The new Windows 7 operating system can rightly be called the most anticipated software product beginning of the XXI century. This book contains detailed Windows description 7: from system installation to its administration and maintenance. The publication will help you get the most complete answers to questions that arise when switching to a new version operating system to get acquainted with all the innovations and additional features"sevens" that make everyday "communication" with her as simple and effective as possible. This book is worth a read, if only to see behind the glamorous Windows 7 interface all the great benefits of this latest operating system.
Windows 7 interface and its settings
3.4. Start menu
3.5. Customizing the Taskbar
Windows 7 features a redesigned interface that creates a friendly working environment and lets you easily complete everyday tasks. At the same time, users can customize Windows interface at your own discretion: interface customization tools have been significantly redesigned compared to previous versions.
In this chapter, we will take a closer look at the features of using the Desktop, the Start menu and the Taskbar in everyday work. Particular attention will be paid to new interface elements: Windows Aero style, the search bar in the Start menu, jump lists, and more. You will also learn how to work effectively in the new interface environment and some tweaks to customize it.
3.1. Logging in and out
The Windows 7 operating system allows multiple users to work on a computer, and each of them can customize the Windows interface independently and store documents in personal folders. For each user in the system, there must be Account, defining his rights. To be able to perform any action on the computer, you must log in with one of the existing accounts.
Login
To log in to Windows 7, it prompts you to use welcome screen, which appears during the loading of the operating system (Fig. 3.1) and should be familiar Windows users XP/Vista. To log in, click on the icon of one of the accounts, and if it is not password protected, then after a while you will see the Desktop.
Rice. 3.1. Login screen
To protect the user's personal files from strangers, it is recommended to use password-protected accounts. In this case, to log in, you need to click on the account icon, enter the password in the field that appears, and then press the Enter key. To ensure you don't make a mistake when entering your password, Windows will display a keyboard layout indicator, which is now in the left upper corner screen. To change the layout, click on the indicator, you can also use one of the keyboard shortcuts: Shift+Ctrl or Shift+Alt. When entering a password, you should also respect the case of characters, and if you press the Caps Lock key, the system will warn you about this.
There is a button in the lower left corner of the welcome screen. Special abilities, which can be used to enable on-screen keyboard, audio mode, screen magnifier, and other tools for people with disabilities. And in the lower right corner of the screen you will find a button to turn off the computer. If you click the ▲ arrow to the right of this button, you can choose another shutdown method such as Reboot or Sleep. More details on how to complete the work will be discussed below.
You can set up your computer so that it automatically logs you in with a specific account during boot, without displaying the Welcome screen. This can be achieved if only one account is created on your computer and it is not password protected. Use this option if you do not need to protect personal information and share a computer with other users.
Shutdown
Although the Windows 7 Start menu has only one button for shutting down, there are several options for ending the system. By default, the Start menu button shuts down the computer. To select other shutdown methods, click the → arrow next to the Shutdown button on the Start menu. The following options will be available in the menu that appears (Fig. 3.2).
Rice. 3.2. Options for shutting down Windows 7
Change user. Selecting this command will return you to the welcome screen, and all programs launched by the user will continue to run in the background. This command is used when you need to temporarily log on to the system using a different account, then return to the previous one and continue the previously started work.
Log out. The current user session will end and the system will return to the welcome screen. You can then sign in with a different account.
Block. The lock screen is most often used when you need to temporarily leave workplace. To resume work, you will need to enter your account password.
Advice
You can use the keyboard shortcut Windows + L to open the lock screen (in this case Windows is the Windows logo key.)
Dream. The computer will be put into a low power mode, in which power is maintained on the RAM chips, and most other devices are turned off completely. In addition, when you enter sleep mode, the contents of RAM are written to HDD, which allows you to restore the original state in the event of a complete disconnection from the network. Depending on the power supply settings, this command may be absent or inactive (see section 9.5).
Completion of work. The procedure for shutting down the computer is carried out in several stages. The system will first try to close all running programs. If you have open unsaved documents, a dialog box will appear with the appropriate warning. After closing the programs, the user's session will be ended, then the system itself will be shut down and the computer will turn off.
You can also use the power buttons on the keyboard to shut down the system, the power button on the system block, and for a laptop, just close the lid. For each of these events, you can configure different actions to be performed in the Power Options window (see Chapter 9).
If you press the CtrL+ALt+DeLete key combination after logging in, the system security screen will appear (Fig. 3.3). In addition to the lock, change user, and logout commands already discussed, you can change the account password or launch the Task Manager to shut down a hung program (see Chapter 5).
Rice. 3.3. System security screen
3.2. Window and application management
Overview of new interface Windows 7
After logging in, you will see the Desktop, which can host icons, windows, and other items. At the bottom of the desktop is the Taskbar with the Start button in the left corner and the notification area in the right. When you first get acquainted with the Windows 7 interface (Fig. 3.4), you can note such innovations as translucent windows, menus and panels in Windows style Aero, a completely redesigned taskbar, jump lists, new window management effects and other improvements.
Rice. 3.4. Windows 7 desktop
A significant part of the novelties of the interface is aimed at simplifying the work of users when in large numbers open windows. Modern computers allow you to run a large number of programs at the same time, and today you will not surprise anyone with a dozen or even two open windows. In this case, the window management procedure becomes much more complicated, users have to spend their time and nerves clicking on the corresponding taskbar buttons in search of the desired window.
The principles of window management have not changed much since Windows 95, and only in Windows Vista it became possible to view window thumbnails directly on the Taskbar, as well as use the effect of three-dimensional scrolling of open windows. In Windows 7, these features have been significantly improved, as well as completely new ones:
Aero Peek– allows you to see the selected window in full size when viewing window thumbnails on the Taskbar, while all other windows temporarily become transparent;
Aero Snap- makes it possible to maximize the window, restore its size or "stick" to one of the edges of the screen with just one mouse movement;
Aero Shake- allows you to quickly minimize or restore all inactive windows.
Another problem that users constantly face is search. desired application or document. Quantity installed programs on a computer can number in the tens or even hundreds, and for something as simple as launching a desired program, sometimes you have to wander through the multi-level structure of the All Programs menu for a long time. In Windows 7, just type the first couple of letters of the program name in the search bar - and the desired icon is already at your fingertips.
You can pin shortcuts to launch frequently used applications in the Start menu or directly on the Taskbar. For them, Windows 7 displays a special menu called jump list. Each application has its own jump list, which can be used to quickly open a recent or frequently used document, as well as execute commands specific to this application.
And in conclusion of the review of the new interface functions, it should be noted that the Windows 7 Taskbar itself has been radically redesigned. Application buttons on the taskbar have a completely new look, you can freely move them within the taskbar and close applications directly from the preview window. These and other innovations will be discussed in detail later in this chapter.
Windows Aero style
The Windows Vista operating system was the first to use the capabilities of modern video adapters to display interface elements. This created a new Windows Aero look and feel with high-quality visual effects. In Windows 7, this style has been further development, existing effects have been significantly improved, and new ones have also appeared.
To display the interface in the Windows Aero style, the video adapter must meet the necessary requirements (see section 2.1). Aero effects are not available in Starter and Home Basic editions. In addition, these effects can be disabled using the system settings.
If the Windows Aero style is disabled for one reason or another, Windows will automatically enable the so-called simplified style, which will have most of the new features for managing windows, but all visual effects will be disabled. The simplified style displays window titles instead of thumbnails, but you can use jump lists, snap windows with the mouse, and some other new features.
To get Aero working in Windows Vista, users often had to check and adjust various system settings themselves. Windows 7 has special troubleshooting tools that may not even turn on the Aero style. advanced users with just a few mouse clicks. To do this, do the following.
1. Right click on Action Center icon
in the notification area of the Taskbar and run the Fix a problem command.
2. In the Troubleshooting window, click the Display Aero Desktop Effects link.
3. Click the Next button on the first window of the troubleshooter. Will be automatically checked and changed if necessary desired parameters, after which you will receive a report on the problems found and their correction (Fig. 3.5).
Rice. 3.5. The result of the Aero Troubleshooter
New Look for the Taskbar
The main purpose of the Taskbar in previous versions of Windows was to display buttons for open windows, with which you can quickly switch between them. In Windows 7, the Taskbar has received completely new features that make managing applications much easier and more convenient.
The first thing that catches your eye when looking at the new Taskbar is the unusually large buttons for open windows, which show only an icon, and there is no name for the window. This approach may seem unfamiliar to users of previous versions, but it is more convenient when a large number of windows are open at the same time.
If you compare it with the classic style of the Taskbar, then with a dozen open windows it is almost impossible to make out their names on the buttons, so there is no special need for them. In this case, it is much more convenient to identify window buttons using icons, so in Windows 7 their size has been increased. If you don't run more than 3–5 applications at the same time, you can return button labels in the properties window of the Taskbar (see Section 3.5).
On the Windows 7 Taskbar, you can see three types of buttons (Fig. 3.6):
pinned app buttons. Shortcuts to frequently used applications can be placed directly on the taskbar. When a pinned app is not running, its button looks flat, unlike the raised buttons of open windows. By default, Windows 7 taskbar icons are pinned to File Explorer, Internet Explorer, and Player Windows Media. If necessary, you can remove existing or add new buttons;
application buttons. When you start an application, open a document or a system object, the corresponding button appears on the Taskbar. If you launch an application pinned to the taskbar, the new button does not appear, and the existing flat button turns into a three-dimensional one;
buttons that combine several windows of one application. When you launch multiple instances of the same application or open multiple documents of the same type, their buttons are grouped into one, which will look like a stack.
Rice. 3.6. Application buttons on the taskbar
There are several ways to pin a frequently used application to the taskbar:
Drag the application icon to the taskbar;
Right-click on the application icon and execute the command Pin to taskbar in the context menu;
If the application is already running, right-click on its button and select Pin this program to the taskbar from the list that appears.
If you rarely use a pinned program, it's best to remove it from the Taskbar to make room for other applications. To do this, right-click on the application button and select Unpin this program from the taskbar in the jump list that appears. In Windows 7, you can also freely move the buttons of pinned or running applications within the Taskbar, customizing the order of the buttons in a way that suits you.
Another interesting feature of the Windows 7 Taskbar is the display of a progress bar for a lengthy operation right on the Taskbar button. You will see a similar indicator, for example, when copying large amounts of data in Explorer or when downloading files with Internet Explorer.
Windows 7 introduces new keyboard shortcuts for working with application buttons on the Taskbar.
Windows + number. Opens the application whose button has the corresponding serial number on the Taskbar. For example, Windows + 1 will launch the first application or open it if it is already running, Windows + 2 will launch the second, and so on.
Windows+Shift+number. Starts a new instance of the application with the corresponding serial number on the taskbar.
Windows+ALt+number. Opens the jump list for the program with the corresponding serial number on the Taskbar.
Windows+Ctrl+number. Opens the last active program window with the corresponding serial number on the Taskbar.
