Geek Choice Blog » Windows 7

Five Reasons to Look Through the Windows 7

Sean Wilcoxson — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:00:10 +0000

By Sean Wilcoxson

About a year ago Windows 7 hit the computer world, offering a wide variety of new features, and in the past year it has showed everyone just how strong a Operating System it is. How else did it become the fastest selling OS in history?

Among the many things that make Windows 7 what it is, there are seven that stand out. Let’s take a look at what exactly is going on when we look out of the Windows 7:

The first one is a cool feature that allows you to customize your desktop wallpaper. Instead of just seeing the same old picture of a tree or the face of your baby, now you can put a slide-show that can be displayed in intervals on the background. I have tried it, it is a pretty neat seeing a whole trip I took change pictures on my desktop. The feature gives Windows 7 its true name: a window into exciting technology at our fingertips.

The second feature is the back-up tool that you can use to make sure your files will never be lost. By plugging in a flash drive or inserting a CD-R, the window pops up asking you if you would like to back-up your files. Once you do this, whenever you insert them in that same computer you can re-run that operation. It is an easy way to protect those important files you have stored.

The third feature is found in the taskbar, where your whole hard drive is at your fingertips with the search box. Type in that missing essay you wrote last week and need to edit, like magic it appears right before your eyes found in seconds. A common problem exists with iTunes when certain music files are moved around by accident, and when you try to play the song you have to locate it. Instead of trying to search your memory, search with the box and you will find what you are looking for.

The fourth feature is something that was anticipated by the makers of Windows 7, the inevitable clashing of OS like Windows XP(an older version). So Windows 7 includes a program that allows users to run XP from within Windows 7. Not all programs run smoothly on Windows 7, so having this feature is vital to performance.

The fifth and final feature that makes Windows 7 a great system is the time it takes to boot up. In a test with Windows Vista, Windows 7 beat it out by 30 seconds, making it 20% faster than it’s competition. This time adds up, especially when you are in a hurry and need to get up and running as fast as possible to get on the web or get to your business.

Overall Windows 7 is definitely worth the upgrade. It has been open only a year, and guess what? Rumors around the computer world are whispering about a Windows 8 release in 2012. Can it get better than Windows 7? For now the best is in the number 7.

Is Your Computer Feeling Bloated? New Beano Software

Sean Wilcoxson — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:11:25 +0000

by Sean Wilcoxson

A new PC utility enables users to slim up there computer and cut down on all those programs you do not need which fills up disk space.

“Bloatware”, or software bloat, is a term that is used to describe the unnecessary features that are not being used but takes up valuable space on your computer. In the beginning, back in the 1970’s, every byte was accounted for because disk space was like gold not to be wasted. It seems in today’s world the reverse is the normal: pack in the useless nonsense!

With all the new operating systems, browsers, protocols, and storage formats, no wonder your computer is fat and farting! For example, a program that once could only save in text format is now demanded to save in HTML, XML, XLS, CSV, PDF, DOC, and other formats.

In comes SlimComputer software from SlimWare Utilities, a useful tool that collects user ratings of programs that ship with that PC you ordered and aggregates them to make it easy to decide which ones to delete, and which ones to keep.

“As more users participate, we get more data. As we get more data, the better the ratings are,” said Chris Cope, CEO of Slimware, based in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Looking at these ratings, you might still be skeptical at whether or not certain programs are valuable or not. The tool will identify and remove programs that many users don’t want, like the free games that come with many PCs, and also list nonessential toolbars, startup items and shortcuts. Basically the SlimComputer eliminates all those annoying programs that take up all the space that you could be using to store all those “movies”.

Why Is Bloatware Bad?

How does it feel to be bloated? Not good. That is what your computer feels, and it will go a lot slower than usual because it is too busy farting. Software companies often pay PC makers to include trial versions in the computer so you will get a nice variety of nothing!

This software can slow boot times, drag on performance, and take up disk space. Other examples of bloated software are trial productivity tools and accounting. So what can you do to get your PC up and running full speed?

