Windows 7 Tips

[Hewie Poplock]

Place your Windows 7 Tips on this page. Please include links if you are using someone else's material. We want to give the authors credit.

[Hewie Poplock]

How To View The Troubleshooting History In Windows 7
By Aun Published: September 5, 2009
From Addictivetips
Full article contains screenshots. Click here.

If you have diagnosed and fixed some problem in Windows 7 and after some time you are not sure what exactly steps you followed, then you can view the troubleshooting history. Go through the following simple steps to view the troubleshooting history in Windows 7.

* First of all, click Start and choose the Control Panel. In the control panel choose Large icons from the View By drop down option.
* Now choose the Troubleshooting option in the control panel.
* Here choose the View history option in the left side column of the troubleshooting dialogue box.
* Now you will get a list of all the troubleshooting steps which you adopted. I recently used the network diagnostic utility and it is visible in the list.
* You may also clear this troubleshooting history by clicking the Clear history button. Enjoy!

[Hewie Poplock]

Subscribe to Win7News

Win7News is focused on the many millions of new and current Microsoft Windows 7 users. Win7News keeps members of the Windows 7 community informed of what is happening with the Microsoft Operating System for consumers and small business.

Sunbelt Media Services has launched this electronic newsletter as the successor to its existing blockbuster VistaNews. Its new sister website is at http://www.win7news.net. Even if you're planning to stick with Vista for a while, don't despair - they will still be addressing many topics that pertain to both operating systems, and when a procedure is different, they will note how to do it in Vista, as well.

To subscribe go to http://www.win7news.net/Subscribe/

[Mike Ungerman]

Encrypt a flash drive in Windows 7

[From Win7News Blog]

One of the most useful new features in Windows 7 (Enterprise and Ultimate editions) for security-conscious folks is BitLocker to Go, with which you can encrypt USB flash drives. Since they're small and portable and always getting lost, it's imperative that any sensitive data you put on them be encrypted. Here's how you do it:

1. Insert the flash drive.
2. Click Start | My Computer
3. Right click the flash drive's icon.
4. Select "Turn on BitLocker...".
5. Wait for BitLocker to initialize the drive and then enter a password for unlocking the drive. You can also select to use a smart card.
6. Select to either save the recovery key to a file, or print it. If you save it as a file, it should be on a drive other than the one you're encrypting (duh).
7. You'll see a message that says your recovery key has been saved.
8. Click the Start Encrypting button; how long it takes depends on the size of the drive.
9. When encryption is complete, the drive icon will change to display a lock and key.
10. If you need to change the password, re-save or re-print the recovery key or otherwise manage BitLocker encryption on the drive, right click the icon and select from the option list.

When you plug the drive into a Windows 7 computer, you'll be prompted to enter the password (or insert the smart card). You can also read (but not change or add to) the drive in Vista or XP; you'll be prompted to launch the BitLocker to Go Reader tool first.

[Mike Ungerman]

Quick Launch is back if you want it
[From the Win7News Blog]

I love the new taskbar in Windows 7. I like those big icons without text and I like being able to pin my favorite programs to it. But I had one problem: I have a lot of programs that I use often. I like putting my taskbar on the side of the screen instead of the top or bottom, since widescreen monitors give you far more extra space at the sides. But that reduced the amount of room for all those pinned programs.

I tried switching to small icons but they’re a little too small. What I really wanted was … the Quick Launch bar.

Well, it turns out that it still exists in Win 7 (and if it didn’t, you could create it). Here’s how to get it back:

1. First, open Explorer and go to Tools | Folder Options | View tab. Scroll down and make sure the option to Show hidden files, folders and drives is selected.
2. Now right click an empty space on the taskbar and select Toolbars | New Toolbar
3. Browse to this folder:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer (Note that AppData is a hidden folder and you won’t see it in the folder if you don’t have Explorer set to show hidden files, folders and drives.
4. Highlight the Quick Launch folder and click the Select Folder button.

This adds a Quick Launch toolbar to the Windows 7 taskbar. Unlock the taskbar if you haven’t already (right click and uncheck Lock the Taskbar). Now you can drag it to make it the size you want, and you can drag additional programs to it.

To get rid of the Title and Text, right click the Quick Launch toolbar and uncheck Show Text and Show Title. If you want the icons bigger, select View and Large Icons.

The advantage to having the Quick Launch bar back is that you can put the programs there that you use less often (but still want them one click away) and use small icons, giving you much more space than if you pinned all of them to the main taskbar.

[Mike Ungerman]

How to disable the sidebar in Windows 7

What? You thought there was no sidebar in Windows 7? Well, you're sort of right. There is no visible bar running down the side of the screen, but sidebar.exe is still there, in the Program Files\Windows Sidebar folder on the drive where Windows is installed. By default it loads at startup and runs in the background to manage the gadgets that you put on your desktop. But if you don't put any gadgets on your desktop, it's just taking up memory for no reason. Here's how to keep it from starting and recover that memory:

1. Click the Start button (or press the Windows logo key) to open the Start menu.
2. In the Search box, type regedit.exe to open the registry editor.
3. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run
4. In the right pane, find the REG_SZ key named Sidebar
5. Right click and select Delete
6. Close the registry editor As always, be sure to back up the registry before making changes to it.

