Windows 7 On an iPad

Want to run Windows 7 on the new Apple iPad? Citrix says it will soon be possible--using a new version of its Citrix Receiver software.

"If your company has XenDesktop or XenApp you will be happy to know you will be able to use your iPad for real work as well," ------- Citrix Vice President Chris Fleck

"It turns out the 9.7 inch display on the iPad with a 1024x768 screen resolution works great for a full VDI XenDesktop. Windows applications run unmodified and securely in the data center, and even multiple applications at once."

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GODMODE in Windows 7

What is God Mode? This is a hidden Windows 7 Feature, which is also available in VISTA which provides you an extended control panel to control your computer. So you can access all the available control options in one place.
Here are the Steps to create "GOD MODE"

1. First Create a new folder and rename it to "GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"
2. You can replace the word "godmode" with the word you like and your extended control panel will be renamed with this word..
3. You are done. Now this folder is your godmode open this and you can access the below features
   

Complete list of  functions that you can access via the godmode in Windows 7.

Action Center

Change Customer Experience Improvement Program settings
Change User Account Control setting
Check security status Choose how to check for solutions
Choose how to report problems
Fix problems with your computer
Restore your computer to an earlier time
Review your computer’s status and resolve issues
View all problem reports
View messages about your computer
View recommended actions to keep Windows running smoothly
View reliability history
View solutions to problems
View the Microsoft error reporting privacy statement online

Administrative Tools

Create and format hard disk partitions
Defragment your hard drive
Diagnose your computer’s memory problems
Edit group policy
How to add new hardware
Schedule tasks
Set up data sources (ODBC)
Set up iSCSI initiator
View event logs
View local services

AutoPlay

Change default settings for media or devices
Play CD’s or other media automatically
Start ot stop using autoplay for all media and devices

Backup and Restore

Back up your computer
Restore data, files, or computer from backup

BitLocker Drive Encryption

manage BitLocker
Protect your computer by encrypting data on your disk

Color Management

Change advanced color management settings for display, scanners, and printers

Credential Manager

Manage Windows credential

Date and Time

Add clocks for different time zones
Automatically adjust for daylight saving time
Change the time zone
Set the time and date

Default Program

Make a file type always open in a specific program
Set your default programs

Desktop Gadgets

Add gadgets to the desktop
Add the Clock gadget to the desktop
Get more gadgets online Restore desktop gadgets installed with Windows
Uninstall a gadget
View list of running gadgets

Device Manager

Update device drivers

Devices and Printers

Add a device
Add a printer
Change default printer
Change device installation settings
Device Manager
Scan a document or picture
Set up USB game controllers
View devices and printers
View scanners and cameras

Display

Adjust ClearType text
Adjust screen resolution
Calibrate display color
Change display settings
Change screen orientation
Connect to a projector
Connect to an external display
How to correct monitor flicker (refresh rate)
Make text and other items larger or smaller
Set up computer to use multiple monitors
View the name of the video card

Ease of Access Center

Accomodate learning abilities
Accomodate low vision
Change how your keyboard works
Change how your mouse works
Change the Narrator voice
Control the computer without the mouse or keyboard
Hear a tone when keys are pressed
Hear text read aloud with Narrator
Ignore repeated keystrokes using FilterKeys
Let Windows suggest Ease of Access settings
Magnify portions of the screen using Magnifier
Move the pointer with the keypad using MouseKeys
Optimize for blindness
Optimize visual display
Press key combinations one at a time
Replace sounds with visual cues
Turn High Contrast on or off
Turn Magnifier on or off
Turn off automatic window arrangement
Turn off background images
Turn off unnecessary animations
Turn on easy access keys
Turn On-Screen keyboard on or off
Use audio description for video
Use screen reader
View current accessibility settings

Folder Options

Change search options for files and folders
Change the file type associated with a file extension
Show hidden files and folders
Show or hide file extensions
Specify single- or double-click to open

Fonts

Change Font Settings
Preview, delete, or show and hide fonts
View installed fonts