Advice
To open a new application window, you can also click on the corresponding taskbar button with the middle mouse button (wheel).
You can also use commands to manage windows context menu Taskbars. Using the commands Cascade windows, Show windows in a stack and Show windows side by side, you can arrange all open windows on the desktop in one of the specified methods. After applying any of these commands, you can return the previous arrangement of windows. For example, after selecting the Show windows in a stack command in the context menu of the Taskbar, the Cancel Show in a stack item will appear.
To quickly minimize all windows, there is a button Minimize all windows in the right corner of the Taskbar. Pressing this button again will return the windows to their original position. The same actions can be performed using the keyboard shortcut Windows + D or the Show desktop item of the Taskbar context menu.
Jump Lists
Jump List is a menu with frequently used commands for an application whose icon is in the left column of the Start menu or in the Taskbar. With the jump list, you can quickly open recent or frequently used documents, and perform some other actions.
The jump list can be opened by right-clicking on the application button located on the taskbar. You can also use more original way: move the mouse pointer over the button on the taskbar and click left button mouse, drag it up. This action will be accompanied by the visual effect of "pulling" the Jump List from the Taskbar.
The jump list can consist of several groups of objects (Fig. 3.7).
Rice. 3.7. Jump List
Pinned objects. This group includes shortcuts to documents, web pages and other objects that have been pinned by the user in the jump list.
Recent or frequently used documents. For applications developed without taking into account the new features of Windows 7, icons of the latest documents that were opened using this program will automatically be entered in this group. If the application is written specifically for Windows 7, the jump list may contain icons selected according to other criteria. For example, for Windows Player Media displays a list of frequently accessed media files and, for Internet Explorer, a list of frequently visited web pages.
Tasks. If the program was developed with the new features of Windows 7 in mind, the Jump List may contain commands that are specific to that application. For example, Internet Explorer has two tasks: Start browsing InPrivate and Open a new tab.
Application management commands. At the bottom of the jump list, there are two or three commands that will be the same for all applications:
application launch command. If the application is already running, this command will launch a new copy of the program;
· a command for pinning a program to the Taskbar or removing it from the Taskbar;
· If there are one or more open windows in the jump list, a command will appear to close them.
Users can independently manage jump list items that are in the Pinned group. For example, to pin an item, open the Jump List, right-click the desired item in the Most Used or Recent group, and click Pin to List. You can remove an object from the pinned area using the Remove from list context menu command.
To pin a document to the jump list, you can simply drag it to the taskbar and the document will be pinned to the jump list of the application that is used by default to open documents of that type. If this application is not pinned to the taskbar, it will be pinned. You can also drag the document icon onto the button of the specific application in whose jump list you want to pin the document.
View thumbnails of windows
When you hover your mouse pointer over any button on the Taskbar, a thumbnail of the contents of the window appears. Moreover, if a video or animation is displayed in the window, you will also be able to see it. This function allows you to quickly find the desired window among several similar ones. If the button combines multiple instances of the same application, you will see separate thumbnails for each instance of the window (Figure 3.8).
Rice. 3.8. Preview an open window on the Taskbar
If, while viewing a thumbnail, move the mouse pointer from the Taskbar directly to the thumbnail, then the selected window will be displayed in full size, and all other windows will temporarily become transparent - this is the so-called Aero Peek effect (Fig. 3.9). After hovering over a thumbnail, you can do the following:
Switch to the selected window with a mouse click;
Return to the original window by removing the mouse pointer from the thumbnail;
If several documents of the same type are open, you can view the windows of each of them by simply moving the mouse pointer over the thumbnails;
To switch to viewing windows of other applications, return the mouse pointer to the taskbar and move it to the next button.
Rice. 3.9. Preview windows with the Aero Peek effect
Advice
When viewing thumbnails, you can close unnecessary windows, for which there is a window close button in the upper right corner of each thumbnail.
The Aero Peek effect can be used to view desktop content. In the right corner of the Windows 7 taskbar, there is a button Minimize all windows, by clicking on which you can minimize or maximize all open windows. If you simply move the mouse pointer over this button, all windows will temporarily become transparent and you will see the contents of the Desktop. You can get the same effect by pressing the Windows key + Spacebar.
Aero Snap and Aero Shake window control effects
In all previous versions of Windows, to maximize a window to full screen, you had to press special button window control. Now this is not necessary, in Windows 7 it is enough just to move the window to the top edge of the screen, and it will expand itself. To restore the original dimensions of a maximized window, click on its title bar and, without releasing the mouse button, drag it down. These actions will be accompanied by a spectacular animation - the so-called Aero Snap effect (in the help system for the Russian version of Windows 7, this effect is called binding).
With Aero Snap, you can not only maximize windows, but also dock them to the left or right edges of the screen or stretch them in height. For example, to maximize a window to the right half of the screen, click on the title bar of the window, move the window to the right edge of the screen, and release the mouse button. At the moment when the mouse pointer touches the edge of the screen, you will see a transparent frame that will show you the position of the window after releasing the mouse button (Fig. 3.10). To return the window to its original appearance, click on its title bar and “tear off” from the edge of the screen.
Rice. 3.10. Moving windows with the Aero Snap effect
You can also stretch the window in height without snapping to the left or right edges of the screen. To do this, move the mouse pointer to the top or bottom borders of the window and double-click the mouse button. Another way to perform this action is to click on the top or bottom edge of the window and, without releasing the mouse button, move it to the corresponding edge of the screen.
Windows 7 also introduced an interesting way to minimize all windows except the active one. To do this, click on the window title and, without releasing the mouse button, “shake” it by moving it several times left and right. As a result, all inactive windows will be minimized to the Taskbar. Shaking the window again will restore previously minimized windows. This effect is called Aero Shake, or shaking.
For all the effects described above, keyboard shortcuts appeared in Windows 7:
Windows+ - expand the active window to full screen;
Windows+↓ – restore maximized (or vertically stretched) window; if the window is not maximized or stretched, it will be minimized to the Taskbar;
Windows+Shift+ – stretch the active window vertically;
Windows+← - Maximize a window to the left half of the screen or restore
the original dimensions of the window attached to the right edge;
Windows+ → – expand the window to the right half of the screen or restore the original dimensions of the window attached to the left edge;
Windows+Home - minimize or maximize all windows except the active one.
Window switching effects
In previous versions of Windows, you could use the ALt+Tab key combination to switch between running windows. In Windows 7, this combination is also used, but during the switching process, the user can see thumbnails of the window contents (the so-called Flip effect), and the selected window will be displayed in full size (Fig. 3.11).
Rice. 3.11. Switch between open windows with Alt+Tab
When the Windows Aero style is enabled, you can also use the Windows+Tab keyboard shortcut to switch between windows, which implements the effect of three-dimensional scrolling of open windows (Fig. 3.12). In the English documentation, this effect is called Flip 3D, and in the help system for the Russian version, it is called ergonomic scrolling. To select a different window, you can scroll the mouse wheel, press the Tab key in succession, or click the mouse button on the desired window.
Rice. 3.12. Switch between open windows with Windows+Tab
Advice
You can also enable the ergonomic swipe mode using the Ctrl+Windows+Tab keyboard shortcut. In this case, you do not have to hold down Windows key. You can use the cursor keys to scroll, and the Enter key to select a window.
3.3. Desktop and its settings
Desktop icons
After Windows installation 7 on the Desktop there is only one icon - Recycle Bin. All other icons are contained in the Start menu. If you want to see one of the system folders on the Desktop (for example, Computer or Control Panel), find the desired icon in the Start menu, right-click on it and select Show on Desktop.
In Windows 7, you can change the size of desktop icons. To do this, right-click on an empty spot on the Desktop, select View from the menu that appears, and select one of the following options: Large Icons, Regular Icons, or Small Icons.
To arrange icons, right-click on an empty spot on the Desktop and select Sort from the context menu. In the sub-menu that appears, you can specify one of the options for ordering icons by name, size, type, or modification date. If you execute the context menu command View → Arrange icons automatically, then all the icons will be lined up on the left side of the Desktop and you will not be able to move them to another location, you can only change the order. To cancel automatic ordering, run the specified command again.
You can hide all desktop icons altogether. To do this, open the context menu for a free section of the Desktop, select the View item and clear the Show desktop icons check box. To display hidden icons, you must re-run the specified command. A similar command is available to control the display of desktop gadgets. Read more about gadgets in Chap. 5.
The content of the Desktop is actually stored in the Desktop folder, which is located in the user's personal folder. By opening this folder in Explorer, you can change the contents of the Desktop. Some icons are present on the desktops of all users, you can find them in a hidden folder at C:\Users\Public\Shared Desktop.
Personalization window
To customize the Desktop, use the Personalization window (Fig. 3.13), which makes it easy to perform customization Windows 7 interface. To open this window, right-click on any free space on the Desktop and select Personalize from the context menu. The same window can be called by running the command Start → Control Panel → Appearance and Personalization → Personalization.
Rice. 3.13. Personalization window
Desktop Themes
Topic The desktop is a set of design options that are made in the same style. In Windows 7, to change the theme, just one click on the thumbnail of the selected theme in the Personalization window (see Fig. 3.13), after which such interface elements as the color scheme, window appearance, wallpaper, screen saver, icons, system sounds and mouse pointers.
By default, Windows 7 has the following themes.
Aero themes. If you select a theme from this group, all Windows Aero style visual effects will be enabled. The themes that come with Windows 7 include a set of high-quality desktop pictures that will automatically change from one to another after a set amount of time. You may also come across special localized themes, for example, the Russian version has a Russia theme.
Windows 7 - simplified style. When this option is selected, the appearance and colors of interface elements will slightly differ from the Windows Aero style, but all visual effects will be absent. The simplified style is installed automatically if the hardware does not support Windows Aero, or if the Aero style has been disabled for one reason or another.
Classic. When you select this theme, windows and other controls will look the same as the previous ones. Windows versions. Most of all, the Classic theme resembles the Windows 2000 interface, but the Start menu items will still be displayed in two columns even in this case.
Themes with high contrast. Used in special cases for the work of users with limited vision.
In addition to the themes that are installed with Windows, users can download pre-made themes from the Internet or create their own. The easiest way to find new themes is to click on the More Themes on the Web link in the Personalization window. This will open a collection of themes for Windows 7 on the Microsoft website, where you can download any available theme. You can also find new themes in numerous directories software in the Internet.
The sequence of creating your own theme will be as follows.
1. Select one of the available themes in the Personalization window, on the basis of which you will create your own.
2. Customize the desktop background, window appearance, screen saver, system sounds, desktop icons, and mouse pointers. The procedure for setting up the listed interface elements will be discussed later in this section.
Customizing the color scheme
To customize the window color, open the Personalization window and select the Window color link. When using the Windows Aero style, the window shown in Fig. 3.14. If the Windows Aero style is not applied, the color customization window, known to users of previous versions of Windows, will open (see below).
