, using your default web browser and your default search provider.

    Using search filters and keywords when searching in Windows 7

    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. You don't have to know these techniques to search for your files, but they can be helpful depending on where your searching and what you're searching for.

    Adding search filters

    Search filters are a new feature in Windows 7 that makes searching for files by their properties (such as by author or by file size) much more straightforward.

    To add a search filter to your search


    The search box in a folder or library

    1. Open the folder, library, or drive that you want to search.
    2. Click in the search box, and then click a search filter (for example, Date taken: in the Pictures library).
    3. Click one of the available options. (For example, if you clicked Date taken: choose a date or a date range.)

    When you add a search filter, you'll notice that unigue keywords are automatically added to the search box. These keywords can help you refine your search by narrowing possibilities.

    You can add multiple search filters to a search, or even mix search filters with standard search terms to further refine your search.

    You can use two search filters to search for a picture tagged with "family" that was taken a long time ago.

    Depending on where you're searching, only certain search filters are available. For example, if you're searching the Documents library, you'll see different search filters than you would in the Pictures library. You can't specify which search filters you'll see, but you can change the type of file a library is optimized for. This will, in turn, change which search filters are available when searching that library.

    Using keywords to refine a search

    When searching for a specific file, most people type the file's name in the search box. But you can also search for a file based on its contents or properties. Type "summer," for example, and it will find files named "sunset in summer.jpg," files tagged with "summer," and files with the word "summer" in the content. This broad approach to search usually helps you find your file quickly.

    You can search by any file property. For example, if you know a file's type, you can enter the file extension ("JPG" for example) in the search box. Or, if you don't know the extension, you can type "document," "picture," or "music" to search for files of a specific kind.

    If you want to search more selectively, you can type specific keywords (such as "Name:" or "Tag:") in the search box to specify which file property to search. This typically involves typing a property name followed by a colon and then typing a value. Here are some examples of search terms:

    Example search term

    Use this to

    Name:Sunset

    Find only files that have the word sunset in the file name.

    Tag:Sunset

    Find only files that are tagged with the word sunset.

    Modified:05/25/2006

    Find only files that were modified on that date. You can also type Modified:2006 to find files changed at any time during that year.

    Another way to refine a search is to use Boolean filters to combine search words using simple logic. When you type Boolean filters such as AND or OR, you need to use all capital letters.

    Boolean filter

    Example search term

    Use this to

    AND

    tropical AND island

    Find files that contain both words "tropical" and "island" (even if those words are in different places within the file).

    NOT

    tropical NOT island

    Find files that contain the word "tropical," but not "island."

    OR

    tropical OR island

    Find files that contain either of the words "tropical" or "island."

    Quotes

    "tropical island"

    Find files that contain the exact phrase "tropical island."

    Parentheses

    (tropical island)

    Find files that contain both words "tropical" and "island" in any order.

    >

    date: > 01/05/06

    Find files with an attribute more than or later than a specific value, such as after 01/05/06.

    <

    size: < 4 MB

    Find files that have an attribute less than or earlier than a specific value, such as fewer than 4 MB. (You can also specify other sizes, such as KB and GB.)

    You can even combine Boolean filters with other search terms. The following table shows how you can get very different results using the same search words but different Boolean filters. (Note how the use of parentheses can change the effect of a search term.)

    Example search term

    Use this to

    author: Charlie AND Herb

    Find files that are authored by Charlie as well as any files that include Herb in the file name or in any file property.

    author: (Charlie AND Herb)

    Find only files that are authored by both names.

    author: "Charlie Herb"

    Finds only files that are authored by someone with exactly this name.

    Using natural language search

    You can turn on Natural language search to perform searches in a simpler way, without using colons and without the need to enter AND and OR in capital letters. For example, compare these two searches:

    Without natural language

    With natural language

    kind: music artist: (Beethoven OR Mozart)

    music Beethoven or Mozart

    kind: document author: (Charlie AND Herb)

    documents Charlie and Herb

    To turn on natural language search


    The Search tab under Folder Options

    1. Click on the Start menu, then Control Panel, then Appearance and Personalization, then Folder Options.
    2. Click the Search tab.
    3. Select the Use natural language search checkbox.