Getting Started

Find out what’s new in Windows 7
Go online to find out what’s new in Windows 7
Go online to get Windows Live Essentials
Transfer files from another computer

HomeGroup

Choose homegroup and sharing options
Share printers

Indexing Options

Change how WIndows searches

Internet Options

Block or allows third-party cookies
Change security settings
Change temporary Internet file settings
Configure proxy server
Delete cookies or temporary files
Enable or disable session cookies

Keyboard

Change cursor blink rate
Check keyboard status

Location and Other Sensors

Enable location and other sensors
Enter a default location
View location activity

Mouse

Change how the mouse pointer looks
Change how the mouse pointer looks when it’s moving
Change mouse click settings
Change mouse settings
Change mouse wheel settings
Change the mouse pointer display or speed
Customize the mouse buttons
Make it easier to see the mouse pointer

Network and Sharing Center

Add a wireless device to the network
Change People Near Me settings
Connect to a network
Identify and repaid network problems
Manage advanced sharing settings
Manage saved networks
Manage wireless networks
Media streaming options
Set up a connection or network
Set up a dial-up connection
Set up a virtual private network (VPS) connection
Set up an ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network
Sign in or out of People NEar Me
View network computers and devices
View network connections
View network status and tasks

Notification Area Icons

Customize icons on the taskbar
Remove icons from notification area (system tray) on the desktop
SHow or hide clock icon on the taskbar
Show or hide inactive icons on the taskbar
Show or hide the notification area on the taskbar
Show or hide volume (speaker) icon on the taskbar

Parental Controls

Set up parental controls for any user

Performance Information and Tools

Check the WIndows Experience Index
Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files
Learn how to use your storage device to speed up your computer
Use tools to improve performance

Personalization

Change desktop background
Change screen saver
Change the theme
Change window colors and metrics
CHange windows glass colors
Enable or disable transparent glass on windows
Get more themes online
Lock the computer when I leave it alone for a period of time
Personalize your computer
Set screen saver password
Show or hide common icons on the desktop
Turn screen saver on or off

Phone and Mode

Set up dialing rules

Power Options

Change power-saving settings
Change what the power buttons do
Change when the computer sleeps
Choose a power plan
Choose when to turn off display
Edit power plan
Require a password when the computer wakes

Programs and Features

Add or remove programs
Change or remove a program
How to install a program
Run programs made for previous versions of Windows
Show which programs are installed on your computer
Turn Windows features on or off
Uninstall a program
View installed updates

Recovery

Restore your computer or reinstall Windows

Region and Language

Change display language
Change keyboards or other input methods
Change location
Change the date, time , or number format
Change the languages used for partially translated menus and dialogs
Change the way currency is displayed
Change the way dates and lists are displayed
Change the way measurements are displayed
Change the way time is displayed
Install or uninstall display languages

RemoteApp and Desktop Connections

Set up a new connection with RemoteApp and Desktop Connections

Sound

Adjust system volume
Change sound card settings
Change system sounds
Manage audio devices

Speech Recognition

Change text to speech settings
Set up a microphone
Start speech recognition

Sync Center

Encrypt your offline files
Manage disk space used by your offline files
Manage offline files
Resolve sync conflicts
Sync with other computers, mobile devices or network folders
View sync results

System

Activate Windows
Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
Allow remote access to your computer
Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer
Change workgroup name
Check processor speed
Configure advanced user profile properties
Create a restore point
Device Manager
Edit environment variables for your account
Edit the system environment variables
How to change the size of virtual memory
Join a domain
Rename this computer
Restore system files and settings from a restore point
See the name of this computer
Select users who can use remote desktop
Show how much RAM is on this computer
Show which operating system your computer is running
Show which workgroup this computer is on
View advanced system settings
View running processes with Task Manager

Taskbar and Start Menu

Auto-hide the taskbar
Customize the Start menu
Customize the taskbar
Find missing Start menu
Group similar windows on the taskbar
Lock or unlock the taskbar
Organize Start menu
Restore Start menu defaults
Turn toolbars on the taskbar on or off
What happened to the Quick Launch toolbar?

