OK, so you've unwrapped your new Windows device. Now what? The first thing you should do is link it to your Microsoft account, which is simply any email and password of your choice. It takes a minute. Go to Settings > Change PC Settings >Users and then follow the instructions. Once you do this, you'll be able to use your own settings and download your own apps on any Windows 8.1 device you own, and connect to your contacts and social networks in very immediate ways. Here's a fuller run-down of the benefits of Microsoft account.
Microsoft account also opens the doors to the Windows Store, where you're going to get apps for your device. And apps are really what Windows 8.1 is all about. Here are 10 free apps to get you going with shopping, gaming, reading, movie watching, and news getting.
FacebookThe official app. This lets you see updates on the Facebook tile on your Start screen, more easily have group conversations and share photos, and otherwise take control so you can use Facebook the way you want.
TwitterI follow way too many people on Twitter. The Twitter app lets me group Twitter people in categories so the onslaught of witticisms is a lot easier to deal with. The app also gives a graphical view of your feed which, if you only ever see Twitter on your phone, is a revelation.
NetflixI don't have cable. I get by quite nicely with Netflix and Hulu Plus. This app gives me a great browsing and viewing experience, making it dangerously easy to curl up in bed with a movie on my laptop. Though the app is free, Netflix itself requires a subscription. But as of this writing, there was a one month free trial offer.
Hulu PlusAgain, this requires a subscription, but also currently has a free trial offer for the streaming service. I love the Criterion Collection of films. And Modern Family is the only show my 14-year old and I can agree to watch together.
WikipediaThis app gives you a really nice reading interface, and also makes it super easy to share articles to other apps and spread your knowledge of Italian vampire films or whatever else your latest obsession happens to be.
Adobe Photoshop ExpressLove this one. The full version of Photoshop is a powerful tool for graphics professionals. For the rest of us, this app provides more than enough fire power for basic fixes. There's basically no learning curve, either. The controls are obvious and easy.
Where’s My Water? 2As addictive as it is awkwardly punctuated, this physics-based game from Disney gives a hundred more satisfying levels of puzzles and difficulties to solve.
Microsoft Solitaire CollectionSimplicity and familiarity. Sometimes that's all you want. This offers the traditional game for those times when you want to switch off your mind and focus only on the next card. But it also has a more than a few variations to keep things interesting.
AmazonThis app is all about taking control and seeing just what you want, and finding stuff that will be interesting to you personally. It's got a really nice, clean interface. Pin an Amazon tile to get alerts and notifications on your Start screen.
eBay Hate to lose? This app helps you keep track of your bids, track packages, and get alerts when there's action on that taxidermy owl you want. It's also nice for just window shopping (Windows shopping? Yeah, sorry).
ESPNThis is another one that requires a subscription and has a free trial offer. We're having pretty fun season here in the Northwest with the Seahawks, and this is the perfect way to keep track of the latest from Pete Carroll and co.
CNN for WindowsA great stand-by for staying up-to-date with the news. The app gives you a very nice display that is great for touchscreens. By the way, here is a round-up of some of my other favorite news apps.
KindleWe're a two e-reader family. I'm a Kindle man, and my daughter swears by her Nook. I'm still amazed at how Kindle knows where I left off on any book, even if I start reading on my Windows Phone, read some more on my laptop, and pick it up later on my Kindle itself. This app has some other cool tricks, like a very easy-to-use search feature.
NookOne of the nice things about this app is it comes loaded with free book samples, so you can try out the smooth, page-flicking reading experience. It's also really great for magazines, newspapers, and other graphics-rich publications.
Khan AcademyThe app promises to let you "learn almost anything for free." And that turns out to be true! It's nice for students who need help (K-12 math and science are covered), but it's also great for anyone who craves a little mental stimulation.
Star ChartDespite what it might sound like, this is for astronomy, not astrology. The truly remarkable feature of this app is you can hold it up to the sky and it will tell you exactly what you're looking at.
OpenTableTo paraphrase a certain American president, I am not a cook. And this app helps keep me from starving, with restaurant browsing and booking. I've found places in my own neighborhood that I didn't even know were there. It's also ideal for finding a good meal when you're traveling.
AllRecipesLet me repeat: I am not a cook. But this app just might make me one. I can tell it what I have on hand, and it will give me recipes for stuff I can make in 30 minutes or less. OK, running out of excuses now.