    Even with natural language search turned on, you can continue to use the search box the same way. If you want to use Boolean filters or search keywords, you can. The difference is that you can also enter searches using a less formal method. Here are some examples:

    • e-mail today
    • documents 2006
    • author Susan
    • pictures vacation

    Note:
    When you turn on natural language search, some searches might give more results than you expect. For example, if you search for "e-mail today", you will see all messages sent today as well as any messages with the word "today" in the contents.

    Perform faster searches using indexing options in Windows 7

    Windows 7 uses the index to perform quick searches on your computer. Here are some advanced indexing settings you can change.

    To add a file type to the index

    If you use an unusual file type that's not currently recognized by the index, you can add it to the index so you can search in Windows 7 by that file type.

    1. Click the Start menu.
    2. In the Search box, type Indexing Options and select it when it appears.
    3. Click Advanced. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click the File Types tab.
    5. In the Add new extension to list box, type the file name extension (for example, "txt"), and then click Add.
    6. Click Index Properties Only or Index Properties and File Contents, and then click OK.

    To rebuild the index

    The index requires almost no maintenance. However, if the index can't find a file that you know exists in an indexed location, you might need to rebuild the index. Rebuilding the index can take several hours, and searches might be incomplete until the index is fully rebuilt.

    1. Click the Start menu.
    2. In the Search box, type Indexing Options and select it when it appears.
    3. Click Advanced. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click the Index Settings tab, and then click Rebuild. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

    To index encrypted files

    Before you add encrypted files to the index, we recommend that you have Windows BitLocker (or a non-Microsoft encryption program) enabled on your system drive (the drive that Windows is installed on).

    Note:
    Windows BitLocker is only included in Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate.

    Note that the index will automatically rebuild each time this setting is changed. This can take a long time and might cause searches to be incomplete until the process is complete.

    1. Click the Start menu.
    2. In the Search box, type Indexing Options and select it when it appears.
    3. Click Advanced. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click the Index Settings tab, select the Index encrypted files checkbox, and then click OK. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

    Notes

    • Although you can use a non-Microsoft program to encrypt your system drive, non-Microsoft file encryption programs are not supported. Windows only supports files encrypted using the Encrypting File System (EFS).
    • EFS is only included in Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate.
    • Suppose you add encrypted files to the index, and you're not using full-volume encryption for the location of the index, encrypted data from your files, for example. In that case, text from an encrypted Microsoft Word document will be added to the index. The index is obscured so that it's not easily readable if someone tries to open the index files, but it doesn't have strong data encryption. If someone were to gain access to your computer, they could extract your data from the index. Therefore, the location of the index should also be encrypted to help protect your indexed data.

    To index words with and without diacritics as different words

    Suppose you commonly use diacritics (small signs added to letters to change the pronunciation of words) in your file and folder names. In that case, you can configure the index to recognize words with diacritics differently. By default, Windows recognizes diacritics according to the language version you are using. If you change this setting, all diacritics will be recognized.

    The index will automatically be rebuilt each time this setting is changed. This can take a long time and might cause searches to be incomplete until the process is complete.

    1. Click the Start menu.
    2. In the Search box, type Indexing Options and select it when it appears.
    3. Click Advanced. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click the Index Settings tab.
    5. Under File Settings, select the Treat similar words with diacritics as different words checkbox, click OK, and then click OK again.

    To change the location where the index is stored

    If you need to free up space on a hard disk, you can change the index's location. If you change this location, the Windows Search service will automatically be restarted, and the change will not go into effect until the restart is complete.

    1. Click the Start menu.
    2. In the Search box, type Indexing Options and select it when it appears.
    3. Click Advanced. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click the Index Settings tab.
    5. Under Index location, click Select new, click a new location, click OK, and then click OK again.

    Note:
    When you change the index location, you should choose a location on a non-removable hard disk formatted using the NTFS file system.

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