Troubleshooting

Find and fix audio playback problems
Find and fix audio recording problems
Find and fix networking and connections problems
Find and fix printing problems
Find and fix problems
Find and fix problems with devices
Find and fix problems with homegroup
FInd and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects
Find and fix problems with Windows Search
Perform recommended maintenance tasks automatically
Record steps to reproduce a problem
Troubleshooting History

User Accounts

Add or remove user accounts
Change your account picture
Change your Windows password
Create a password reset disk
Create administrator account
Create an account
Create or remove account password
Create standard user account
Link online IDs
Make changes to accounts
Manage file encryption certificates
Manage network passwords
Turn guest account on or off

Windows CardSpace

Manage Information Card that are used to log on to online services

Windows Defender

Scan for spyware and other potentially unwanted software

Windows Firewall

Allow a program through Windows Firewall
Check firewall status

Windows Update

Check for updates
Turn automatic updating on or off

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Enhance your Windows 7 features.

Preme for Windows 7 is a freeware  for Windows 7 that enhances  your desktop by adding more functionality & features to your corners & mouse.

Features:

• About 2 MB RAM usage
• Doesn't creates any registry entries(Installation is to copy itself to startup folder. Don’t worry about complicated uninstallation.)
• Touch the upper left corner of your desktop to see all your open Windows either in Flip 3D or Alt-Tab style
• Hover mouse cursor on the title bar are and then click the wheel to close the window
• Move mouse to title bar area and scroll down mouse wheel to minimize that window.
• Move cursor to Start button area to open Start menu automatically.
• Right-click on the taskbar button and the mouse cursor will point to Close window option
• Press ESC button twice to close the current window.
  
  Visit Preme HomePage to download this.
  
  

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Record Steps in Windows 7(used to to Reproduce a Problem)

In Windows 7 if you have any problems and you are not sure how to solve it then you can capture the steps to recreate the problem using in-built tool. This allows the user to send it as a single page with all the screenshots and steps to a friend who know how to solve it or to the customer support for any programs.
Go to Start and type Problem Steps in the search. (then open the "record steps to reproduce problem" in results)
The original location of this program is in control panel->troubleshooting.

watch an example output for this   (if u cant see the result page download as a zip file and open in "INTERNET EXPLORER")

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Using XP IN windows 7(virtualization)

XP on 7


If you’re worried that some of your old but trusty software applications won’t run on Windows 7, Microsoft solves the issue with XP Mode
Note: XP Mode is a separate download that only works in Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions.
Can My Computer Run XP Mode?

If you have a new computer you might assume that it should be able to run XP Mode right? Not necessarily. Your system CPU will need to be able to support hardware virtualization. An Intel processor uses Intel Virtualization Technology and an AMD processor would be AMD-V with their Virtualization capability.









If it’s not available or locked off, you might be able to go into the system BIOS and activate it. Look carefully in the BIOS because the setting is not always clearly labeled. If you still don’t see it, you might be able to update to the manufacturers latest version and get it to work. Make sure you know what you’re doing when updating your system BIOS and follow all the manufacturer’s steps, otherwise you PC will get damaged.


If your system doesn’t support Hardware Virtualization, unfortunately you won’t be able to run XP Mode.

Install XP Mode for Windows 7
To get everything rolling you will need a couple of files (links below) and the first one to download and install is Windows XP Mode.

Secondly, download and install Windows Virtual PC. After installing this one a reboot will be required.

After you get back from the restart, go to the Start menu and click on Windows Virtual PC.