Rice. 3.14. Window for customizing the color and appearance of windows when using the Windows Aero style
In the Window color and appearance window, you can select one of the suggested colors for windows and other interface elements, as well as change the intensity of the selected color using the corresponding slider. By default, windows use a transparency effect, which you can optionally turn off by clearing the Enable transparency check box.
You can choose your own color for the windows by clicking the Show custom colors link. Move the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness sliders to select the desired hue. The changed colors will be applied immediately, but if you close the window with the Cancel button, the previous settings will be restored.
If you click on the Advanced Appearance Options button in the Window Color and Appearance window, a window will open in which you can customize the appearance individual elements interface (Fig. 3.15). If the Windows Aero style is disabled, this window will appear instead of the window shown in Figure 1. 3.14.
Rice. 3.15. Additional window color and appearance options
To customize the interface, select the desired element from the drop-down list, and then change its size, color, and font. You should be careful when changing these settings, as you may degrade the appearance of windows. In this case, it is better not to try to restore the previous settings manually, but to choose one of the standard themes.
Choosing a wallpaper
Changing the wallpaper has been a favorite pastime of users since the days of Windows 95. In Windows Vista, the wallpaper customization window has been completely redesigned, and Windows 7 has new high-quality image galleries and the ability to automatically change images. To change the background image, right-click on any free space on the Desktop, select the Personalization item in the context menu, and click the Desktop background link in the window that appears (Fig. 3.16).
Rice. 3.16. Background Image Selection Window
You can use the following techniques to work with background pictures.
To select one of the proposed drawings, simply click on its thumbnail.
To set the automatic change of background images (slide show mode), select the desired images using the checkboxes at the top left of the thumbnails or other accessible way. After that, you can select the frequency of changing images in the Change image every list, as well as set a random order for changing images using the Random check box.
To force a background image change, right-click on an empty area of the Desktop and execute the command Next Desktop Background Image.
Using the Image position drop-down list, you can apply one of the position options to the selected image:
Filling - the image will be stretched to full screen without distortion, but the edges of the picture may be cut off;
Fit to fit – the image will be stretched to fit the screen without distortion or cut-off, but stripes painted over with the background color may appear along the edges of the screen;
· Stretch – the image will be stretched to full screen without cropping, but with aspect ratio distortion;
· Tile – the picture will be reproduced over the entire screen;
Centered – in this case, the picture will be located in the center of the screen, and if the picture size is smaller than the screen size, its edges will be painted over with the background color.
If you choose Fit to Fit or Center, you can change the background color using the Change background color link.
You can select a different image folder using the Image Location list. If this list is not desired folder, click the Browse button and search for it. The selected folder will then be automatically added to the Image Location list.
You can choose not to have a background image at all by selecting Solid Colors from the Image Position list. If none of the proposed colors suits you, you can choose any other by clicking on the More details link.
You can change the background image in other ways. For example, in the context menu of image files, there is an item Set as desktop background image. Similar commands are found in the menus of Paint and other imaging applications.
Customizing the splash screen
Screensaver- the image that is displayed on the screen after a few minutes of idle computer. To open the screen saver settings window (Fig. 3.17), in the Personalization window, click on the Screen saver link.
Rice. 3.17. Screen saver settings window
The following options are available in the Screen Saver Options window.
To select a different screensaver, use the drop-down list in the Screensaver area.
For some screensavers (for example, 3D text or Photos), you can change the operation settings using the Options button.
The idle time of the computer before the screen saver appears is set in the Interval field.
If you want to play the screen saver immediately, click the Preview button.
If you select the Start at the login screen check box, the computer will always return to the password entry screen when exiting the screen saver.
Note
Screensavers are separate files with the SCR extension, which are essentially programs and are stored in the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
Setting up the sound scheme
Sound scheme is a set of sounds accompanying various system events. Since the sound scheme is part of the Desktop theme, the system sounds will automatically change when a new theme is selected.
To open the window for changing the sound scheme, open the Personalization window and click the Sounds link (see Figure 3.13). In the window that appears, you can select a sound scheme from the drop-down list or create your own by changing sounds for various system events (Fig. 3.18).
Rice. 3.18. Setting up the sound scheme
To assign a new sound to one of the events, select it in the Program Events list, and then set this event to one of the sounds that are available in the Sounds list. To listen to the selected sound, click the Test button.
You can set for any event own sound. To do this, select an event, click the Browse button, and in the window that appears, find and open the file that will be used for sounding.
By changing the sounds for multiple events, you can save the new set as a sound scheme. To do this, just click the Save As button, enter a name for the new schema, and click OK. You can generally refuse to sound events by selecting the Mute line in the list of sound schemes.
Advice
Do not overuse scoring events. A sound scheme that is oversaturated with long or harsh sounds can adversely affect your performance.
Customizing Mouse Pointers
To change the shape of the mouse pointers, click the Change mouse pointers link in the Personalization window. This opens the Pointers tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box (Fig. 3.19).
Rice. 3.19. Mouse pointer settings window
You can select one of the pointer schemes from the Scheme drop-down list, and to see the new mouse pointers in action, click the Apply button.
You can change the appearance of the pointer for different modes as follows.
1. Select the desired mode from the Setup list.
2. Click the Browse button and find the desired pointer file in the window that appears. There are two types of pointer files: CUR - regular pointers and ANI - animated.
3. After selecting the index file, click the Open button, and to apply the selected index, click the Apply button.
Using the other tabs in the Mouse Properties dialog box, you can change these settings.
Mouse Buttons - Adjust double-click speed, swap buttons (for lefties), or turn on sticky.
Pointer options - set the desired pointer speed, turn on the pointer trail and some other effects.
Wheel - adjust the speed of vertical and horizontal scrolling.
Hardware - On this tab, you can view device and driver information.
You can open the Desktop Icons Customization window by clicking the Change Desktop Icons link in the Personalization window on the left side of the window. In the window that appears, you can enable or disable the display of the Computer, User Files, Network, Recycle Bin and Control Panel icons on the Desktop (Fig. 3.20).
Rice. 3.20. Customizing Desktop Icons
You can also change the appearance of the icon of any system folder. To do this, select the desired icon, click the Change Icon button, select one of the available images in the window that appears, and then click OK. To return to the default icon, click the Normal Icon button.
When you change the theme of the Desktop, the icons of system objects can automatically change. You can prevent icons from being modified when the theme is changed by unchecking Allow themes to modify icons on the desktop.
Screen Options
To achieve the best image quality on your monitor, you need to properly configure your display settings. To do this, click the Screen link in the Personalization window. In the window that appears (Fig. 3.21) you can adjust the font size and other image parameters.
Rice. 3.21. Screen settings window
Setting the font size
When setting high screen resolutions, text labels on the desktop and in windows may look too small. To improve the readability of the text, you can increase the font size. To do this, in the Screen window, you can set the switch to Medium - 125% or Large - 150%. You will need to log out and log in again to apply the changes.
To fine-tune the font size, click on the link Other font size in the left part of the window, then move the mouse pointer over the scale bar and, moving it with the left button pressed, select the desired size (Fig. 3.22). You will also need to log in again to apply the new scale.
Rice. 3.22. Fine-tune the scaling of screen fonts
Note
Some older applications that are not designed with scaling in mind may experience stuttering when displaying text and other interface elements with larger font sizes. In such cases, you can experiment with the Use Windows XP style scaling check box to improve image quality.
Screen resolution
Permission shows the number of horizontal and vertical dots that make up the image. As the resolution increases, the size of the objects will decrease, but this will allow more information to be placed on the Desktop. Each monitor has its own optimal resolution, which is determined by its size and technical characteristics.
For the old cathode ray monitors should not be asked unless absolutely necessary. maximum resolution because the image quality always deteriorates in this case. The optimal choice would be to set the resolution one step lower than the maximum possible.
When using modern liquid crystal monitors, the best quality is achieved at the highest possible resolution indicated in the passport. If you set lower values, you will experience image distortion, which is associated with the design features of such monitors.
The window for changing the screen resolution can be opened using the Screen resolution command in the context menu for the Desktop, or by clicking the Adjust screen resolution link in the Screen window. To change the screen resolution, in the Resolution drop-down list (Fig. 3.23), move the slider to the desired position, and then click the Apply button. When changing screen settings, the system gives you 15 seconds to confirm the changes, and if you do not, they will automatically be returned former parameters. This function prevents erroneous setting of incorrect parameters.
Rice. 3.23. Screen resolution setting
Additional screen options
In some cases, to achieve the best image, you may need to adjust additional settings: color quality and frame rate. To do this, click in the Screen resolution window on the Advanced settings link and in the window that appears, go to the Monitor tab (Fig. 3.24).
Rice. 3.24. Advanced display settings window, Monitor tab
The Color Quality setting should almost always be set to True Color (32-bit). Setting a lower quality makes sense only for older video adapter models with a small amount of video memory. However, the Aero style effects will not work.
The optimal setting for Screen Refresh Rate depends on the type of monitor you are using:
For LCD monitors, this parameter has practically no effect on image quality and should be equal to 60–75 Hz. Higher frame rates are generally not supported by these monitors;
If you set the refresh rate of cathode ray monitors to less than 75 Hz, there will be a flickering effect in the image, which is harmful to your eyesight! For such monitors, the optimal values are 85-100 Hz with a screen resolution 1-2 steps lower than the maximum possible.
Attention!
If the frame rate is set too high, the screen may turn black. In this case, do not press any keys and wait 15 seconds, after which the original parameters will be automatically returned. If this does not happen, turn off the computer using the button on the system unit, and when you turn it on again, call the boot menu using the F8 key and select the Enable VGA mode item (see section 12. 3). Once the system has booted, set the screen options to the correct values and restart your computer.
ClearType Setting
Images generated by modern liquid crystal monitors consist of individual colored dots. When displaying text on such monitors, various distortions may occur, for example, in the form of "steps" on slanted lines. To improve the quality of the text are used special methods screen font smoothing. For example, intermediate points with specially selected shades can be added to the image, and when viewed from a normal distance, the text will appear crisp and smooth.
Windows operating systems use ClearType font smoothing technology, but only in Windows 7 there were tools for fine-tuning it. The need to configure ClearType is due to the fact that in order to achieve the best result, you need to select anti-aliasing parameters for each monitor.
The sequence for configuring ClearType in Windows 7 is as follows.
1. To launch the ClearType Customizer, click in the Screen window (see Figure 3.21) on the Customize ClearType Text link.
2. In the first window, check the Enable ClearType box and click Next. If you uncheck this box, the regular dithering method will be used, which is better suited for CRT monitors.
3. In the next window, the system will check if the base (passport) resolution is set for the monitor, and if it is not, you will be prompted to change it. When using screen resolutions other than passport, the image quality of LCD monitors will inevitably deteriorate, and the use of ClearType anti-aliasing can sometimes only exacerbate the situation.