That's just to get you started. Hit the Windows Store icon on your Start screen to find your own favorites. I'm sure you'll find ways to enjoy your new device that you haven't even thought of yet. Happy New Year! --David S.
Usually, with Windows 7, when you want to change the size of the Desktop icons, you would right click on any empty area on the desktop, and then click on View, and then select the size of the icons, either Large, Medium or Small icons.
For example, below is a quick comparison between the three different default sizes :
Small Icons
Medium Icons
Large Icons
But how about if you want to customize the icons size, for example, to set them larger than the default large size ?? well here is a hint on how to set the icons size to any size you want:
Using the left click of the mouse, click on an empty area in the desktop. This step is to make sure that there is no application selected/clicked on.
Using your keyboard, press and keep holding the CTRL button, then using your mouse wheel, roll it upward to make the icons size larger, or downward to set the icon size smaller
As you will notice, now I can have very large icons, as seen in the below snapshot
or very small icons
or any other size in between, depending how I roll the mouse wheel.
Note : At any time, if you desire to restore the original size of the desktop icons, then read the first paragraph of this article again :)
SummaryWhether you want very small icons, very large icons or any size in between, you have full control to set the icons size to any size you want. For example, in my case, I have tens of icons on my desktop, and having control to customize the icons size is very helpful.
Tweaking Windows settings and using keyboard shortcuts can enhance the Windows experience. We'll show you seven useful tips and tricks to help you get more out of Windows 7.
Windows 7 is a good operating system right out of the box, but tweaking some of the settings and using keyboard shortcuts can enhance the Windows experience.
Here are seven useful Windows tips and tricks to help you get more out ofWindows 7:
1. Bypass the Recycle Bin The Windows Recycle Bin is a good safeguard against accidental file deletions. However, when you know you want to permanently delete a file, you can bypass it. Instead of pressing the Del key, press Shift+Del, then Shift+Enter to confirm.
If you prefer, you can also permanently disable the Recycle Bin. First, right-click on the Recycle Bin, then choose Properties. Click on the drive you want to disable the Recycle Bin for, then select "Don't move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted." Click the OK or Apply button to save the changes.
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
2. Open Windows Explorer faster Are you still mousing over to a Windows Explorer icon or double-clicking on My Computer to browse your files? Try pressing Windows Logo+E instead, to instantly launch Windows Explorer.
3. Enable underlining of keyboard shortcuts Windows has many menu shortcut keys, but they're hidden by default. To enable the underlining of the shortcuts, go to Control Panel > Ease of Access Center > Change how your keyboard works. Click on the box next to "Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys," then hit the OK or Apply button to save.
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
On the left, underlining is disabled. On the right, underlining is enabled.
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
4. Bypass the Windows splash screen Disabling the Windows splash screen can shave a couple seconds from your total boot time. Launch the Windows Run command (Windows Logo+R), then type msconfig. Under the Boot tab, check the box next to "No GUI boot." Hit the OK or Apply button to save the changes.
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
5. Lock Windows quickly Whether you're at the office, library, or cafe, it's always a good idea to lock Windows before you step away. To lock Windows quickly, press Windows Logo+L.
6. Show hidden files, folders, and drives To view files, folders, and drives that Windows hides, open the Windows search box (Windows Logo) and type folder. Next, select Folder Options from the search list and navigate to the View tab. Under Hidden files and folders, check the box next to "Show hidden files, folders, and drives."
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
7. Rename multiples files To rename multiple files in Windows, highlight the files you want to rename, then hit the F2 key. Rename the first file, then hit Enter. All your files will be renamed and a number in parenthesis will be added to the end of the name. If you change your mind, you can hit Ctrl+Z to undo the rename.
Original file names to rename.
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
New file names.
(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)
That's it. If you know of any other cool Windows tips and tricks, feel free to share them in the comments.
Don't you love it when you find a new shortcut to get across town or uncover a cool feature on your latest gadget? Windows 7 is full of "I didn't know you could do that" surprises. Among the many great enhancements in Windows 7, here are some of the small gems that you might not be aware of.
1. Surpass basic math
Calculator has several dynamic new features—click the View menu to check them out. Unit conversion translates Celsius to Fahrenheit, kilometers to miles, meters to feet, grams to ounces, joules to BTUs, and more. You can use the new calculation worksheets to quickly compute everyday stuff like fuel economy and auto lease payments. The Programmer and Statistics modes handle the geekier tasks.