[Mike Ungerman]

Can I open Explorer in My Computer instead of in the Libraries?

QUESTION:
I know you've said you like the Libraries in Windows 7 Explorer, but I don't. I want Explorer to open up in My Computer (showing my drives) instead of to the libraries. Is there any way I can do this? Thanks! - Evan C.

ANSWER:
Yes, if you don't like the Libraries view that opens when you click the Explorer icon in the taskbar, there is a way to change that. Here's how:

1. First, unpin the existing Explorer icon from the taskbar. To do that, right click it and select "Unpin this program from taskbar."
2. Now make a new Explorer shortcut on the desktop. Right click an empty area, click New | Shortcut and in the location box, type: %windir%\explorer.exe /e
3. Click Next.
4. Give it a name (e.g., Explorer) and click Finish.
5. Right click the new shortcut and select "Pin to taskbar."
6. Delete the one that's on the desktop if you want.

Now when you click the Explorer icon on the taskbar, it will open to Computer instead of to the libraries.

[Mike Ungerman]

Some DVD drives don't work with Windows 7 RTM

Most devices made within the last couple of years work great with the Windows 7 RTM, but some folks are finding that after installing this latest (and final) version of the OS, their DVD drives no longer work. What's up with that? Microsoft has identified at least some of the drives that are affected. For some, a firmware update will fix the problem. If there is no update available, Microsoft has come out with a workaround that involves disabling the ALPM (Adaptive Link Power Management) feature. If you've run into this problem, or if you haven't installed the RTM yet and are wondering if your DVD drive is one of those that it impacts, see
http://www.win7news.net/ESV4I1/090924-Inaccessible

[Hewie Poplock]

Create a Restore Point Manually in Windows 7

I went to create a restore point manually in Windows 7 today and found a good set of instructions at http://www.w7forums.com/create-system-restore-point-t825.html

They have screen captures to illustrate, but in a nutshell,
*Start Orb (Button)
*Right Mouse click on "Computer" on the right
*Select "Properties" on the bottom
*Select "System protection" on the left
*Click on the "Create" button where it says "Create a restore point right now for the drives that have system protection turned on"
*It will ask for a description and then create a Restore point
*Then it should report that a restore point was created successfully.

[Mike Ungerman]

PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant

Upgrading your PC to Windows 7? Only 14 of the 66 upgrade scenarios detailed by Microsoft are supported by Windows 7 – and upgrading from XP to Windows 7 is not supported.

That’s why we created the Upgrade Assistant edition of PCmover. It helps you upgrade quickly and easily from any version of Windows (version 2000 or later) to Windows 7.

If you want to upgrade your computer from XP to Windows 7 and not lose all your files and programs, you need PCmover.

No need to copy files to external media; no need to reinstall all your applications. PCmover does it all for you without any external storage, without copying files, and without having to find your old CDs and serial numbers!

There are many possible upgrade scenarios; in fact, here’s a chart.

It may seem confusing, but here’s the solution: PCmover Upgrade Assistant. XP to Windows 7? No problem! Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional? Yep, we do that. How about Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit? Of course!

Using PCmover to upgrade to Windows 7 is easy. First, run PCmover and follow the easy-to-use wizard. Then install Windows 7, choosing “custom” install but do not reformat. Then run PCmover again. That’s it – you’re done. Everything is exactly how you want it – without copying files or reinstalling programs!

Keep it simple. Save yourself the time and hassle of upgrading by using PCmover.

Download Version - Windows 7 "pre-release" pricing until October 22.

USD 29.95 14.95
EUR 23,95 11,95
GBP 19.95 9.95

[Hewie Poplock]

Windows 7 hides vital system files and folders.

Here's how to disable that feature.
by Avram Piltch on October 15, 2009

By default, Windows 7 tries to save you from accidental disaster by hiding vital system files and folders. It also masks the three character extensions for known file types such as .doc and .mp3 to keep newbies from getting confused. But if you don’t want your computer keeping secrets from you . . .

1.Open Folder Options in the Control Panel. Note: If the Folder Options icon isn’t visible, select Large Icons or Small Icons from the View By menu.
2.In the View tab, select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives,” and uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types,” “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder,” and “Hide protected operating system files.” Then click OK.
3.Click Yes to confirm that you are sure you want to make these changes.

[Hewie Poplock]

32 bit and 64 bit explained

This is from Gizmo's Tech Support Alert

Very often we find ourself thinking:

Will this 32 bit software run on my 64 bit operating system?

or

Will this 64 bit software run on my computer?

Here's a short tutorial which attempts to answer these questions and helps us understand the concepts of 64 bit and 32 bit hardware, operating system and applications. More...
Be sure to scroll down and read all of the comments as well.

[Mike Ungerman]

Another excellent discussion of 32 bit vs 64 bit windows at this blog:

http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2009/10/16/windows-7-32-bit-or-64-bit/?

Hewie Poplock said:

32 bit and 64 bit explained

This is from Gizmo's Tech Support Alert

Very often we find ourself thinking:

Will this 32 bit software run on my 64 bit operating system?

or

Will this 64 bit software run on my computer?

Here's a short tutorial which attempts to answer these questions and helps us understand the concepts of 64 bit and 32 bit hardware, operating system and applications. More...
Be sure to scroll down and read all of the comments as well.