4. In the next few windows you will need to choose the best option displaying text among several suggestions, after which the ClearType setting will be completed.
Color Calibration
In computer equipment stores, you can sometimes observe how several monitors that are turned on display the same picture in completely different ways. The reasons for this may be not only differences in the design of individual models, but not always optimal settings monitors. Each monitor has controls for brightness, contrast, color balance, etc., and users are far from always able to properly adjust them.
WITH Windows 7 adjust monitor the best way even inexperienced users can. To do this, in the Display window (see Figure 3.21), click the Color Calibration link and follow the program's instructions. You will be shown several test patterns, and you will need to use the controls in the program, as well as the sliders on the monitor, to achieve the best display of these elements. All stages of work with the calibration program are provided with detailed and clear instructions, so using it shouldn't cause any problems.
3.4. Start menu
Basic elements of the Start menu
The Start menu (Fig. 3.25) consists of two columns: on the left are the search bar and shortcuts to frequently used programs, and on the right are links to open the user's personal folders, system objects and utilities.
Rice. 3.25. Start menu
The name of the user who is logged in and their icon are at the top of the right column. Clicking on the icon brings up the User Accounts window, and clicking on a username opens the user's profile folder.
During the user's work, the system counts the frequency of launching various applications and places the programs with the highest "rating" of use in the left column of the Start menu. Try several times in a row to launch a certain application from the All Programs menu - and its icon will appear in the Start menu instead of one of the previously available ones. Programs with a higher frequency of use will gradually move to the top of the list.
The top left column of the start menu is called fixed. The icons placed in it will always be present, regardless of how often they are used. By default, the pinned area does not contain any elements, but you can add your own icons there and remove existing ones.
If there is an → arrow next to the name of an app on the left side of the Start menu, the app will display a jump list that you can use to open recently used documents and do other things. The Jump List on the Start menu differs from the Jump List on the Taskbar in that it lacks application control commands.
At the bottom of the left column is a link to open the All Programs menu. Compared to Windows XP, the way this menu works is slightly different. Now all navigation will be performed within the left menu column, and you can use the scroll wheel to select the desired program. If you install a new program on your computer, a shortcut to launch it will automatically appear above the All Programs link.
Items in the right column of the Start menu are text only, and the corresponding image will appear at the top when you hover over any of the items. In total, two dozen items can be placed in the right column, but only the most important of them are displayed by default.
<Имя пользователя>. Selecting this item will open the user profile folder, which contains all files and directories related to the user who is logged on.
Documentation. In Windows 7, this command opens the Documents library. A library is a collection of folders with similar content that is displayed as a single entity. By default, the Documents library includes two folders: a Documents folder from the current user's profile, and a folder with documents shared by all users.
Images. Library for storing graphic files. Like the Documents library, it consists of two folders: user images and shared images.
Music. Library for storing music files. By default, it consists of two folders, like the Documents and Images libraries.
Games. Opens the folder with games installed on the system.
Computer. The Computer window contains icons for disks and other devices in the system. It is an important system object, so many actions for setting up and using a computer will begin with it. On Windows XP and above early versions this window was called My Computer.
Devices and printers. System folder, which displays external devices connected to the computer: printers, scanners, cameras, players, etc.
Default programs. Selecting this item will open a window for selecting default applications for processing files. various types(see section 5.4).
Help and support. Launches the Help and Support window, which allows you to find a variety of help information.
Video. Video storage library.
home group. Command to open homegroup shares, if one has been created (see Chapter 8).
Run command. Opens the Run window, which in previous versions of Windows was used to run various system utilities. In Windows 7, it is more convenient to use the search bar in the Start menu for these purposes.
Favorites menu. This menu displays the same items as Internet Explorer Favorites, but these items are actually located in the user's Profile Favorites folder.
recent documents. Selecting this item opens a menu with shortcuts for the last 15 open documents. In Windows 7, it's more convenient to use jump lists to open recent documents.
Connect to. Opens a window that allows you to manage remote connections (see section 7.1). In Windows 7, you can simply click the network icon in the notification area to open this window.
Net. Folder that can be used to access resources local network(See Chapter 8 for network setup).
TV records. A library for storing TV recordings shared by all computer users.
Files to download. Opens the User Profile Downloads folder.
Start menu search
The first feature to start off with on the Start menu is the built-in search bar. It is she, according to the plan of the developers, that should become the main tool for launching programs, opening documents and for other purposes. Indeed, this line allows you to perform everyday operations much faster and more conveniently.
Let's consider an example of using the search bar to launch the Paint graphics editor. In Windows XP, for this it was necessary to perform the following sequence of actions: Start → All Programs → Accessories → Paint. In Windows 7, the same operation can be done like this.
1. Click the Start button.
2. Type the first letters of the desired program name on the keyboard. To start Paint, most likely, the first two letters will suffice.
3. As you type, Windows will automatically display a list of the most relevant results in the left column of the menu, and when you see the icon and name of the desired program in this list (Fig. 3.26), just click on it with the mouse button.
Rice. 3.26. Start menu search
Advice
You can search the Start menu for any word in the program's name. For example, the Windows Media Player program can be successfully found both by the first letters of the word "Player" and by the first letters of the word Media
You can search for programs in the Start menu without using a mouse at all, while 4-5 keystrokes are enough to find and launch most applications. Searching using only the keyboard can be done like this.
1. Press the Windows logo key to open the Start menu.
2. Enter the first letters of the desired program name.
3. If the program you are looking for appears first in the list, just press Enter to launch it. If the desired utility is not in the first place in the list, then select it using the cursor keys and then press Enter.
In addition to programs, you can use the Start menu search bar to find Control Panel items, items stored in libraries, and files elsewhere. If necessary, you can disable search in one or more of the listed locations using the Start menu properties window, which will be discussed next.
Working with shortcuts in the Start menu
You can add or remove shortcuts to programs and other items in the following places on the Start menu: in the pinned area at the top of the left column; in the list of frequently used programs; in the All Programs menu.
To add a shortcut to any application to the pinned area, right-click on its icon and select Pin to Start Menu from the context menu. To remove any icon from the pinned area of the Start menu, right-click on it and select Remove from this list.
The Pin to Start menu command appears only in the context menu for applications, but you can also place a shortcut to a folder, document, or other object in the pinned area. To do this, drag the icon of the desired object to the Start button, and then release the mouse button.
The list of frequently used programs is generated automatically, and you can only remove shortcuts from this list. To remove an individual shortcut, right-click on it and select Remove from this list. In this case, the list of programs will be shifted, and a new element will appear at the bottom of it.
In the All Programs menu, new shortcuts are usually added automatically when you install applications. When programs are removed, they should automatically disappear from the menu. For information on how to properly install and remove programs, see Chap. 5.
You may need to manually add or remove a shortcut to the All Programs menu. To add a label, do the following.
1. Drag the desired item to the Start button and, without releasing the mouse button, wait for the Start menu to open.
2. Still holding down the mouse button, drag the object to the All Programs menu item and wait for the list to expand again.
3. Place the dragged object in the desired location on the All Programs menu, observing the horizontal line that will indicate where the shortcut was inserted. Only after the insertion line is in the desired position, release the mouse button.
Using drag and drop with the mouse, you can also move shortcuts from one place in the menu to another, and if you hold down the Ctrl key while doing so, the shortcut will be copied.
To remove a shortcut from the Start menu, right-click on it and select Remove from the context menu. Remember that removing the shortcut from the All Programs menu will not uninstall the program itself.
Although users may not notice it, the All Programs menu actually consists of two parts: one part of the shortcuts is the same for all users of the computer, and the second applies only to a specific user. Physically, the Start menu shortcuts are located in the following folders.
The C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu folder contains shortcuts that will be placed in the All Programs menu of all computer users.
The C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu folder contains shortcuts that will appear in the user's All Programs menu.
If you have some experience, you can edit the Start menu using Windows Explorer by opening the specified folders. Working in Explorer with the Start menu items is no different from working with regular files and folders.
Start menu customization
To open the Start Menu Properties window, right-click the Start button and select Properties from the context menu. This will open the window shown in Fig. 3.27.
Rice. 3.27. Start Menu Properties Window
In Windows 7, the ability to customize the classic look of the Start menu (in one column) has been removed, but the ability to customize the power button in the Start menu has appeared. In the Power button action drop-down list, you can select the action that will be performed after clicking on the shutdown button in the Start menu (see section 3.1).
By default, the system keeps a history of programs launched and documents opened. For privacy reasons, you can opt out of these features by unchecking the following boxes in the Privacy area:
Store and display a list of recently opened programs in the Start menu - when this box is unchecked, frequently used programs will not be displayed in the left column of the Start menu;
Store and display a list of recently opened items in the Start menu and taskbar - unchecking this option will disable the display of recent and frequently used documents in Jump Lists.
Attention!
Re-selecting the checkboxes in the Privacy area will not restore the items in the lists, and their generation will start over.
When you click the Customize button, the Start menu customization window will open (Fig. 3.28). At the top of the window that appears, there is an extensive list of options, most of which allow you to enable or disable the display of individual menu items.
Rice. 3.28. Start menu customization window
Most folders have two display options: Display as menu and Display as link. By default, all folders appear as links and open in separate window. If you choose to display as a menu, then when you move the mouse pointer over such an element, its contents will be displayed in the form of a drop-down multi-level menu. On fig. 3.29 shows an example of displaying a user's personal folder in the form of a menu.
Rice. 3.29. User's personal folder displayed as a menu
The rest of the settings in the Start menu customization window have the following purpose.
Highlight recently installed programs. When checked, the All Programs menu will highlight shortcuts to recently installed programs to make them easier to find.
Search other files and libraries. This option allows you to configure library search options from the Start menu search bar. The following options are possible:
· Search in public folders – public folders and user's personal folders will be used for search;
· Do not search in shared folders – only the user's personal folders will be used for search;
· Do not search - when this option is selected, libraries and other folders will not be searched.
Search for Programs and Features in Control Panel. When checked, the system will search for programs and Control Panel items after entering text in the search bar. If you uncheck this box, you will not be able to find shortcuts installed apps and Control Panel components using the search bar.
Large icons. If you clear this check box, small icons will be used to display frequently used programs.
Allow context menus and object dragging. This checkbox is checked by default, which allows you to call context menus and change the contents of the All Programs menu by dragging existing shortcuts with the mouse.
Expand the menu on mouse hover and hover. If you clear this check box, you will need to click to open the All Programs menu. When the checkbox is checked, the menu will open automatically when hovering and holding the pointer.
Sort the All Programs menu by name. By default, this check box is selected and the All Programs menu icons are automatically sorted alphabetically.
In the Start menu customization window, you can also change the number of frequently used programs displayed and the number of items in the jump lists - the Start menu size area is intended for this (see Fig. 3.28). If, after experimenting with the menu options, you change it beyond recognition, you can always return to its original appearance using the Default Options button.