2. Send information to tech support
The next time you find yourself trying to describe a complicated computer problem to a friend or tech support, give Problem Steps Recorder a try. You can record a series of screen shots, add notes, and email them directly to whoever is helping you. For tips on using Problem Steps Recorder, read this article.
3. Move your taskbar
Did you know that you can move the taskbar to the top, right, or left sides of your screen? Watch a quick video demo.
4. Customize your clocks
Have friends, family, and colleagues in different time zones across the world? Add clocks to your taskbar to keep track of the time in their area. Or add a clock gadget to your desktop. You can even choose from eight different clock designs. Here's how to add and personalize gadgets.
5. Create and share themes
Like a little variety? With Windows 7, you can design, save, and quickly change your computer's themes (desktop background, window border color, sounds, and screen saver). You can even create a new theme, like one that showcases a slide show of your favorite photos as your desktop background, and easily share that with friends and family. Learn more and watch a video about how to create a theme.
6. Drag files from Jump Lists
With Jump Lists, you get a quick-access list of your most frequently or recently used files. Just look for the right-pointing arrow next to programs on your Start menu or left-click a program on the taskbar. You can use Jump Lists to open files and programs in just a few clicks. Even better, you can drag items from Jump Lists into open folders or email.
7. Preview your files
Another great time saver is the file preview pane within a folder or library. Use it to see a file's contents without opening the file in a program. You can open the preview pane in a window by pressing Alt+P. Items such as photos and PDF files will be previewed in this area when you click them. Learn more about using files and folders, including the preview pane.
8. Help reduce eye strain with ClearType
ClearType is a tool that improves the readability of the text on your LCD screen. So if you feel the text isn't displaying sharply, use ClearType. The tool will take you through a series of screens, much like an eye exam, to help you achieve the sharpest text possible.
9. Easily customize your Sticky Notes
Now you can make the Sticky Notes you keep on your desktop even handier. You can format the text and change its color, as well as resize, collapse, and flip through several Sticky Notes. If you have a Tablet PC or touchscreen, you can use multiple input (pen and touch) methods within a single note. Learn how.
10. Get to know the new Paint
This classic Windows software has been improved in Windows 7 with new brush effects such as watercolor, crayon, and calligraphy. Paint now comes with an easy-to-use ribbon for all the cool features that you use the most. And with a touchscreen you can finger-paint, including using two fingers to create separate brush strokes simultaneously.
11. Quickly find anything on your computer
Windows Search is the fastest way to locate and open any file on your PC, including documents, email messages, music, photos, and more. To use Windows Search, click the Start button , type one or two keywords, and see search results appear almost instantly.
Navigating the Control Panel has never been the easiest of processes, however Windows 7 has tried to improve the situation by equipping the Control Panel window with its own search box. And, just as you might think, if you enter part of an applet name - "Display", say - then matching applets will be listed right away.
You don't have to be quite so specific about what you type, though, because Search generally does a very good job of figuring out what's relevant. Entering "hacker" displays the Firewall applet, for instance, while typing "virus" provides a link to Windows Defender. It's all very helpful, but keep in mind that you don't have to launch Control Panel to get these results: simply type your key words into the Start Menu search box and the same links will appear.
68. Repair libraries
Windows 7's new Libraries are a great way to simplify file management, when they're all working properly. Unfortunately, if their settings become damaged then they might not always display the files you expect, or you might not even be able to access them at all. If the problems survive a reboot then right-click the Libraries folder, select Restore Default Libraries, and your system should be back in full working order. (You'll lose any library customisations you made, though, so try this only as a last resort.)
69. Add network folders to libraries
Windows 7 Libraries are all about making it easy to view content that's scattered across many folders, and even hard drives, but there are limitations. And in particular, Explorer won't enable you to add network folders.
If this is a problem, though, all you have to do is grab a copy of the Win7 Library Tool, a simple free program that enables you to freely add any network location to whatever library you like.
70. Hide unused libraries
If you don't use some Windows 7 libraries then it's generally a good idea to hide them, since this recovers valuable space in the left-hand Explorer navigation pane and cuts down on scrolling. Just right-click an unwanted library and select Don't Show in Navigation Pane to hide it. To bring it back, click Libraries, right-click whatever you need and choose Show in Navigation Pane.
