64 Tips to Make Windows 7 Faster, Secure, Easy to Use
Hello Guys ,these are some tips for Windows 7 users ..
Windows 7 may be Microsoft’s most anticipated
product ever. It builds on Windows Vista’s positives, and eliminates
many of that OS’s negatives. It adds new functionality, too—all in a
package that is less resource-hungry than its predecessor.
And whether or not you’re upgrading from Vista or
skipping it altogether and moving up from Windows XP, you’ll need to
know how to make the most of it in your environment. Here are 77 tips
and tricks to get you there.
1. Pick Your Edition. Most business
users do not need the more expensive Ultimate Edition; stick with
Professional unless you specifically need BitLocker.
2. Upgrading? Go 64-bit. As the second major
Windows release to fully support 64-bit, the x64 architecture has
definitely arrived on the desktop. Don’t buy new 32-bit hardware unless
it’s a netbook.
3. Use Windows XP Mode. Yes,
it’s only an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of WinXP—but it’s an
embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of Windows XP! This is the first
profoundly intelligent use of desktop virtualization we’ve seen—and a
great way to move to Windows 7 without giving up full Windows XP
compatibility.
4. Use Windows PowerShell v2. More
than just a shell, this is the administration tool you’ve always
wanted: Parallel, distributed processing for administrative tasks!
Manage 100 machines literally as easily as you manage one with the new
Remoting feature. Windows PowerShell v2 ships for the first time in
Windows 7, and within six months will be available for older versions of
Windows.
5. Use AppLocker. We’ve been fans
of Software Restriction Policies since Windows XP, and AppLocker
finally makes application whitelisting possible. Use it to enhance or
even replace your anti-virus software, ensuring that only the software
you want to run will run.
6. Shift to and from Explorer and CommandPrompt. The
classic Windows power toy Open Command Prompt Here is now an integral
part of Windows 7 Explorer. Hold down the shift key then right-click a
folder to add this option to the property menu. While you’re in a
command prompt, if you want to open an Explorer window with the focus of
the window on the current directory, enter start.
7. Record Problems. The Problem
Steps Recorder (PSR) is a great new feature that helps in
troubleshooting a system (see Figure 1). At times, Remote Assistance
may not be possible. However, if a person types psr in their Instant
Search, it will launch the recorder. Now they can perform the actions
needed to recreate the problem and each click will record the screen
and the step. They can even add comments. Once complete, the PSR
compiles the whole thing into an MHTML file and zips it up so that it
can be e-mailed for analysis to the network admin (or family problem
solver, depending on how it’s being used).
Figure 1 The Problem Steps Recorder dramatically speeds up troubleshooting. (Click the image for a larger view)
8. Make Training Videos. Use a tool like Camtasia
to record short, two to three minute video tutorials to help your users
find relocated features, operate the new Taskbar and so forth. Get
them excited about Windows 7—and prepared for it.
9. Start Thinking About Windows Server 2008 R2. Some
of Windows 7′s more compelling features, like BranchCache, work in
conjunction with the new server OS. The R2 upgrade path is pretty
straightforward, so there’s little reason not to take advantage of the
synergies if you can afford upgrade licenses.
10. Prepare Those XP Machines. There’s no
in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, so start planning to
migrate user data now, in advance of a Windows 7 upgrade deployment.
11. Consider Clean Installs. Even when upgrading
Windows Vista machines, consider a clean install rather than an
in-place upgrade. Yes, it’s more hassle, but it’ll produce a more
trouble-free computer in the long run.
12. Consider Upgrade Assurance. Even if you’ve
never bought it before, consider it for your new Windows 7 licenses.
Access to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), which
includes App-V, MED-V and other cool technologies, is worth the
premium.
13. Find New Tools. Within
Control Panel is a single Troubleshooting link that leads you to all of
your diagnostic tools on the system. There are additional tools,
however, not installed by default. Selecting the “View all” link in the
top left-hand corner will help you to see which troubleshooting packs
are local and which ones are online. If you find a tool that you don’t
have, you can grab it from here.
14. Understand Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
Windows 7 plays an important role in Microsoft’s VDI strategy, where
virtualized Windows 7 machines are hosted on a central virtualization
server using a special blanket “Enterprise Centralized Desktop” license.
Read up and figure out if you can take advantage of this new strategy.
15. Prepare for DirectAccess. DirectAccess makes
it easier for users to remotely access their office-based resources,
without a VPN. DirectAccess also opens up remote computers more fully to
Group Policy—but it requires Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2.