3.5. Customizing the Taskbar
Taskbar Properties Window
To open the Taskbar Properties window, right-click anywhere on the Taskbar and select Properties. To set the properties of the Start menu and the Taskbar, one common window consisting of several tabs is used. In this case, the Taskbar tab will be active (Fig. 3.30).
Rice. 3.30. Taskbar Properties
The Taskbar docker has the following checkboxes.
Pin the taskbar. By unchecking this box, you can increase the size of the Taskbar or move it to another edge of the screen. You can also manage taskbar pinning using the context menu.
Automatically hide the taskbar. Check this box if you need to use the entire screen area for applications to work. In this case, the taskbar will be hidden, but will immediately appear if you move the mouse pointer to the bottom edge of the screen.
Use small icons. Checking this box will reduce the size of the buttons on the Taskbar. If you also disable button grouping, the Taskbar will look like previous versions of Windows.
The position of the taskbar on the screen. From the drop-down list, you can choose to place the Taskbar on the left, right, or top, but it should be noted that the Windows interface is optimized for the Taskbar to be located at the bottom of the screen. If the Lock the taskbar checkbox is unchecked, you can also move the taskbar to any corner of the screen using the mouse.
Taskbar buttons. From the drop-down list, you can choose how the buttons are displayed on the Taskbar:
· Always group, hide labels (Fig. 3.31, up). The buttons only display application icons, and no text labels. When you open several windows of the same application, they will be automatically grouped into one button. This method is set by default;
· Group when filling the taskbar (Fig. 3.31, in the middle). If you select this option, the buttons will display the icon and title of the window, and grouping of windows will be enabled only when there is not enough space on the taskbar;
Do not group (Fig. 3.31, at the bottom). In this case, the icon and title of the window are displayed on the buttons, and the grouping of similar windows is not applied. This option can be recommended for users who do not have more than 3-5 windows open at the same time.
Rice. 3.31. Options for displaying buttons on the taskbar
Tune. This button opens the notification area icon settings window, which will be discussed later.
Use Aero Peek to preview your desktop. If this box is checked, then when you hover your mouse pointer over the Minimize all windows button in the right corner of the Taskbar, all open windows will temporarily become transparent.
notification area
On the right side of the Taskbar is the notification area, which displays the icons of applications running in the background, as well as some system icons. Windows automatically hides icons that you rarely access, but related applications work even when the icons are hidden. To get to the hidden icon, you need to click on the arrow button
Unlike Windows XP/Vista, in Windows 7 all hidden icons are collected in a separate tray (Figure 3.32) and you can drag individual icons from the hidden area to the Taskbar or vice versa.
Rice. 3.32. Notification area icons
To configure the notification area, right-click on the clock image and select the Properties item from the context menu, which will open the window for enabling or disabling system icons (Fig. 3.33).
Rice. 3.33. Notification area properties
In this window, you can disable the display of system icons such as Clock, Volume, Network, Power (for laptops) and Action Center.
To customize the display of application icons, click the Customize notification icons link. In the window that appears (Fig. 3.34), click on the desired icon and select one of the three available values for it from the drop-down list: Show icon and notifications, Hide icon and notifications, or Show notifications only. You can also opt out of hiding icons altogether by checking the Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar checkbox.
Rice. 3.34. Choosing the behavior of the icons in the notification area
Additional panels management
The Taskbar can contain various additional panels. For example, almost always there is a language bar on it that displays the current input language. To enable or disable the display of any additional panel, right-click on a free area of the Taskbar, select Panels from the context menu and select the required panel in the submenu that opens. The following panels are available by default.
The address. Contains a string in which you can enter the address of a folder, file, or Internet resource. After pressing the Enter key, the specified resource will be opened in a browser window.
Tablet PC input panel. It is a fairly powerful handwriting tool and is designed for use in tablet computers (Fig. 3.35). If you don't have a tablet PC, you can practice handwriting with a mouse and see how good the OCR is. The panel allows you to enter text using a pen or touch keyboard, has advanced editing capabilities and support for the Russian language. You can also use the Start menu search bar to launch the Math Input Panel, which allows you to manually enter formulas with special characters.
Rice. 3.35. Tablet PC Input Panel
Desktop. Allows you to access desktop elements if they are hidden by application windows.
Language bar. Displays a keyboard layout indicator and possibly other icons to control text input.
Language bar
In the process of working on a computer, it becomes necessary to enter texts or commands both in Russian and in English. To switch input languages, use the language bar, which is usually located on the right side of the Taskbar and displays the current input language with a letter designation (for example, RU - Russian, EN - English). To switch input languages, just click on the indicator current language and in the menu that appears, select the desired language from the list (Fig. 3.36).
Rice. 3.36. Selecting the input language using language bar
On the Taskbar, the language bar is always displayed minimized. To expand it, right-click the input language indicator and select Restore Language Bar from the context menu. After that, the language bar will move to the top of the Desktop, but you can drag it with the mouse to any other place. To return the language bar to the taskbar, click the Minimize button at the top right of the bar.
Adding and removing input languages
Depending on the version of Windows 7 and its installation settings, the system may have Russian and English input languages, or only English. If you need to add new language input, do the following.
1. Right-click on the language bar and select Options from the context menu.
2. In the window that appears, click the Add button, then select the desired language and keyboard layout from the tree view (Fig. 3.37).
Rice. 3.37. Setting input languages
3. Close everything dialog boxes by pressing the OK button.
To remove an input language you don't need, just select it in the Installed services list and click the Remove button.
After loading the operating system, the input language that is specified in the Default input language area will be automatically set (see Fig. 3.37). If necessary, you can change the default language by selecting from the list.
Change the keyboard shortcut for switching input languages
Often, to switch input languages, it is more convenient to use not the language bar, but the keyboard shortcut, which by default is Left Alt + Shift. Many users find the Ctrl+Shift combination to be more convenient. To set a keyboard shortcut for changing the language, do the following.
1. Open the Text Input Languages and Services window (see Figure 3.37) by right-clicking on the language bar and selecting Options.
2. Click the Keyboard Switching tab, select the Switch Input Language action from the list, and click the Change Keyboard Shortcut button.
3. In the next window, set the desired input language switching method, then click OK to close all dialog boxes.
Setting the date and time
To set the date and time, right-click the clock icon in the notification area and select Set date and time. To change the clock or the current date, click the Change date and time button (this requires administrator rights). In the window that appears, you can specify the desired date on the calendar (Fig. 3.38). To change the month, click on the name of the current month, and click again to go to the year selection. To change the time, click in the time field and then use the ▲ and ▼ arrow buttons. After setting the correct date and time, click OK.
Rice. 3.38. Setting the date and time
After clicking the Change time zone button, you can select one of the available time zones that best suits your area and, if necessary, check the box for automatic daylight saving time.
If you have an Internet connection and the correct time zone is set, you will not have to adjust the clock, as this Windows case will perform a periodic clock check against one of the Internet servers. On the Internet Time tab, you can configure synchronization settings by clicking the Change settings button and confirming, if necessary, the actions in the UAC window. You can select a different time server from the list, force clock synchronization using the Update now button, or disable this feature altogether by clearing the Synchronize with an Internet time server check box.
If you travel frequently or constantly communicate with users from other countries or regions, you can enable additional clocks in the corresponding tab, which will be displayed when you click on the clock image in the notification area.
3.6. Windows 7 help system
General information
The Windows 7 help system lets you quickly find the information you need to use and configure the operating system. It contains detailed information about all the functions of the system, has a built-in information search system and the ability to obtain reference data from the Microsoft website.
Many users neglect help help system, and the problems that have arisen are solved by trial and error or turn to more experienced colleagues. Windows Help helps you solve most of your problems on your own, saving you time and effort. It should also be noted that the help system is a good tool for professional development.
The Windows 7 help system has a simple interface and a powerful search engine. The help system is primarily recommended for beginners, but advanced users will also find useful information in it, such as detailed technical documentation (although it can be presented in the form of links to relevant Microsoft web resources).
You can open the help window by executing the command Start → Help and Support or by pressing the F1 key. The main window of the help system contains links to the main sections of the help and to Internet information resources (Fig. 3.39).
Rice. 3.39. Help main window Windows systems 7
Finding information in the help system
As noted above, Windows 7 has powerful built-in search capabilities that can also be used in the help system. Just enter the keywords for the topic you need help on in the search bar, and after pressing the Enter key, you will receive links to the search results.
For example, you want to search the help system for a table with keyboard shortcuts for performing common actions in Windows 7. To do this, enter the text of the keyboard shortcut in the search field and press Enter. The system will display a list of found links, with the most relevant results in the first places. Clicking on one of the links will take you to the corresponding help page, or to return to the search results and view other links, click the Back button in the upper left corner of the window.
With the help page found, you can do the following:
Print this topic for further study by clicking the Print button on the toolbar;
Find a word or phrase on the current page by running Options → Find (on this page).
Advice
Don't be discouraged if you don't find it the first time necessary information. Try to build search query using other keywords. If you find information that's similar but not exactly what you're looking for, see the links at the bottom of the page in the See also section.
Working with help topics
If you need to understand in detail any functions of the system, you can open the help content, where you can view the necessary sections and topics. First, click on the Help link in the main help window, then select the topic you want and view the suggested links. Navigation through the sections of the help system is built on the principle of web pages. You can apply the following tricks.
Some questions on the pages are displayed in a collapsed form, and to read the answer, you need to click on the name of the question. To expand all collapsed items, click the Show All link in the upper right corner of the page.
To return to previous pages you have viewed, click the Back button at the top of the window. This operation can be repeated several times.
If you have opened the contents of any section, you can return to the original section using the links at the top of the page.
To quickly return to home page help system, click the button with the image of the house.
Windows 7 online help
The Windows 7 help system can work in two modes:
Offline Help - When using the help, the materials available on your computer are displayed;
Online Help - In this case, you will receive updated help information from the Microsoft website.
The current operating mode is displayed in the lower right corner of the help window. To change the mode, click on the specified button and select the desired item from the menu that appears.
Additional information You can find information about using the Windows 7 operating system on specialized Microsoft web resources:
http://www.windows.microsoft.com- general information about operating systems of the Windows family;
http://www.support.microsoft.com- site technical support Microsoft company;
http://technet.microsoft.com - A resource for tech and IT professionals for reference and educational materials, as well as blogs and forums for specialists.
We continue our cycle of new features in Windows 7. In this article, we will get acquainted with the features of the Aero interface and the most important keyboard shortcuts for quickly accessing various frequently used functions of Windows 7, as well as find out what new applications are included in this system and what changes occurred with already familiar standard utilities - Windows Media Player, Calculator, WordPad, Paint.
