Windows 8: 20 Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets

Windows 7 comes with a lot of innovative features to be explored by the user. In this resource I will give 20 Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets.

1.Burn ISO images

Now you can burn ISO images to CDs or DVDs on windows 7 unlike the earlier version. To burn ISO images to CDs or DVDs double-click the ISO image, select the drive with the blank disc, click Burn and you are done.

2.Problem Steps Recorder

Now with the Problem Steps Recorder you can diagnose the problems in a particular application in your computer.
To use Problem Steps Recorder click start type PSR and press Enter, then click Start Record. After this everything the user does is recorded like click and key press and is stored in a single zipped file which is mailed to you once you are finished. It saves a lot of troubleshooting time.

3.Create and mount VHD files

Now you can access VHD files as these are mounted by Windows 7 directly.To use this feature click Start, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter, then click Action > Attach VHD and select the file you want to mount. Thereafter you can access, copy or write the file which behaves like virtual drive.
To create a virtual drive of your own Click Action > Create VHD .This will also create a virtual drive where you can do whatever you wish .
In case you want to detach a VHD file , Windows 7 has an upgrade command line DISKPART utility for this purpose.

4.Troubleshoot problems

Troubeshoot is easier in windows 7 . To trubleshoot in windows 7 click Control Panel > Find and fix problems (Troubleshooting) and you will be guided to solve your problem
If some part of Windows 7 is behaving strangely, and you don't know why, then click Control Panel > Find and fix problems (or 'Troubleshooting') to access the new troubleshooting packs.

5.Take control

A new feature AppLocker in Windows 7 allows other users to run the programs specified by you. It is very esy to set up and you can set a rule to allow every product by a particular publisher.
.To use this feature of Windows 7 launch GPEDIT.MSC and go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Application Control Policies > AppLocker .

6.Better Calculator

Windows 7 calculator comes with new Statistics and Programmer views. Different unit conversions, date calculations and spreadsheet-type templates are also available in the new calculator of windows 7.

7.Switch to a projector

You need to press Win+P or run DisplaySwitch.exe and choose your preferred display to switch your display from one monitor to another or a projector.

8.Power efficiency report

You can also use efficiency calculator in Windows 7 to get information about power consumption of your laptop. This can help you to improve battery life and performance.
To use this feature open a command prompt as an administrator by typing 'cmd' in Start Search, and when the cmd icon appears, right-click it and choose Run as administrator.
Then type powercfg -energy in command line and hit Return, and Windows 7 will do the rest for you.

9.Understanding System Restore

Using System Restore in previous versions of Windows has been something of a gamble. There's no way of telling which applications or drivers it might affect - you just have to try it and see.
Windows 7 is different. Right-click Computer, select Properties > System Protection > System Restore > Next, and choose the restore point you'd like to use. Click the new button to 'Scan for affected programs' and Windows will tell you which (if any) programs and drivers will be deleted or recovered by selecting this restore point. (Read our full Windows 7 System Restore tutorial.)

10.Set the time zone

Using the new command line tzutil.exe utility you can set a PC's time zone from scripts
To set a PC to Greenwich Mean Time, for example , use the command
tzutil /s "gmt standard time"

11.Display Colour Calibration Wizard

Using the Display Colour Calibration of Windows 7 you can set up your brightness, contrast and colour settings, and a ClearType tuner to ensure text is crisp and sharp.To use this feature Click Start, type DCCW and press enter .

12.Add network support

If you want to import files over a network you can use a tweak. Run REGEDIT, browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live\Movie Maker, add a DWORD value called AllowNetworkFiles and set it to 1 to add network support.

13.Activate XP mode

In case your old software is not running on Windows 7 you can try the XP mode . However the XP mode runs only on systems that have hardware virtualisation (AMD-V or Intel VT) built-in and turned on.

14.Virtual Wi-Fi

You can convert your PC or laptop into a software-based router using the feature called Virtual Wi-Fi. Yo ucan then share your internet connection with any other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

15.God Mode

Go to mode allows you to easily access all the contents from a single folder.

16.Display the old taskbar button context menu

To get the old context menu back - hold down Ctrl and Shift as you right-click the taskbar button.

17.Desktop slideshow

You can display a lot of waalpapers using the desktop slideshow.To use this feature Right-click an empty part of the desktop, chosoe Personalise > Desktop Background, then hold down Ctrl as you click on the images you like. Choose how you want the images to be changed, then click Save Changes .

18.RSS-powered wallpaper

You can create a theme that extracts images from an RSS feed..

19.Customise the log-on screen

You can easily change the Windows log-on screen.
To use this feature go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background in REGEDIT, double-click the DWORD key called OEMBackground and set its value to 1.

20.Remove taskbar buttons

To use this feature Launch REGEDIT, GO TO to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics, add a string called MinWidth, set it to 54, and reboot.

20 Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets