Windows 7 Tips

Windows 7 has quite a few handy features. Most of them are fairly obscure unless you do a bit of digging.

Fortunately, we don’t have to. An article featured in InfoWorld.com outlines 20 of these tricks for IT professionals. However, many of these tips can be helpful to even those with a normal outlook on life. Here are just a few for every user.

Shortcut keys for the taskbar
Each icon in the Windows 7 task bar can be accessed by holding down the Windows Key (the one with the logo between Ctl and Alt on most keyboards). Just hold down the Windows key and press the corresponding number. For example, Internet Explorer is the third icon in my taskbar. Pressing Windows > 3 hides, opens, or select IE, depending on what the program is doing.

Ribbon in Paint and WordPad
The Microsoft Office ribbon now appears in both programs. While this has not been the most popular change for longtime MS Office users, adding it to the sorely lacking Paint and WordPad programs has made them far more usable.

Quickly add features or uninstall programs
Try this; click the "Start" orb in your task bar. In the instant search, type "features" and hit the enter key. Bango! The "Uninstall or change program" menu comes up. That save a lot of clicking.

Find missing Windows programs
One of the biggest complaints I hear about Windows 7 is that a user's favorite program is missing. If your favorite seems to be gone, try checking out Windows Live Essentials. Most of these programs are found there.

You can read the full article - and all 20 tips in the article 20 Windows 7 quick tips and tricks for IT admins.