With Slimware the main goal is to not interfere with important programs that are used to help the computer function properly. That would screw things up big time, no, what this program does is make it so that when you get a new computer or have an existing one, based on user ratings of how important a program is you can decide for yourself which ones to get rid of.

This is a valuable tool in this day and age of endless content that never ceases to fill up your screen with useless nonsense. Get rid of all that crap with slimware.

Microsoft, iTunes, and other applications like NERO burning ROM have been accused of being bloated. They come with all sorts of ridiculous add-ons and downloads that look great, but actually are just there to slow you down.

Here is a tip: if you feel your computer is bloated and is not as fast as you would like? Instead of buying a new expensive Sony laptop, download this free program and see how much money you can save by freeing up space.

Specify which programs users can run in Windows 7

Ken — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:24:41 +0000

If you’re the administrator of a shared computer on which you have multiple users, you very well could be someone who wants that computer used for a specific purpose, wanting to limit access to a select few applications. This is especially true of businesses where lapses in productivity could be a concern. You could be a manager looking to have your network administrator to craft a means of increasing the productivity of employees, or you might be a parent who’s mindful of the impact your children’s computer use is having on their studies.

For whatever the reason, Windows 7 allows you to decide just which applications users of that shared system can open.

This feature is not available for users of Windows 7 Home versions.

First, you want to click on the Start button and enter “gpedit.msc” in the search box. Press Enter.

Then, you’ll want to go to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System. Once there, look under “Setting,” where you will then double-click on “Run only specified Windows applications.”

You” have to set that to “Enabled.” Then, in the Options section, click on the “Show” button.

Doing so will pull up a “Show Contents” window in which you can enter only those applications you want users to have access to. Once you’ve completed the list, click “OK.” Close out of the Local Group Policy editor.

With that done, you have now set restrictions on which applications users of your computer can avail themselves of. Should someone try to use one that isn’t included on your list of allowed applications, they will see the following message:

If you’re someone who monitors which applications are being used on your computer, this a great feature that will assist you in that regard.

JumpLaunch gives you Quick Launch access in Windows 7

Ken — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:04:22 +0000

While being a release that has seen Microsoft regain much of the faith it lost with recent installments of its operating system, Windows 7 arrived with many long adored features either missing or peculiarly buried in such a way as to make their use unnecessarily tedious.

For those of you pining for the Quick Launch toolbar, it’s still available, but you’ll need to perform a few quick tweaks to get it working.

The contents of your Quick Launch folder can be found at this location: %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick launch. Very easily, this tool will transform those shortcuts into a list that effectively acts as your Quick Launch toolbar.

Called JumpLaunch, this application is a free tool that adds a blue orb to your Windows 7 bar. Right-clicking on the orb will bring a list of applications stored in your Quick Launch list. When left-clicking on the same orb, you’re able to add or remove programs from this list, customizing it to your preferences.

Windows 7 is an excellent addition to Microsoft’s stable of programs, but it’s not perfect. At Geek Choice, we’ll continue to offer you tips that aid you in getting the most out of this new operating system.

You can download JumpLaunch here.

With Windows 7, you can prevent users from shutting down or restarting their computer.

Ken — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:58:48 +0000

On a shared computer, the administrator may not wish to see the computer shut off by those authorized to use it. This is particularly true in an office, where productivity can be hindered when employees arriving to work find themselves having to wait as the computer boots up rather than being able to immediately log back into their computer console.

In Windows 7, using the Local Group Policy Editor, those functions can be removed by hiding the “Shutdown” and “Restart” buttons from the users.

*It should be noted that this feature is not available in personal and home versions of Windows 7.

To begin, we’ll click on the “Start” button and type “gpedit.msc” – hit Enter.

Once the Local Group Policy Editor window is open, take the following route:

User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Task Bar

Once there, select Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands.

Once selected, it’ll prompt you to enable the service, which is done by clicking on “Apply” and “OK”

After this is completed, return to the desktop. You’ll notice, when reviewing your options in the Start menu, the only ones available are “Log Off,” “Switch User,” and “Lock.”

Once implemented, the omission of those features is immediately apparent, with no possible means – outside of unplugging it – of a user turning their computer off.