71. Find bottlenecks
From what we've seen so far Windows 7 is already performing better than Vista, but if your PC seems sluggish then it's now much easier to uncover the bottleneck. Click Start, type RESMON and press Enter to launch the Resource Monitor, then click the CPU, Memory, Disk or Network tabs. Windows 7 will immediately show which processes are hogging the most system resources.
The CPU view is particularly useful, and provides something like a more powerful version of Task Manager. If a program has locked up, for example, then right-click its name in the list and select Analyze Process. Windows will then try to tell you why it's hanging - the program might be waiting for another process, perhaps - which could give you the information you need to fix the problem.
Resource monitor keeps a careful eye on exactly how your PC is being used
72. Keyboard shortcuts
Windows 7 supports several useful new keyboard shortcuts.
Alt+P Display/ hide the Explorer preview pane
Windows Logo+G Display gadgets in front of other windows
Windows Logo++ (plus key) Zoom in, where appropriate
Windows Logo+- (minus key) Zoom out, where appropriate
Windows Logo+Up Maximise the current window
Windows Logo+Down Minimise the current window
Windows Logo+Left Snap to the left hand side of the screen
Windows Logo+Right Snap to the right hand side of the screen
Windows Logo+Home Minimise/ restore everything except the current window
73. Drag and drop to the command line
When working at the command line you'll often need to access files, which usually means typing lengthy paths and hoping you've got them right. But Windows 7 offers an easier way. Simply drag and drop the file onto your command window and the full path will appear, complete with quotes and ready to be used.
This feature isn't entirely new: you could do this in Windows XP, too, but drag and drop support disappeared in Vista. There does seem to be a new Windows 7 complication, though, in that it only seems to work when you open the command prompt as a regular user. Run cmd.exe as an administrator and, while it accepts dropped files, the path doesn't appear.
74. Customise your jumplists
Right-click an icon on your taskbar, perhaps Notepad, and you'll see a jumplist menu that provides easy access to the documents you've been working on recently. But maybe there's another document that you'd like to be always available? Then drag and drop it onto the taskbar icon, and it'll be pinned to the top of the jumplist for easier access. Click the pin to the right of the file name, or right-click it and select Unpin From This List when you need to remove it.
75. Faster program launches
If you've launched one instance of a program but want to start another, then don't work your way back through the Start menu. It's much quicker to just hold down Shift and click on the program's icon (or middle-click it), and Windows 7 will start a new instance for you.
76. Speedy video access
Want faster access to your Videos folder? Windows 7 now lets you add it to the Start menu. Just right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Start Menu > Customize, and set the Videos option to Display As a Link. If you've a TV tuner that works with Windows 7 then you'll appreciate the new option to display the Recorded TV folder on the Start menu, too.
77. Mount ISO images
Windows 7 introduced the ability to burn an ISO image to disc, but it doesn't provide any way to browse that image beforehand - which is why you need a copy of WinCDEmu. This simple tool mounts ISO and other image files as virtual drives, enabling you to access them in Explorer just as though they were physical discs.
Once you've set up WinCDEmu, it will instantly mount any image file with a double-click
78. Run web searches
The Windows 7 search tool can now be easily extended to search online resources, just as long as someone creates an appropriate search connector. To add Flickr support, say, visit I Started Something, click Download the Connector, choose the Open option and watch as it's downloaded (the file is tiny, it'll only take a moment). A Flickr Search option will be added to your Searches folder, and you'll be able to search images from your desktop.
A multitude of other ready-made searches, such as Google and YouTube, can be downloaded from the windowsclub.com website.
79. Schedule Media Centre downloads
You can now tell Windows Media Centre to download data at a specific time, perhaps overnight, a useful way to prevent it sapping your bandwidth for the rest of the day. Launch Media Centre, go to Tasks > Settings > General > Automatic Download Options, and set the download start and stop times that you'd like it to use.
80. Multi-threaded Robocopies
Anyone who's ever used the excellent command-line robocopy tool will appreciate the new switches introduced with Windows 7. Our favourite, /MT, can improve speed by carrying out multi-threaded copies with the number of threads you specify (you can have up to 128, though that might be going a little too far). Enter robocopy /? at a command line for the full details.