16. Employ Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM).
If you quickly want to list or manage Windows packages, features or
drivers, use the command-line utility DISM. The “image” in the name may
fool you into thinking that this is solely a deployment tool. An
online command-line switch lets you manage the features in the
currently loaded OS. To get a list of the loaded Windows features,
enter dism /online /get-features /format:table. To enable a feature,
enter dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:.
17. Embrace Troubleshooting Packs. Designed to
help users troubleshoot and solve problems on their own, you need to
update your support procedures to acknowledge these Packs. For example,
don’t force users to repeat steps the Pack already walked them
through, and consider developing your own Packs (in Windows PowerShell)
to support in-house systems.
18. Check Reliability. The Reliability Monitor was
introduced in Windows Vista as ‘The Reliability and Performance
Monitor.” In Windows 7 it has been separated from Performance Monitor
and moved to a new location under the Action Center. You open the
Action Center in Control Panel and then look under the Maintenance
options for the “View reliability history” link. You can also just type
in Reliability Monitor from the Instant Search (see Figure 2).
Figure 2 The Reliability Monitor has been broken out separately from Performance Monitor. (Click the image for a larger view)
19. Accept Diversity. Not every
organization will be ready to move entirely to Windows 7 right away.
That’s fine—but that shouldn’t mean the entire organization stays on
Windows XP, either. The myths of the cost savings of having only one OS
have been largely disproven or downplayed, so use Windows 7 where it
makes sense to do so.
20. Get Snippy. The snipping tool has also been
around in various incarnations but it’s even easier to use in Windows
7. Launch the tool, then drag and drop any part of your screen. The
tool will snip the selection. You can save it as a graphic file or
annotate with basic drawing tools. Teach your end users how to use this
tool so they can grab the snapshots of their problems and send them to
the help desk. Or create your own library of visual notes.
21. Presentation Nirvana. Press Windows+P to
access the new Presentation mode, and easily turn on your projector and
laptop screen at the same time. No more messing with vendor-specific
utilities and arcane keystrokes. (Windows+X accesses the Mobility
Center, with additional presentation options.)
22. Cut the Clutter. Press Windows+Home to
minimize all but the current window, removing background clutter and
letting you focus on that report your boss has been bugging you about.
23. Be a Mouse-Click Administrator. Windows 7
makes it easy to gain admin rights with a keyboard shortcut. Click on
Ctrl+Shift on a taskbar-locked icon, and voila! You’ve launched it with
appropriate admin rights.
24. Faster Installations. If your computer is
capable of booting from USB, try this: XCopy the Windows 7 installation
DVD to a sufficiently large USB drive, boot from that drive, and
install Windows from there. It’s faster than a spinning platter.
25. Burn Discs with a Click. Or two; double-click an ISO file to burn it to your CD or DVD writer.
26. Restore Point Previews Many
of us used to shut off System Restore because we were terrified to
actually use it; under Windows 7, we can be much calmer. After selecting
a Restore Point, Windows will now offer to show you which files and
folders will be affected by restoring to that point.
27. Sync Time Zones. If you work with offices in
different time zones and frequently find yourself missing meeting times
because you are not in sync with their time zone, try the “Additional
Clocks” feature that was first introduced in Vista. Within your Date
and Time settings is a tab called Additional Clocks, where you can add
two or more clocks to your taskbar time, and set them to provide
different time zones from your current time zone.
28. Configure User Account Control (UAC). Even if
you’re a UAC hater, give it another try. Go to the Control Panel to
configure its behavior to something slightly less obnoxious than what
Windows Vista had, and see if you can’t live with the extra protection
it offers (see Figure 3).
Figure 3 User Account Control, the bane of administrators, has been revamped and improved. (Click the image for a larger view)
29. RoboCopyCopyCopy. The always-useful
Robocopy.exe can now run multi-threaded; run Robocopy /? to review its
new parameters (like /MT for multithreading) and make your copies go
faster.
30. Remote Desktop Console. Windows 7 Remote
Server Administration Tools (RSAT) does not include a console-based
remote desktop utility. And even if it did, the standard remote desktop
console has some nagging limitations: It can’t move connections around
in the list; it can’t sort by folders and so forth. If you manage lots
of servers from your Windows 7 workstation, try downloading a copy of
mRemote from mremote.org. This donation-requested utility allows you to
mix together a variety of remote control applications, including
Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Microsoft Remote
Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Secure Shell
(SSH) and rlogin. All host names are displayed in a standard tree
control that can be divided into folders, sorted alphabetically, and
allow you to assign different logon accounts and secure passwords to
each connection.