⇡ Aero interface
Strictly speaking, the Aero interface is not new to Windows 7, as it was first introduced to users of Windows Vista. However, it was with the release of Windows 7 that this technology became available to most users. There are several reasons for this. First, in the time that has passed since the introduction of Aero in Windows Vista, and before the start of sales of Windows 7, computers have become more powerful, so many more people will be able to work with the new interface in the new version of the operating system from Microsoft. Secondly, Windows performance 7 is significantly higher than Windows Vista, which also contributes to Aero's popularity. The word Aero itself has nothing to do with the field of aeronautics. In fact, this is an abbreviation of English words: Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, Open (authentic, energetic, reflective and open). The Aero interface includes the following set of features:
- Aero Glass- use the effect of frosted glass in relation to the headers and various panels of open windows. When using this effect, outside the window running application you may see a blurry outline of the desktop wallpaper or a picture of the next open window.
- Active thumbnails- thumbnail images of open windows, with the help of which convenient and fast navigation between open windows is possible. Active thumbnails can be shown when working with the taskbar or when switching between windows using the keyboard.
- Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D- improved tools for visual switching between open windows. The difference between them is only in the design: Windows Flip 3D simulates volumetric movement of windows, while Windows Flip shows all open windows at once in the form of flat images.
- Aero Snap- a handy tool for snapping the application window to the edge of the monitor screen.
- Aero Shake- a function with which you can minimize all inactive applications with a mouse movement. To use it, you need to grab the title of the window and "shake" it a bit.
- Aero Peek- a whole range of different effects that make it easier to work with the taskbar.
Aeroshake function
Aero Shake allows you to quickly minimize or maximize all open application windows. If you grab the window title with the mouse and "shake" it, all open windows, except for the active one, will be minimized to the taskbar area. If you do this operation again, the application windows will return to initial position. A similar effect is given by the "Win+Home" key combination, which also makes it possible to instantly minimize all open windows except the active one.
Aero Snap function
When bringing the window to the edge of the working area of the monitor, the window is automatically aligned. If the window is moved to the top edge, it expands to full screen. If you bring the window to the right or to the left edge, it will take up exactly half of the screen.
Aero Peek function
This feature allows you to view thumbnails of open windows when hovering over the taskbar area, as well as switch between them with a simple mouse click. In addition, using the Aero Peek function, you can quickly minimize all windows and see the contents of the desktop. To do this, just move the cursor to the far right edge of the taskbar. You can also use the keyboard shortcut "Win+Space" to see the outlines of all open windows on the desktop.
Enabling Aero
As you can see, Aero technology provides most of the beautiful effects of the Windows 7 interface. However, many of these effects may not be available by default. The main criterion that the system uses to enable Aero features is the relatively high performance of a working computer. That the operating system is installed on this computer, does not yet mean that all the functions of the Aero interface will be active on it. If you don't have nice Aero features, you can try to enable them manually. To do this, several steps must be taken. First, the computer must pass the performance testing procedure. There are several ways to open the Performance Evaluation window. One of strengths Windows 7 is all about interface convenience. The same action can sometimes be performed large quantity ways, and many of them are quite simple. So, for example, to open the performance evaluation window, you can press the key combination "Win + Break" on the keyboard, after which the "View basic information about your computer" window will appear on the screen. Here you need to select the link "Performance Information and Tools" (Performance Information and Tools), and then click the "Rate Computer" button.
You can also open the same window from the Start menu. To do this, in the search field located at the bottom of the menu, just type the word "assessment", and then press "Enter". The process of determining the basic computer performance index is compiled by the system in a complex way, by evaluating various components - video cards, hard drive, processor, RAM. For the final digit, the most low index performance from all the ratings received. The base performance index is a measure of the power of the current computer configuration, including an assessment of not only hardware, but also software tools. That's why we strongly recommend that you install the latest drivers for all connected devices to get the highest possible score. The maximum value of the base performance index that your computer can get is 7.9, the minimum is one. In order to be able to use all the effects of Aero, the base computer performance index must be high enough, namely, at least a "three". After the performance index is calculated, you must select one of the Aero themes. To do this, right-click on the desktop, select "Personalize", then click on one of the themes in the "Aero Themes" section. If the performance index is higher than three, the effects can be observed.
If you're still having problems displaying Aero effects, you can try to resolve them using the troubleshooting tool. You can call it from the "Control Panel" (Control Panel). In the Troubleshooting window, click the link "Display Aero desktop effects" under "Appearance and Personalization" and the system will try to determine the cause of the problems and offer a possible solution.
⇡ Using hotkeys
The efficiency of working at a computer largely depends on how quickly one or another tool can be used. Therefore, knowing the keyboard shortcuts for various functions of Windows 7 will significantly save time spent on performing various tasks, as well as simplify many actions in the operating system. For example, to switch between open windows, it is convenient to use not only the "Alt + Tab" familiar to many, but also the "Win + Tab" combination. Moreover, in the second case it will be possible to observe a beautiful three-dimensional effect of sliding windows in three-dimensional space - Flip 3D. Standard switching also contains a small "zest" - when you press "Alt + Tab", thumbnails of windows of running applications will appear on the screen. These images have the same property as the thumbnails that appear above the taskbar - when you move the mouse pointer over one of the thumbnails, the contents of this window are displayed on the screen. To switch to it, just right-click on the thumbnail image.
Hotkeys will help you quickly launch applications located on the taskbar. To launch these applications, use the keyboard shortcuts "Win+1", "Win+2", "Win+3", "Win+4", etc. icon on the taskbar. For example, in the case shown in the figure, the key combination "Win + 7" will open the window Google browser Chrome.
Another handy command for opening a window to full screen is to simultaneously press the Win key and "" (up arrow). The reverse command is very easy to remember - Win and "↓" (down arrow) minimize windows. Pressing the Win key and "→" (right arrow) or "Win"+"←" (left arrow) allows you to quickly snap a window to the edge of the monitor's working area, half the screen. The keyboard shortcut in this case is even more convenient than standard method arranging windows using the mouse, which we talked about earlier. Moreover, if you are using more than one monitor that displays different parts of the desktop, dragging an application window to the "border" between monitors may not work. When working with multiple displays, it is convenient to "drag" application windows from one screen to another using the combination "Win+Shift+←" (left arrow) or "Win+Shift+→" (right arrow). In the new version of Windows, it has become very convenient to open a copy of an already running application. To do this, click on the program button on the taskbar while holding down the "Shift" key.
⇡ New and old standard applications
Probably the first thing you want to do when installing a new operating system is to look at the Start menu, explore the set standard utilities, with which Windows 7 is "armed". At first glance, it may seem that there have not been any special changes - in the list of preinstalled programs you can see standard set small but useful applications, such as "Calculator", Wordpad.... and, of course, Paint. Feel free to run them - most well-known applications are significantly different from those that you worked with in previous versions of Windows. And besides, in Windows 7 you can find several completely new utilities that were not in previous versions of this operating system.Updated WordPad
We believe that by opening an updated text editor WordPad, many users will freeze for a second in bewilderment. The interface of the new version of the word processor integrated into Windows 7 is very reminiscent of the appearance of the popular MS Word editor.
It now features the intuitive Ribbon interface that users first saw in MS Office 2007 and has been adopted by many Windows application developers. Such an interface itself is very convenient - all the tools are always at hand for the user. If the work area seems small, the Ribbon toolbar can be hidden. To do this, click on one of the tabs, and then select the "Minimize the ribbon" command. In order to have access to the most important functions of the editor, the necessary tools can be placed on the Quick Access Toolbar. To do this, right-click on any of the tools on the Ribbon panel and select the "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" command.
The number of tabs on the WordPad toolbar is much less than in MS Word, which, however, is not surprising - in its own way Word features, as before, two heads taller than the integrated word processor. However, if you explore the tools on the tabs, you may find some new tools. So, WordPad now supports highlighting text with color, offers additional options for changing the color of characters, contains advanced features for working with lists (you can choose one of several list options, including numbered ones), and supports line breaks.
In the lower right corner of the WordPad window there is the same slider as in Word for scaling the workspace window. Zooming in previous versions was possible by holding down the "CTRL" key and simultaneously rotating the mouse wheel. Now you can also use the slider. By pressing the "-" and "+" buttons, you can reduce / increase the scale by 10%.
New scaling tools can also be found in the Ribbon panel if you go to the View tab.
The new WordPad supports opening and editing Office Open XML files created in latest versions Word (they have a .docx extension). In addition, it can now work with the .odt files that are used by default for saving documents in OpenOffice.org and IBM Lotus Symphony. Note that the contents of these files are not fully supported. So, if the file contains complex formatting elements that are not available in WordPad, then when resaving the file in this program, they may be lost, which the word processor warns the user about. Therefore, if there is a need to edit a .docx document, you should not overwrite it - it is better to save it as a separate copy. One of the interesting innovations of WordPad is the integration with the Paint program. To insert a graphic image into a text document with the possibility of further editing, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + D" or click the "Paint Drawing" button on the Ribbon panel. The convenience of this integration is that the picture created in Paint does not need to be saved - after the editor is closed, the new image will be automatically inserted into the document.
Recycled Paint
The Ribbon interface is not only present in the new WordPad, it can also be seen in Paint program. Largely due to this, he has changed so much that it is almost impossible to recognize an old acquaintance in the new program.
As in WordPad, here the ribbon can be minimized, while increasing the working area.
In previous versions of Windows, the graphic editor Paint did not stand up to scrutiny, and the only category of users of this program were children. The updated version of this application is also poorly suited for any serious work, despite the fact that some changes did take place. For example, in Paint it became possible to use a tool for cropping images (Crop). It works very simply - just select the desired area in the picture and click the corresponding button on the Ribbon panel or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Shift+X". Another tool, without which not a single graphic editor can do today, is a virtual brush. The new version of Paint has a small library of different brushes that allow you to apply strokes to the image with virtual brushes with different profiles.
The program has also increased the set of shapes that you can create: in addition to polygons, the new editor can use various popular shapes - cloud, lightning, asterisk and other elements that are perfect for creating flowcharts, presentation slides, etc. The new Paint has improved tools for resizing images. Now resizing parameters can be specified in percentages or in pixels. Improved selection tools. By selecting image fragments, you can decide whether to include the background color in the selection. To do this, use the "Transparent Selection" option in the "Image > Select" menu.
The new editor also contains a number of additional commands in order to use the edited image as desktop wallpaper (in the center of the desktop, mosaic or scaling the picture to the size of the desktop).
"Notes" - quick reminders on the desktop
In order not to forget about important things that need to be done, many use sticky notes, attaching them to a conspicuous place, not far from the computer, often just on the monitor. In such notes, reminders are usually written about what needs to be done and at what time. Notes utility ( sticky notes) makes it possible to save on the purchase of such sticky notes - in Windows 7 you can leave virtual notes with messages on your desktop. Just select the utility from the Start menu, and the new note will immediately appear on the desktop on top of all windows. By default, the notes are yellow, but if desired, the color of the "leaves" can be changed.
The Sticky Notes app can be used for important notes, for temporary notes (for example, to quickly write down someone's address while the notepad is not at hand), and also if you need to send a message to a work colleague who will come to work on the same computer in your absence.