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Windows 7 tips

Use Hidden International Wallpapers and Themes

When you first install Windows 7, it asks for your language, time and currency. Based on your responses, it installs a set of wallpapers and themes. If you choose English (United States) for your time and currency format, for example, the available desktop backgrounds and themes will include a United States section with scenery from locations such as Maine, the Southwest and so on.
Hidden, though, are background scenery and themes from other English-speaking countries -- Australia, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa. Normally, you can't access those backgrounds or themes, but there is a simple way you can install and use them:
1. In the search box in the Start menu, type C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT and press Enter. (Note: If Windows 7 is installed in a drive other than C:, use that letter instead.)
2. Windows Explorer will launch and show you a list of subfolders under C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT: MCT-AU, MCT-CA, MCT-GB, MCT-US, and MCT-ZA. Each subfolder has wallpapers for a specific country: AU for Australia, CA for Canada, GB for Great Britain, US for the United States, and ZA for South Africa.
For any of the countries whose wallpaper and themes you want to use, go into its Theme folder, for example, C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT\MCT-ZA\Theme. Double-click the theme you see there (for example ZA).

A South Africa theme, ready to use.

 

3. That will install a shortcut to the theme and wallpapers in the Personalization section of Control Panel.
You can now use them as you would any other theme or background, by right-clicking the desktop, choosing Personalize, and choosing a background or theme. They will be listed in their own section.

Shake Your Desktop Free of Clutter

If you frequently run multiple programs simultaneously, your desktop can get extremely cluttered. This can get annoying if you're working on one program and want to minimize all the other windows -- in previous versions of Windows you had to minimize them individually.
With Windows 7's "shake" feature, though, you can minimize every window except the one in which you're currently working -- in a single step. Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to keep on the desktop; while still holding the title bar, shake it quickly back and forth until all of the other windows minimize to the taskbar. Then let go. To make them return, shake the title bar again.
You can accomplish the same thing by pressing the Window key-Home key combination -- although doing that is not nearly as much fun.

Get a Power Efficiency Report

Have a laptop and want to get more battery life out of it? Windows 7 includes a hidden built-in tool that will examine your laptop's energy use and make recommendations on how to improve it. To use it:
1. Run a command prompt as an administrator. To do this, type cmd in the search box, and when the cmd icon appears, right-click it and choose "Run as administrator."
2. At the command line, type in the following:
powercfg -energy -output \Folder\Energy_Report.html
where \Folder represents the folder where you want the report to be placed.
3. For about a minute, Windows 7 will examine the behavior of your laptop. It will then analyze it and create a report in HTML format in the folder you specified. Double-click the file, and you'll get a report -- follow its recommendations for ways to improve power performance.

Modify UAC

A laptop's power efficiency report.

The User Account Control security feature was one of the most reviled additions to Windows Vista, with good reason -- its constant warning messages asking for permission to continue many operations drove users around the bend. UAC has been significantly improved in Windows 7 so that it's not as intrusive as in Vista, but you can still tweak it if you like.

Here's how to turn UAC on or off, and make it less or more intrusive than the default:
1. Go to the Control Panel --> User Accounts and Family Safety.
2. Click User Accounts, then click Change User Account Control settings.

Modifying UAC.

3. From the screen that appears, use the slider to select the level of protection you want. Here are the four levels and what they mean:
Always notify me. Think of this as UAC Classic. It works like Vista's UAC: When you make changes to your system, when software is installed or when a program tries to make a change to your system, an annoying prompt appears.
Default -- Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer. This is, obviously, the default; make a change yourself and UAC leaves you alone. When a program makes a change, a prompt appears and your desktop goes dark, just like it does in Vista. Otherwise, UAC sits there silently.
Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop). This setting is identical to the default setting, with one difference: It won't dim your desktop so that you only see the UAC prompt asking you to take action. This presents a slightly elevated security risk over the default setting, because theoretically a program could allow a malicious program to interfere with the UAC prompt.
Never notify me when: In this one, UAC is completely turned off. This is, of course, an insecure option and not recommended for most users.
After you make the selection, click OK. Depending on the selection you made, you may need to restart your system for it to take effect.

Start Menu tips

Many people overlook the Start Menu, rarely using it except as a jumping off point to run an application or get to the Control Panel. But there's actually plenty you can do with it.

Search the Internet from the Start Menu

The Start Menu's search box is a convenient way to search through your PC -- but you can also have it do double-duty and perform Internet searches as well. To enable this feature:
1. In the Start Menu search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press Enter to run the Group Policy Editor.
2. Go to User Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Start Menu and Taskbar.
3. Double-click "Add Search Internet link to Start Menu," and from the screen that appears, select Enabled. Then click OK and close the Group Policy Editor.