31. Multiple Monitors. Windows 7
makes working with multiple monitors intuitive and flexible. There are
a variety of shortcuts and mouse motions that flick windows from
monitor to monitor. To make the most of this, you need lots and lots of
screen real estate. Try one of the new QWXGA monitors from Samsung
(tinyurl.com/qwxgasamsung) or Dell (tinyurl.com/qwxgadell). These
23-inch monitors have a 2048×1152 resolution, making it possible to put
two full-sized pages on the same monitor. Pair them together and you’ll
get enough space to have all your admin tools open along with Office,
Visio, your intranet sites and a little note to your mom in Live Mail.
Move your taskbar to the left or right side of the window instead of
along the bottom to free up even more real estate.
32. Windows PowerShell Scripting. If you want to
make the most of Windows PowerShell on Windows 7, you’ll need a quick
way to build and debug scripts. Windows 7 comes with an interactive
editor that allows you to try out cmdlets and test functions on the fly.
33. Drag-and-Drop Notification Icons. The
redesigned notification area displays only a minimum number of icons;
all other notification icons are moved to a side window. Rather than
using the Customize option to select icons for the main display, you can
drag-and-drop icons from the side window to the notification area.
34. Add Unindexed Shared Folders to Library. You
can add UNC paths such as \\servername\sharename to a Library, but the
server must index the folder. If you want to add a UNC path to an
unindexed server, you can create a symbolic link to the UNC path, then
add the link or links to the library. Use the mklink command. For
example, mklink HomeFolder \\ServerName\Homefolder.
35. Simplify Cloned Machine Setups. You
can’t run Sysinternals’ newsid utility to change the identity of a
cloned Windows 7 machine (either a virtual machine or imaged PC).
Instead, create a template installation then run sysprep /oobe
/generalize /reboot /shutdown /unattend:scriptfile. Clone or copy this
virtual machine file. When it launches, it will get a new SID and you
can fill in the name. The reference for building unattended script files
is at tinyurl.com/winunattend.
36. Snap That Aero. The Windows key is great for
all your shortcuts. Now you can use it to work with the new AeroSnap
feature in Windows 7. Select a window, hit the Windows key and a left
or right arrow to snap the window to that half of the screen, or use
the up arrow to snap it to the top of the screen.
37. Shortcut the Taskbar. The Windows key is
great for shortcuts. You can select the Windows key and a number to
correspond to items on your taskbar. So, if IE (for example) is the
third icon on your taskbar (not counting the Start button), you can hit
the Windows key and the number three to launch or open IE.
38. Manage Passwords. Control
Panel includes a new application called Credential Manager. This may
appear to be a completely new tool that allows you to save your
credentials (usernames and passwords) for Web sites you log into and
other resources you connect to (such as other systems). Those
credentials are saved in the Windows Vault, which can be backed up and
restored. However, you might see this as similar to a tool we have in XP
and Vista. From the Instant Search, type in control /userpasswords2
and you will be brought to the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel,
where you can also manage passwords for your account (see Figure 4).
Figure 4 The Credential Manager provides a handy, secure place to store passwords. (Click the image for a larger view)
39. Trigger Actions. Event
Viewer is closely tied into Task Scheduler. You have the ability to
take an event (select it in Event Viewer) and then from the Actions
pane, select the option “Attach a Task” to have that event, when it
appears, trigger an action. That action can be: launch a program; send
an e-mail; or display a message. This feature may be very helpful in
troubleshooting a problem.
40. Browse InPrivate. A new
feature in IE8 is the ability to open the browser in an InPrivate
Browsing session that allows you to perform banking and so forth from a
public location without fear of leaving behind any residue. IE will not
retain anything you do in an In Private Browsing session. You can
perform this action if you are already within IE by selecting the Safety
button and then InPrivate Browsing. This will open another IE window
altogether. However, you can save a few steps by using the shortcut.
Right-click the desktop IE icon, click InPrivate and the windows will
open in an InPrivate session already.
41. Go Live. Many applications installed on past
versions of Windows have been removed. Starting with Windows 7, these
applications (and a few others not typically installed with Windows)
have been moved into the Live Essentials downloadable applications, at
download.live.com. These applications include Messenger, Mail, Writer,
Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety and a few others.