"Calculator": conversion of values and other interesting features
It is hard to imagine how this tool for simple calculations could be made more convenient. And, nevertheless, Microsoft developers have made an attempt to refine this small but very useful utility. Let's start with the fact that in the new version of the calculator there are not two (as it was in Windows XP), but four whole modes of operation. To the standard view of the calculator and the interface for engineering calculations, Windows 7 added two more options - "Programmer" (Programmer) and "Statistics" (Statistics).
In Programmer mode, the calculator can perform calculations in different systems calculus - binary, decimal, octal, hexadecimal. Therefore, work in this mode is possible only with integers. By switching to the "Statistics" mode, the calculator can be used to analyze and process statistical data. In this mode, you can work with integer arrays of numbers, for example, calculate the total sum of entered values, calculate relative and absolute errors, etc. The new calculator has a history of previous calculations. This feature will be especially useful if you forget where you are in the process of complex calculations. To turn it off, select the History command from the View menu. Calculation history works in all modes, except statistics. For normal and engineering modes, it is saved separately. Note that the calculation history can not only be viewed, but also edited. Just click on the line with one of the previous calculations, and you will be able to edit it.
If the new calculator modes and calculation history are features that will be of interest, first of all, to those whose work is connected with numbers, such novelties as converting values, calculating the time between dates and calculating mortgage interest can be useful in everyday life for absolutely everyone. Previously, you had to use third-party utilities or online services to convert values, but now you can get by with a standard calculator. By turning on the "Unit Conversions" function in the "View" menu, you can convert units of time, power, volume, area, speed, temperature, energy, length, pressure, weight, etc. Using the new function is very simple: first you need to select the type of value, then specify from which units and to which you want to convert, and then enter the value.
If you need to find out how much time has passed between certain days, you can now use the "Date calculation" function, which can also be found in the "View" menu. It works in two modes: in the first one, using the calendar, you can specify two dates, the interval between which you need to find out (it will be shown in days, as well as in weeks, months and years).
In the second mode, one date is selected, and then the number of years, months, and days to be added (or subtracted) to it, after which the calculator returns the result as a second date.
The new calculator can calculate the amount of payments on mortgages and other loans. If you open the Mortgage section in the View>Sheets menu (View>Worksheets), you can calculate the amount of the initial and monthly payments, find out the total cost of the acquisition, and also determine how many years you can pay off the debt. In the same submenu "Sheets" there are tools for calculating fuel consumption.
Math Input Panel: Handwriting Math Expressions
This small but very useful utility appeared for the first time in Windows 7. Its purpose is manual input and recognition of mathematical expressions (symbols, formulas, various functions and equations). Such a tool is especially useful for users who use touchscreen-enabled computers. A small utility allows you to turn the computer screen into a visual aid that can be used when teaching schoolchildren, students, conducting presentations and lectures. This program can significantly save the time required for typing mathematical formulas that contain a large number of special characters. Now you do not need to insert them into the line one by one, it is enough to write more or less legibly by hand, and the program itself will "understand" the written text. The real-time math input panel works. In the input field, the user draws characters with a mouse pointer or a special pen, which are recognized by the program in real time, literally on the fly. "Math Input Panel" supports symbols for vector expressions, trigonometric functions, logic elements, 3D analytical geometry, any arithmetic calculations, etc.
The utility contains several tools for correcting incorrectly entered or incorrectly recognized text. For example, using the Undo tool, you can delete the last incorrectly entered character, and if you select the Erase tool, you can delete any of the characters entered by hand. Since the recognition algorithm handwriting cannot be perfect (you must admit, we ourselves sometimes look at the written text and cannot make out other people's scribbles), some characters are determined by the program erroneously. To correct the situation, you can highlight the problem area and call the context menu of the program, in which the "Math Input Panel" will show all the characters that it can "see" in illegible text. The user can then select the appropriate symbol. Using the "Insert" button, you can add a formula written and recognized by the utility to a MS Word text document.
⇡ Windows Media Player 12: Network Transfer and More
Windows users were introduced to Windows Media Player in 1999 when it was released updated version Windows 98 - Windows 98 Second Edition (Windows 98 SE). Before that, Windows also had a player, but then it was called Media Player and was much less functional. Since then, Microsoft has constantly developed this program, adding new features to it. Windows 7 includes the twelfth version of Windows Media Player, which includes several important improvements. Let's consider them in more detail.
Interface changes
First, you can notice some changes in the interface. The default theme is much lighter, some buttons and control panel items have been moved, but those who have previously used Windows Media Player 11 will not need much time to get used to the changes.
Perhaps one of the most significant changes in the interface is the introduction of two separate player modes - Library and Now Playing. In the previous version, switching between these modes was carried out using buttons, but within a single window. Now, when switching to the "Playing Now" mode, all interface elements available when working in the "Library" mode disappear. While in this mode, you can see the album art of the audio CD, playing video, visualizations, player controls. By right-clicking the player window, you can display the current playlist.
To switch between modes, a small button is used, which in the "Library" mode is located in the lower right corner of the screen, and in the "Now Playing" mode - in the upper right.
New features of "Library"
In Library mode, you can now quickly switch between different types of media content - music, pictures, videos, pictures, and TV recordings. All content types are now available in the tree view on the left side of the program window.
Another useful innovation that can be noticed while working in the "Library" mode is the preview of tracks. Now, when viewing lists of songs in your collection, you can hover over the song title and then click the "Preview" link in the pop-up menu that appears. The program will start playing the track, after which the link will change its name to "Skip". Each click on it will play the file 15 seconds ahead. This is usually enough to figure out if it's the song you're trying to find, or to determine if it's worth including the song in a playlist. In addition, this function is convenient to use for quickly listening to a new album.
Windows 7 taskbar support
Windows Media Player supports the new features of the Windows 7 taskbar. For example, you can now control playback even when the player window is minimized. If you move the cursor to the application button on the taskbar, a pop-up menu will appear in which you can not only see a thumbnail of the player window, but also use one of the buttons to control it - previous track, play/pause, next track.
The Jump Lists feature of the new taskbar in Windows Media Player is also supported. By clicking on the program icon on the taskbar, you can quickly jump to the playback of songs that have been listened to recently, as well as those that you listen to most often. In addition, there are commands to play all records from the library and to continue playing the current playlist.
Support for additional file formats
One of the biggest annoyances that users of various media players face is the need to install additional codecs to play files of one type or another. As for the player from Microsoft, its previous version in most cases tried to automatically determine which codec was missing, and even at times reported where it could be downloaded. However, it was still inconvenient. In the twelfth version of Windows Media Player, developers have tried to solve this problem. The new version of the player supports more file formats. For example, WPM can now play AAC audio files, H.264, DivX and Xvid video files without the need to install additional codecs. Support for new formats means not only that Windows Media Player will play most files found by the user on the Internet without problems, but also that the new version can play most of the iTunes media content (support does not apply to DRM-protected tracks). What's more, Apple device aficionados can now access their iTunes library directly from Windows Media Player. At the first start, the player itself finds the iTunes libraries already on the computer and gives the user the opportunity not only to view / listen to its contents, but also to edit it.
Broadcast media streaming over the local network
One of the most notable innovations in Windows Media Player 12 is the Play To feature. Thanks to it, you can stream to another computer home network or other compatible device that supports the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard. It can be a TV, stereo system, game console, etc. The Play To feature has many useful uses. Let's say you have an HTPC (Computer Based Home Theater System) in your home network that doesn't have a very large hard drive. On the other hand, on the same network, there is a computer with several hard drives of sufficient capacity on which you store media content. Using the "Play to" function, you can open Windows Media Player 12 on this PC, search for a movie in the media library, and watch it on your home theater. At the same time, the device that receives the data does not require any additional setting, since playback can be controlled entirely on the computer from which the data is being transferred. In a special window, you can go to the next track, stop playback, change the volume level. To enable the remote control function, you need to check the box "Allow remote control player" (Allow remote control of my Player) in the menu "Stream" (Stream).
If the device does not support the network file format, Windows Media Player 12 will convert to a supported format on the fly. Each device to which data is transferred has its own playlist and is controlled from a separate small window. To enable data streaming, check the "Enable streaming media streaming with HomeGroup" in the "Stream" menu. After that, you need to select a name for your multimedia library - this is the name by which the library will be identified to other PCs on the network.
Then you can view a list of all computers connected to the local network and decide which of them will be allowed to transfer data. Each computer has a Customize link next to its name, which you can click to set your own media library accessibility settings for that device. In particular, the ability to filter content by rating can be useful, which can be used to prevent access to certain files from the media library from the child's computer.
You can simplify your streaming setup by activating the "Automatically allow devices to play my media" feature in the Stream menu. Libraries that have been shared will automatically appear in the Windows Media Player navigation bar on devices on the local network. If this does not happen, you can configure their display manually. To do this, select the "Customize navigation pane" command from the "Organize" menu. Next, select "Other Libraries" from the list, select the "Show Other Libraries" checkbox, and select the libraries you want to display. After that, you can work with the contents of the remote library in the same way as with the content that is stored on your PC.
Internet media streaming
Windows Media Player 12 not only makes it possible to organize streaming within the local network, but also allows you to transfer any multimedia files over the Internet. Thanks to this feature, you can, for example, listen to files stored on your home computer from work or from a laptop while on the road. The remote media streaming feature is not available in all versions of Windows 7 and is only available to owners of the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions. Moreover, Windows 7 must be installed on the computer from which data is being transferred, and on the one to which they are transferred. To enable this feature, you need to check the box "Allow Internet access to home media library" (Allow Internet access to home media) in the Stream menu.
You also need to secure access to your home library. To do this, in the next window, select the option "Link an online identity" (Link an Online ID) and link the Windows 7 account on the current computer with the account in Windows service Live (more services such as Google, OpenID and Facebook are also planned to be supported in the future). You need to "bind" on each computer. After doing necessary settings remote libraries will be displayed in the navigation bar and can be accessed in the same way as the information on your PC.
⇡ ***
Of course, the list of standard applications that are available to Windows 7 users is not limited to those programs that we talked about in this part of the review. Some of them are so multifunctional that they deserve special attention. Next time we will talk about what changes have taken place in one of the most important applications of Windows 7 - in file manager"Conductor".
For most people, it is not enough just to adapt to some major changes, and all deviations from the usual course can cause them a lot of panic. Something similar happened after the appearance. Sufficiently serious changes in the interface upset many users, some of whom decided to return to old system. But there were also many who decided to reorganize under new system because it has a lot of advantages. In this post we will talk about the third group of users, or rather about the solution that they came up with. As you may have guessed from the name, its essence is to combine the familiar interface of the old operating system with new features implemented in Windows 8. If you also want to implement this idea on your computer, then you can find a couple of useful tips and recommendations.