Enabling Internet search from the Start Menu.

 

4. From now on, when you type a search term in the Search box on the Start Menu, a "Search the Internet" link will appear. Click the link to launch the search in your default browser with your default search engine.

Customize the Shut Down Button

The default action of the Start Menu's Shut down button is to turn off your PC. If you want to use the button for another action, such as restarting your PC, you click the arrow to the right of the Shut down button and select an action from the drop-down menu.
What if you rarely shut your PC down completely but frequently restart it? You can change the Shut down button's default action to be Restart -- or Switch user, Log off, Lock, Sleep or Hibernate.
To change your default, right-click the Start button and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the "Power button action" drop-down menu and select which action you want to be the default. Then click OK, and OK again.

Add a Videos Link to the Start Menu

The Windows 7 Start Menu includes links to your Pictures and Music folders, but not to your Videos folder. If you watch a lot of videos and want a link to them on your Start Menu, here's what you can do:

Displaying the Videos folder on the Start Menu.

 

1. Right-click the Start button and select Properties.
2. On the screen that appears, go to the Start Menu tab and click Customize.
3. In the dialog box that appears, scroll to the bottom, look for the Videos section, select "Display as a link," and click OK and then OK again.
If you'd prefer that Videos display as a menu, with links to files and submenus, instead select "Display as a menu."

Windows Explorer tips

Windows Explorer is the heart and soul of the Windows interface, and overall it works quite well. But you can make it better.

Use check boxes to select multiple files

In order to select multiple files for an operation such as copying, moving or deleting in Windows Explorer, you generally use the keyboard and the mouse, Ctrl-clicking every file you want to select. But if you're mouse-centric, there's a way to select multiple files in Windows 7 using only your mouse, via check boxes. To do it:
1. In Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then select "Folder and search options."
2. Click the View tab.
3. In Advanced Settings, scroll down and check the box next to "Use check boxes to select items." Click OK.
4. From now on, when you hover your mouse over a file in Windows Explorer, a check box will appear next to it; click it to select the file. Once a file is selected, the checked box remains next to it; if you uncheck it, the box will disappear when you move your mouse away.

Selecting multiple files using your mouse and check boxes.

Open a command prompt at any folder

Command prompt fans will welcome this tip. With it, when you're in Windows Explorer, you can open a command prompt to any folder. This tip does exactly what the Windows XP PowerToy "Open Command Window Here" does.
To use it, hold down the Shift key and right-click a folder, then choose "Open command window here" from the context menu that appears. (Note that this tip doesn't work in the Documents folder.)

Protect the privacy of your Explorer searches

Select "Enabled" to protect search privacy.

 

When you search through your PC from Windows Explorer, you can see the most recent searches that have been performed. If you share a PC and don't want others to see what you've searched for, you can turn off the recent searches feature:

1. In the Start menu's Search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press Enter to launch the Group Policy Editor.
2. Go to User Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Windows Explorer.
3. Double-click "Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box" and select Enabled from the screen that appears. Then click OK. The recent searches feature will now be turned off.

Set a New Windows Explorer Launch Folder

When you run Windows Explorer, it always opens to the Libraries folder. That's fine if you use Microsoft's default file organization, which designates Libraries as the overall container for your folders. But what if you don't? You might prefer to have Windows Explorer open to Computer or any other folder you choose. Here's how to do it:

Changing the default Explorer location.

 

1. Right-click the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar (it's the one that looks like a folder), and then right-click the Windows Explorer icon from the context menu that appears and select Properties. The Windows Explorer Properties dialog box appears.
2. You'll have to edit the Target field on the Shortcut tab of this dialog box in order to change the default location at which Explorer opens.