42. Remove Apps. Although some
applications have been moved off of Windows to become an optional
download, other apps, such as IE8, Media Player, Media Center and DVD
Maker are still included. In times past, especially when it came to IE,
the applications were tied into the OS. However, in Windows 7 you can
easily remove them if desired. Head to the Program and Features applet
in Control Panel and select the “Turn Windows features on or off” link
in the top left-hand corner. Then you can select the checkbox of the
features you want to lose or add for your system (see Figure 5).
Figure 5 Windows 7 unbinds many applications from the OS, making it
easy to add and remove them. (Click the image for a larger view)
43. Are You Windows 7 Experienced? System
properties has a rating called the Windows Experience Index (WEI). This
rating is a collection of five different ratings that are determined by
the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT). The highest rating score
is 7.9 (compared to 5.9 in Vista), using the categories of Processor,
RAM, Graphics, Gaming Graphics and Primary Hard Disk. The final rating
is not an average of all the ratings, but the lowest of the subcomponent
scores.
44. Analyze Processes. One of the coolest new
features in the revamped Resource Monitor (resmon) is the ability to
see the “wait chain traversal.” An unresponsive process will be shown
in red in the Resource Monitor; right-click the process and choose
Analyze Process. This will show the threads in the process and see who
holds the resources that are holding up the process itself. You can
then kill that part of the process if you like.
45. Create Virtual Worlds. Virtualization
capability has been added to the Disk Management tools. If you open
Computer Management, go to the Disk Manager tool and then click the
Action button at top, you will see the options Create VHD and/or Attach
VHD. This allows you to create and mount a virtual hard drive directly
from within the GUI. Note: With Windows 7 you even have the ability to
boot a Windows 7 VHD (see Figure 6).
Figure 6 Windows 7 adds a great deal of virtualization support,
including the ability to create and attach virtual hard drives from the
GUI. (Click the image for a larger view)
46. Encrypt USB Sticks. Use BitLocker To Go.
Maybe you’ve managed to never misplace or lose a USB key, but for the
rest of us mere mortals, it’s a fact of life. Most of the time it’s no
big deal, but what if it contains sensitive data? BitLocker To Go
enables you to encrypt data on removable storage devices with a
password or a digital certificate stored on a smart card.
The 14 Best Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts
The Windows key now performs a wide variety of functions. Here are a handful of the most useful ones:
64. Win+h – Move current window to full screen
65. Win+i – Restore current full screen window to normal size or minimize current window if not full screen
66. Win+Shift+arrow – Move current window to alternate screen
67. Win+D – Minimize all windows and show the desktop
68. Win+E – Launch Explorer with Computer as the focus
69. Win+F – Launch a search window
70. Win+G – Cycle through gadgets
71. Win+L – Lock the desktop
72. Win+M – Minimize the current window
73. Win+R – Open the Run window
74. Win+T – Cycle through task bar opening Aero Peek for each running item
75. Win+U – Open the Ease of Use center
76. Win+Space – Aero Peek the desktop
47. Lock with Group Policy. Take
control through AppLocker application control. AppLocker intercepts
kernel calls that try to create new processes or load libraries and
ensures the code is allowed to execute. Practically, that means you can
eliminate unknown and unwanted software by implementing AppLocker
through Group Policy.
48. Be Our Guest. Guest mode proves a convenient
method to give a guest or child access to your computer with limits on
making system changes, installing software, or writing to the disk
outside the user profile. After the user is done and logs off, data
saved inside of the user profile is deleted.
49. Restore from Backed up Restore Points. You can
choose to include restore points in your backups and restore from them
when using System Restore. This is convenient if you want to create a
baseline of a working configuration and be able to restore to it in the
future without overwriting other data on the hard disk.
50. Benefit from BranchCache.BranchCache helps
you save on round trips for requested files in remote branch scenarios.
If one person requests a file over the WAN, it’s cached locally and
either distributed across computers at the remote branch or stored on a
central server at the remote branch.
51. Disable Search Suggestion Popups. As you type
in the Search Box, Windows 7 makes suggestions based on past queries
by pulling past queries from the Registry. You can disable this in the
Local Group Policy by enabling User Configuration | Administrative
Templates | Windows Components | Windows Explorer | Turn Off Display Of
Recent Search Entries In the Windows Explorer.
