Windows 7 has a release date! Now that we are getting so close to an official release, it is prudent to start collecting info on little tips and tweaks that people have come across when testing the beta and the release candidate versions.
1. Fonts can be hidden from programs (to free up memory, among other reasons) by right-clicking on a font in the Fonts folder and selecting Hide.
2. Calculator is more versatile than it used to be. The operating modes include Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and Statistics. Also available are conversion tools (angles, temperature, velocity, volume, etc.) and a date calculation tool. Gas mileage, lease, and mortgage estimate templates are also available. Handy!
3. Win7 finally has native support for burning .ISO files (disc images) onto blank media. Just double-click on your .ISO file and a simple but useful Burn Disc Image app will pop up.
4. By default, empty memory card slots will not show up as drives in My Computer, but you can change this by unchecking the “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder” option in Folder Options.
5. Remember that a lot of the time the fastest way to find a settings dialog or an application is hitting the Windows key and typing the name of the program into the search field, as opposed to browsing through various menu options.
6. Shortcuts pinned to the taskbar can also be quickly launched by pressing down the Windows key and a numeric key that corresponds to the shortcuts position on the taskbar from left to right. For example, if the icons pinned to your taskbar are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Windows Explorer, Windows Media Player, and WinAmp, pressing Windows and 2 will open up Firefox, while pressing Windows and 4 will launch the Media Player.
7. The new taskbar offers many advantages over the old, but the classic Quick Launch can also be enabled. Do the following: right-click on the taskbar, then go Toolbars/New Toolbar. In the folder selection field, enter the following: %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. Turn off the lock taskbar setting. Right-click on the divider. Disable Show Text and Show Title, and set the view to Small Icons. Position the Quick Launch by dragging the divider to rearrange the toolbar.
8. Certain apps, such as MSN Messenger or Steam, are designed to disappear into the system tray and not take up space on your taskbar. Sometimes such applications will unfortunately stick to the taskbar. You can put them in their right place by going to the app’s shortcut’s properties and enabling the program to be run in Windows Vista compatibility mode.
9. One of the best things about Windows 7 – for me – are the jump lists. Windows Explorer’s jump list keeps track of most commonly accessed folders, but you can also pin folders to the jump list for convenient, quick access. Simply locate the desired folder in Windows Explorer, right-click on it and hold down, and drag it over the Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar, and release. It will now show up in the Explorer jump list under the “Pinned” heading. Snazzy!
More to be added later!
Mika Salakka is a Finn living in the United States. He is a nursing assistant, a creative writer, a devoted husband, and an observer of the human condition. His interests range from music and literature to psychology, sociology, medicine, technology, and spirituality.