If you want Explorer to open to a specific folder, simply enter the name of the folder, substituting your folder name for Folder, below, like this:
%windir%\explorer.exe c:\Folder
So to open Explorer to the folder named Budget, you would type this in the Target field:
%windir%\explorer.exe c:\Budget
If you want Explorer to open to special, pre-set locations, such as Computer, you'll need to enter special syntax in the Target field. Following is a list of three common locations and the syntax to use, followed by the syntax for the Libraries folder in case you ever want to revert to the default.

• Computer: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
• My Documents: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
• Network: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
• Libraries: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe

3. After you've changed the Target field, click OK. Next time you launch Windows Explorer, it will open to the new location you've designated.

Show all Your Drives in Windows Explorer

Depending on your system settings, when you go to Computer in Windows Explorer, you may be in for a shock -- you may not see all your drives such as memory card readers if those drives are empty. If this disconcerts you, there's a simple way for you to see them even if there's nothing there:

Having Explorer show empty drives.

 

1. Launch Windows Explorer and press the Alt button to reveal the top menu.
2. Select Tools --> Folder Options and click the View tab.
3. Under "Advanced settings," uncheck the box next to "Hide empty drives in the Computer folder." Click OK. The drives will now always be visible.

Build Your Own Internet Search Connector

Windows 7 has a very useful new feature called a Search Connector that lets you search through a Web site from right inside Windows Explorer. With it, you type in a search term and select the Search Connector for the site you want to search; Explorer searches the Web site without having to open Internet Explorer, and the results appear inside Windows Explorer. Click any of the results to head there using your default Web browser.
Normally, you'll need to get each Search Connector from the Web site through which you want to search, and very few Connectors are available. Sites normally need to adhere to OpenSearch standards in order for their Connectors to work.
However, there's a work-around that will let you easily build your own Search Connector for any site, using Windows Live Search as a kind of go-between. Don't worry, you don't need to know any code to write a Connector. Just follow these steps:
1. Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad. The text you'll need to change is in bold, all-caps text:


NAME YOUR SEARCH
DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH

Adding a new Search Connector.

2. In place of NAME YOUR SEARCH, type in the name of the search as you want it to appear. In our case, we're going to build a Search Connector for Computerworld, so we'll just type in Computerworld.
3. In place of DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH, type in a longer description of the search. In our instance, it will be Search through Computerworld.
4. In the two SITENAME.COM entries, enter the Web site's domain. Don't use the http:// or www -- just the domain name. In our instance it will be computerworld.com.
5. To the right of "count=", type in the number or results you want to appear. In our instance, we'll keep it at 50.
6. In our example, here's what the code should look like (no bold necessary):


Computerworld
Search through Computerworld

Results from a custom Search Connector.

 

7. Save the file in Notepad, choose UTF-8 from the Encoding drop-down box near the bottom of the Save As screen, and give it an .osdx extension. In our instance, we'll call the file Computerworld.osdx.
8. In Windows Explorer, right-click the .osdx file and select Create Search Connector. The Search Connector will be created.
9. You can now use the Search Connector. To get to it, in Windows Explorer go to YourName --> Searches --> Connector, where YourName is your account name, and Connector is the name of the Connector.

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New features in Windows 7

 Great New Features in Windows 7 

You may have read lot on Microsoft’s upcoming OS Windows 7. There are lots of great new features which make Windows 7 different from previous Windows versions.
I found that this time Microsoft has not just put old wine in new bottle its really new wine. This time Microsoft has not just focus on look but there are lots of small things which are added or improved in Windows 7.

•  Drag window against the left or right edge to fill half the screen, top edge to maximize.
•  Grab a maximized titlebar and pull to restore.
•  Shake the titlebar to minimize everybody else.
• Faster startup and shutdown times (Technically not a new feature, but very nice still)
• Windows 7 Libraries (I really like these ones myself).
• Desktop enhancements like Aero Peek, Aero Shake, a nice Wallpaper slideshow feature and gadgets no longer being restricted to a gadget bar.
• The new and brilliant taskbar with jump lists and previews. Also lets you pin programs so it is like a combined quick launch bar and task bar.
• A home group feature which makes it super simple to share files in your home network (seriously, I was surprised how easy it actually was to set up!)
• Better battery utilization.
• Support for touch and multi-touch.
• Much easier to connect to wlan hot spots.
• A very handy Resource Monitor 

 

AERO feature in Windows 7(click on image for larger preview)

AERO: The Aero desktop experience, available in the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions of Windows 7, mixes cool graphics with useful new ways to manage your desktop.

