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Windows 7 - Tips & Tricks |
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- Auto-expand your windows- Dragging a window to the left or right edge of the screen will make that window automatically snap to (expand) and fill 1/2 the screen (in a neat vertical page-view). Dragging a window to the top edge of the desktop will maximize it (full-screen).
- Built-in ISO burner - Double-clicking on an ISO file will open up a straightforward utility. Select the disc burner drive and click 'Burn'.
- Shake off (minimize) unwanted windows to the taskbar - If you have a number of windows open and want to minimize all but the one you are interested in. Grab the window you want by the top (title bar), and give it a little shake.
- (Laptop Users) Easily switch to a projector or external display - Hit Win key+P or run DisplaySwitch.exe and choose your preferred display.
Additional places to look for help and ideas...
- Use MSCONFIG to change/remove startup items
- Click Start, type 'msconfig' and press Enter. Click on the 'Startup' tab. Uncheck those items that you believe to be unecessary. Click OK when done. Do this every so often.
- Use RESMON to show which processes are hogging the most system resources
- Click Start, type 'resmon' and press Enter. This will launch the Windows 7 Resource Monitor. You can browse the CPU, Memory, Disk or Network tabs. CPU view is somewhat improved. For example, if one of your program has locked up, you can now right-click its name in the list and select 'Analyze Process'. Windows will then try to tell you why it's stuck. The program might be waiting for another process, which could give you the information you need to better diagnoze/fix the problem.
- Windows can automatically color calibrate your monitor/screen
- Windows 7 provides a Display Color Calibration Wizard that helps you properly set up your brightness, contrast and color settings, and a ClearType tuner to ensure text is crisp and sharp. Click Start, type 'DCCW' and press Enter.
- Change the size of your Desktop Icons
- Highlight an icon on your desktop. Keep your mouse over it. Hold CTRL. Scroll your mouse wheel until they are the desired size.
- Add/Change images in the rotating background
- The standard Win7 rotating background themes are stored under C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\... You can simply create a new folder here or add to the existing theme folders (ie. Landscapes). Then right-click on your desktop, and select 'Personalize'. Click on Desktop Background (slide show) near the bottom. Highlight the folder/theme you want to use and select “Select All”. Here you also have the ability to change duration each image displays for as well as the “Shuffle” option.
- Restore the Quick Launch Toolbar
- Right-click the taskbar, choose Toolbars > New Toolbar, type "%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch" (less the quotes) into the Folder box and click Select Folder. Next right-click the taskbar, clear 'Lock the taskbar', and you should see the Quick Launch toolbar, most likely to the right. Right-click its divider, clear Show Text and Show Title to minimize the space it takes up. Complete the job by right-clicking the bar and selecting View > Small Icons for the true classic look.
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