Windows 7
63 Windows 7 Tips
AT A GLANCE:
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Make Windows 7 faster
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Get more done with Windows 7
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The best Windows 7 shortcuts
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Securing Windows 7
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 antivirus 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 AppV, 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:<name>.
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 2048x1152 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
InPrivate 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
77. Ctrl+Win+Tab - Open persistent task selection window, roll
mouse over each icon to preview item and minimize others
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. You cannot use Guest mode in
an AD environment.
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 PowerShell 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.