81. Load IE faster
Some Internet Explorer add-ons can take a while to start, dragging down the browser's performance, but at least IE8 can now point a finger at the worst resource hogs. Click Tools > Manage Add-ons, check the Load Time in the right-hand column, and you'll immediately see which browser extensions are slowing you down.
82. An Alt+Tab alternative
You want to access one of the five Explorer windows you have open, but there are so many other programs running that Alt+Tab makes it hard to pick out what you need. The solution? Hold down the Ctrl key while you click on the Explorer icon. Windows 7 will then cycle through the Explorer windows only, a much quicker way to locate the right one. And of course this works with any application that has multiple windows open.
83. Block annoying alerts
Just like Vista, Windows 7 will display a suitably stern warning if it thinks your antivirus, firewall or other security settings are incorrect.
But unlike Vista, if you disagree then you can now turn off alerts on individual topics. If you no longer want to see warnings just because you've dared to turn off the Windows firewall, say, then click Control Panel > System and Security > Action Centre > Change Action Centre settings, clear the Network Firewall box and click OK.
84. Parallel defrags
The standard Windows 7 defragger offers a little more control than we saw in Vista, and the command line version also has some interesting new features. The /r switch will defrag multiple drives in parallel, for instance (they'll obviously need to be physically separate drives for this to be useful). The /h switch runs the defrag at a higher than normal priority, and the /u switch provides regular progress reports so you can see exactly what's going on. Enter the command
defrag /c /h /u /r
in a command window to speedily defrag a system with multiple drives, or enter defrag /? to view the new options for yourself.
85. Fix Explorer
The Windows 7 Explorer has a couple of potential annoyances. Launching Computer will no longer display system folders like Control Panel or Recycle Bin, for instance. And if you're drilling down through a complicated folder structure in the right-hand pane of Explorer, the left-hand tree won't always expand to follow what you're doing, which can make it more difficult to see exactly where you are. Fortunately there's a quick fix: click Organize > Folder and Search Options, check Show All Folders and Automatically Expand To Current Folder, and click OK.
86. Faster file handing
If you hold down Shift while right-clicking a file in Explorer, then you'll find the Send To file now includes all your main user folders: Contacts, Documents, Downloads, Music and more. Choose any of these and your file will be moved there immediately.
87. Create folder favourites
If you're regularly working on the same folder in Explorer then select it in the right-hand page, right-click Favourites on the left-hand menu, and select Add to Favourites. It'll then appear at the bottom of the favourites list for easy one-click access later.
88. Disable hibernation
By default Windows 7 will permanently consume a chunk of your hard drive with its hibernation file, but if you never use sleep, and always turn your PC off, then this will never actually be used. To disable hibernation and recover a little hard drive space, launch REGEDIT, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power, then set both HibernateEnabled and HiberFileSizePerfect to zero.
89. Create a new folder shortcut
When you need to create a new folder in Windows 7 Explorer, don't reach for the mouse. Just press Ctrl+Shift+N to create the folder in the active Explorer window, then type its name as usual.
90. Open a jumplist
Most people right-click a Windows taskbar icon to view its jumplist. You can also hold the left mouse button over the icon, though, then drag upwards to reveal the jumplist and choose the option you need, a more natural action that should be just a little faster.
91. Search quickly
If you'd like to search for something in an Explorer window then there's no need to use the mouse. Simply press [F3] to move the focus to the search box, enter your keyword and press [Enter] to run the search.
92. Search file contents
There's no obvious way in the Windows interface to search the contents of files that haven't been indexed, but all you need to do is start your search with the "content:" search filter. So entering "content:Microsoft", for instance, will find all documents (whether they're actually indexed or not) that contain the word Microsoft.
93. Close in a click
Hover your mouse cursor over a Windows taskbar button will display a preview thumbnail of that application window. You don't need that app any more? Then middle-click the thumbnail to close it down.
94. Leave the Homegroup
Homegroups are an easy way to network Windows 7 PCs, but if you don't use the feature then turning it off can save you a few system resources.
Click Start, type Homegroup, and click Choose Homegroup and Sharing Options. Click Leave the Homegroup > Leave the Homegroup > Finish.
Now click Start, type services.msc and press [Enter] to launch the Services Control Panel applet.
Find and double-click both the HomeGroup Listener and HomeGroup Provider service, clicking Stop and setting Startup Type to Disabled in each case, and the services won't be launched when you need reboot.
, type one or two keywords, and see search results appear almost instantly.