52. Pin Control Panel to Taskbar. If you use the
Control Panel frequently, you may have noticed that you cannot simply
right-click the Control Panel and select Pin to Taskbar. Instead, you
must first Open Control Panel so its icon appears in the taskbar. From
there, you can right-click the icon in the taskbar and select Pin this
program to taskbar.
53. Leverage Search Connectors. You can now
search the Web using the search functionality. Windows 7 includes
Federated Search to increase the search scope beyond the local and
network resources. Several search connectors are available, such as for
YouTube and Twitter, or you can create custom ones to fit your needs.
54. Use Stickier Notes. Even though this feature
has existed in previous versions of Windows in one form or another,
it’s much easier to use in Windows 7. You can stick a note on your
desktop for quick reminders. It’s a snap to change the font or note
color. If you have a note selected, use Ctrl-N to create a new one.
55. Try out Improved WordPad. You probably
haven’t given much thought to WordPad lately, but the version shipping
with Windows 7 has undergone a major renovation. Think of it as a lite
version of Microsoft Word. WordPad sports a spiffy ribbon interface,
making it a snap to create well-formatted documents. Plus, you are no
longer relegated to saving them as .RTF files. WordPad now supports the
Office Open XML document (.DOCX) format. This makes it even easier to
open .DOCX files created in Word in WordPad.
56. Calculate. Another basic
utility that received a major overhaul is the venerable calculator. In
addition to standard and scientific views, there are now programmer and
statistic modes. You will also love the conversion and calculation
features. Want to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit but can never remember
the formula? Use the conversion panel. You’ll also enjoy the data
calculation extension. Quickly find the difference between two dates or
calculate a new date by adding or subtracting years, months or days.
57. Manage Services from Task Manager. The
Windows 7 Task Manager now includes a tab to manage services. You can
quickly see at a glance the status of all services on your machine.
Click a column heading to sort. You can even start and stop services
with a simple right-click. If you need full-blown service management,
use the Services button to launch the Services management console. You
may often have the Task Manager running in the system tray; now, having
service management access means one less window to have open.
58. Get Under the Hood. Windows 7 offers more
ways to peek under the hood without adding third-party solutions. A
terrific example is the Resource Monitor. The performance tab in
Windows Task Manager is a good start, but sometimes you need more
information. Click the Resource Monitor button to get more detailed
information and performance graphs for key subsystems like CPU and Disk.
You can also find the Resource Monitor under Accessories | System
Tools.
59. Check Vital Signs. Another
new system tool you’ll enjoy is the System Health report. In the Run
dialog box, type perfmon /report, which generates a system health
report. This report records details about your computer’s performance,
resource usage and more. The report also includes diagnostic information
about things that aren’t working as they should and suggested steps to
resolve. The reports are saved and can be accessed with the
Performance Monitor management console. You can also save as an HTML
file or send via e-mail.
60. Get More Windows PowerShell. Windows
PowerShell v2 promises to be a game-changer for many system
administrators. Many will prefer to use the graphical Windows PowerShell
console, also known as the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE).
You’ll find this in the Windows Power Shell folder under Accessories.
Add a keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+Alt+I to quickly launch it. Run any
Windows PowerShell command in the lower panel and see the results in the
middle. Create or edit scripts in the top pane. Open multiple Windows
PowerShell sessions connected to remote computers. The ISE makes
Windows PowerShell v2 easy to use and fun (see Figure 7).
Figure 7 Windows PowerShell has been much more tightly integrated
with Windows 7, and adds the Integrated Scripting Environment. (Click
the image for a larger view)
61. Put It on Old Stuff. One
perhaps-not-so-obvious Windows 7 tip is that you should attempt to
install it everywhere. One user has a 6-year-old laptop that originally
shipped with Windows XP. He could never get Windows Vista to install on
it. But Windows 7 installed without complaint and runs extremely
smooth. Granted, there are some Windows 7 features he can’t take
advantage of because the processor lacks certain features, but these
are minor issues considering the laptop now has life again.
62. Improve Security. In Vista it was difficult
to manage system protection via restore points. The System Protection
tab in Windows 7 is a vast improvement. In one spot you can configure
how much space to devote to restore points, delete and create restore
points or even turn off system protection altogether. This is very
useful on older systems where disk space may be at a premium.
63. Actually Use Help and Support. Much of
Vista’s clutter has been reduced in Windows 7. For instance, the Help
and Support page has three links, a search window and a link back to
Microsoft’s Windows site. It’s much less intimidating for end users, so
make sure they know about it. Search is much improved as well, making
for a better, faster experience.
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