Aero visual hallmarks include subtle animations and translucent glass windows, which you can personalize. Pick from the included color palette, or create your own custom tints with the color mixer.

There's more to Aero than style. Point to a taskbar icon, and you’ll see a thumbnail-sized preview—even for live video(see the first image of this post). Hover on a thumbnail, and it morphs into a full-screen preview. Aero Shake and Aero Peek cut through desktop clutter by quickly minimizing open windows or turning them invisible.

 

Preview while mininizing window to taskbar

Ribbon no Toolbar – Microsoft introduced Ribbon in office 2007 replacing menu bar and toolbar. This was the great move but there was nothing like that in Windows Vista but in Windows 7 Microsoft has added ribbon in its many program like WordPad, Paint etc which make them much better to work.

Snipping Tool – There was only one feature if you need to capture screen image which was using “Print Screen button on your keyboard and you have to paste that image to any Word processor of graphic software.If you want to capture only a part of screen then you have to use any third party software which can cost you.

Desktop Theme – Now you can customize Windows much better then before. Windows 7 comes with 6 different desktop themes and all are great.

Much Better Task Bar – Windows 7 taskbar is better then Vista taskbar if there are lot f application open then you will not run shot off taskbar space. In Windows 7 when you open an application a small square box is places for that application and which is much powerful.

Much Faster then Vista – I have not checked Windows 7 speed scientifically but when I used Windows 7 I found it running faster then Vista. Many Companies have taken Windows Vista and Windows 7 speed test and found Windows 7 is much faster then Vista.

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Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows 7 comes with exclusive Keyboard and some of them are different from the keyboard shortcuts of Windows XP and Windows Vista. Such shortcuts always helps in completing tasks within a short period of time.
So, here is a list of keyboard shortcuts of Windows 7 which will be helpful in your daily tasks.

Win+UP Arrow : Maximize the current window
Win+Down Arrow : Restore the maximized window/ Minimize the restored window
Win+Up : Maximize Window
Win+Down : Minimize Window
Win+Left : Dock the current window to the left half of the screen
Win+Right : Dock the current window to the right half of the screen
Win+Shift+Left : Switch over to left monitor
Win+Shift+Right : Switch over to right monitor
Win+Shift+M : Undo all window minimization
Win+M : Minimize all open windows
Win+P : Open Projection menu. (for Connectivity Purpose)
Win+B : Move focus to notification tray
Win+D : Toggle showing the desktop
Win+F : Open the search window
Win+E : Open Explorer
Win+G : Bring Gadgets to the top
Win+R : Open the Run window
Win+U : Open the ease of access center
Win + : Zoom in and out of Windows
Win + + : Same as above
Win+X : Mobility Center
Win + Tab : Flip 3D (Useful for Windows Aero)
Win+Home : Minimize / Restore all other windows
Win+Space : Peek at the desktop
Win+ [Num] : Launch the numbered application running in the Super bar
Alt+P : Show/hide Preview Pane in Explorer
Alt+F4 : Close the current running window
Alt+Tab : Switch to previous window
Alt+Esc : Cycle through all open windows

Taskbar Shortcuts in Windows 7

Win+Shift+T : Focus the last taskbar entry
Win+T : Cycle through applications on taskbar
Shift + Right click on icon (Taskbar) : Show window menu
Shift + Right click on grouped icon (Taskbar) : Show menu with Restore All / Minimize All / Close All, etc.
Shift + Click on icon (Taskbar) : Open a new instance
Ctrl + Shift + Click on icon (Taskbar) : Open a new instance with Admin Privileges
Ctrl + Click on grouped icon : Cycle between the tabs in the group
If I find more shortcut keys for Windows 7, I will add them here only.

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