Start Screen modifiers
Since the first presentation Windows 8 developers have created many variations on the theme of the start menu and the "Start" button Windows 7, which were supposed to fill the void formed with the advent of the new startscreen. Each of the newly created tools has a number of features, among which you can find both Charm Bar, switch list and (innovations Windows 8), and the ability to work with elements of two operating systems. Among all the available alternatives, it is worth noting Waqas.
This is a utility that will allow you to load the desktop without hitting the interface Metro. You will also get the option to disable " Hot Corners", which are activated everywhere in the new operating system, as soon as you move the mouse cursor to one of the corners of the screen. The utility also allows you to enable the Drag-to-Close function, the essence of which is that you can close the application by dragging it to the bottom of the screen .
In addition to unusual innovations Windows 8 also lost some very important features. One of them is Aero Glass. Its essence lies in the fact that the application frames, the taskbar and the Start menu are transparent, which gives you the opportunity to see what is happening under them. Besides, everything looks pretty good. As a reason why OS Windows 8 lost this feature, called excessive use of resources, especially with a large number of open windows. But if this does not scare you, and you want to return the windows to their previous appearance, then best solution will turn out to be an application Aero Glass For Win8.
This tool adds Start Orb to the taskbar, helps to avoid hitting the start screen and turns off "hot corners" ( Charm Bar, switch list). Also changes the shell explorer"a eights on the shell Sevens. After installing the application, all new features will be disabled by default, but you can return the necessary ones by digging in the settings. The only item that you will not be able to get on your computer with is Aero Glass, but in combination with other tools, the problem is quite solvable.
Returning the familiar Start menu for Windows RT
You may have noticed that all previous applications are only suitable for working with Windows 8, but this does not mean that users will forever remain with start Screen "ohm. There are a couple of tools that will allow you to return the familiar Start menu to your tablet OS. But for this you will have to remove some factory restrictions.
Everything is extremely simple. Choose the tool you like the most and customize your interface eights in your usual way.
At first glance, Windows 7 bears a striking resemblance to Vista, but it actually comes with a host of new interface customization options.
1. New functions by pressing the right mouse button. Right-click on any blank space on your desktop and you'll see a menu item that allows you to adjust the screen resolution, saving you the hassle of digging into the deep layers of display settings for that item. Right-click on the Explorer icon on the taskbar - for quick access to the system's shared folders: Documents, Photos, Windows folders, and much more. And if you don't plan to use Internet Explorer, then you probably don't want this icon to be permanently displayed on the taskbar. Right-click on the icon, select "Kick this program from the taskbar", then install Firefox instead.
2. How to show the old button on the taskbar context menu. Right click on the taskbar and you will now see a new menu. This is useful new feature, but it won't help much if you want to access commands like collapse, maximize, move, or other options that were previously available. Luckily, there's an easy way to get the old context menu back - just hold Ctrl and Shift and right-click on the taskbar.
3. Slideshow wallpaper on your desktop. Windows 7 comes with some very attractive new wallpapers and it's not always easy to decide which one you like best. So why not allow yourself to select a few and let Windows display them all on your desktop in a slideshow. Right-click on an empty part of the desktop, select "Customize" - "desktop background", then hold Ctrl key click on the images you would like to select. Choose how often you want the images to change (can be adjusted from daily updates to once every 10 seconds) and then hit the "Save Changes" button and enjoy the show.
4. RSS active wallpapers. If a slideshow based on your standard wallpaper isn't enough, then you can always create a theme that pulls images from an RSS feed. You can also go even further and display, for example, the latest news from an RSS feed, which is useful for displaying the weather in your area, or traffic conditions, for example.
5. Customize the login screen. Windows 7 allows you to change the logon screen. To do this, you need to do the following. First, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background. Select REGEDIT, double-click the DWORD key, name it OEMBackground (if it doesn't exist, create it) and set its value to 1. Now find the background image you'd like to use, make sure it's smaller than 256kb, and fits the screen's aspect ratio, so that the picture can fit. Next, copy this picture to the %windir%\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds folder (create info\backgrounds if it doesn't exist). Rename the image to backgroundDefault.jpg, restart your computer and you should now be able to see your selected image in the background of your computer login. You can also use a free configuration tool to handle these actions for you. "Logon Changer" displays a preview so you can see what your drawing will look like on the login screen without reloading, and the login screen using "Rotator" takes multiple images and shows a different one each time you log in.
6. Quick Access Toolbar. The new Windows 7 taskbar acts like one big quick launch bar that can hold all the program shortcuts you want (right click and select "Lock taskbar"). And that's fine, except that it consumes a bit more screen real estate than we'd like. You can reduce it to a more convenient size by right-clicking on "Start", then "Properties" - "Taskbar" - "Use small icons" - "OK".
7. Using the classic taskbar. Windows 7 now bundles the taskbar buttons in a way that saves space, but that makes it harder to read quickly. If you prefer a more traditional look, then right-click on the taskbar, select "Properties", and change to the look you want. Now you'll get clear and distinct buttons for each running app, making them much easier to identify.
8. Reducing taskbar buttons. One problem is that taskbar buttons take up a lot of space due to their size. But you can reduce this effect by removing their text captions. Run REGEDIT, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics, add a line called MinWidth, set the value to 54, and reboot your machine to see the results.
9. Displaying the disk button in the taskbar. The taskbar can be used for more than just apps and documents. With just a few seconds of work, you can pin disk icons there too. Right-click on an empty part of the desktop, select "New" - " Text file", and rename the file to drive.exe. Drag to the taskbar and then delete the original file. Right click on the new "drive.exe" shortcut on the taskbar, right click and select "Properties". Change the location to "C: \" - in the event that you want to click on the shortcut to exit the explorer of the "C" drive, or to any other name of the drive that you want to display, click the "Change Icon" button to select the appropriate disk icon and you're done - your disk will be available through this button.
10. Resizing the taskbar preview. Hover your mouse cursor on the Windows 7 taskbar on any button and you will see a small preview of the application window. To make them bigger, run Regedit, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband, right click in right panel and create a new DWORD value named MinThumbSizePx. Double click on this name, select the Decimal option, set the value to 350 and reboot your operating system to see the results. Repeat the steps again to fine-tune how the preview is displayed, or remove it to return to the default thumbnail sizes.
We also note that not all users are used to new features, such as displaying the Aero desktop when hovering the cursor in the lower right corner. Of course, this is convenient, but if it annoys you or interferes in any way, then you can turn it off without much difficulty. this function. Simply right-click on the Start logo, select Properties, Taskbar tab, and uncheck "Use AeroPeek to view desktop".
Thus, we can say that, of course, Windows 7 has taken a big step forward compared to previous versions of the operating system in terms of interface customization, all this allows the user to configure the computer in such a way as to get the most out of work.
Hello everyone. Today, friends, we will customize Windows again. We will take the version of the 8.1 system and send it back in time. Not far past. Let's make it outwardly similar to Windows 7. Recently, readers of the site in the comments discussed the problem of the impossibility of installing the "Seven" on new devices with BIOS, where Secure Boot is not disabled - the secure boot function. Windows 7 cannot pass the Secure Boot check by condition. Only Windows 8.1 and 10 can pass it. Perhaps I will someday come across such a laptop or PC, and I can find a solid solution to this issue. In the meantime, I propose to go through customization - to make Windows 8.1 look like Windows 7. Or, perhaps, someone intentionally wants to work with more new version system and nostalgic only for the interface of the "Seven".
Friends, below we will do the work to achieve the maximum similarity of the "Eight" with the "Seven". You can carry out not all operations, but selectively, according to your taste. But in any case, do not neglect security measures: during customization, interference occurs in system settings, which is a risk. Before proceeding with the repetition of the steps described below, create, even better -.
Outwardly similar to Windows 7, you can make not only Windows 8.1, but also version 10. Version 8.1 in our case was chosen because of its stability, the absence of problems when installing patches for third party themes design, and, of course, because of the greater internal similarity with the "Seven". The "Eight" contains all the settings of the control panel. Whereas in the "Ten" with the latest cumulative update, most of them are already only in the "Settings" UWP application.
If the need to install Windows 7 is dictated by the weak hardware of the computer, you can use a stripped-down assembly.
Start Menu
We will start returning the Windows 7 interface with the main drawback of version 8.1 - the lack of a Start menu. There are quite a lot of products on the third-party software market for its implementation. The article "" provides a comprehensive overview of such products. Also, friends, I can advise something different from the classic type. For my own experiment, I will choose famous program Classic Shell. It is free, with very flexible settings, and better than other programs, it will allow me to make the Start menu the way it was in the Seven.
When installing Classic Shell, you must deactivate the installation of components for File Explorer and Internet Explorer. We are pursuing our own specific goals, and we do not need tweaks for these areas of the system.
I downloaded an impressive selection of all sorts of different button designs in a package.
We return to the Classic Shell settings. In the "Start Button" section, select the "Custom Button" item and specify the path to the design you like from the downloaded package. I'll choose a button design that looks like a real button in Windows 7.
In the "Cover" section, make sure that the "Windows 8" theme is installed.
And the last tuning touch - in the "Menu Appearance" section, turn on Aero Glass, the menu shadow, redefine the color so that it is as similar as possible to the color of the Windows 7 menu. Click "OK".
Disabling hot corners and starting the system from the home screen
Classic Shell and many other programs for implementing the Start button, among their customization arsenal, provide options for bypassing the Modern UI start screen when Windows 8.1 starts and disabling its hot corners - the edges of the screen where the menu appears when hovering over modern interface. But I will show how these actions are configured by means of the system itself. We call the properties of the taskbar using the context menu on it.
In the "Navigation" tab, uncheck all the items in the "Actions for corners" column. In the column "Initial screen" we activate the login from the desktop. And we can also check the box to open the application view when you exit the home screen. Because by ourselves home screen we will not use it, and the Modern UI interface may be needed for some needs, there is a reason to implement access to it in the form of a complete list of software installed in the system.
Uninstalling Modern UI apps
For Windows 8.1 to be similar to Windows 7, Modern UI apps must be removed from it. You can't remove all of them, but you can get rid of most of them. Delete each separate application You can use the context menu in the list of programs of the Modern UI interface.
Or you can resort to using the uninstaller to clean up the remnants of the removed programs Geek Uninstaller. He knows how to remove Modern UI applications, moreover, he cleans up the registry after them.
If you want to uninstall Modern UI apps in batch mode, i.e. whatever, PowerShell will help. Run as administrator, enter the command:
Get-AppxPackage | Remove-AppxPackage
If the question is about removing Modern UI applications for all accounts Windows records 8.1, and not just for the current one, enter the command:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers | Remove-AppxPackage
Note: Friends, the following PowerShell commands will not work in a Windows 8.1 Embedded environment. But this is not necessary, since this edition comes with a minimal package of Modern UI applications, they can be removed one by one.
Windows Store blocking
The Store app won't be uninstalled individually, nor will it disappear with a batch uninstall using PowerShell. You can just not touch it. And so that children do not climb into it and do not download any nonsense from there, it is better to block the store. Launch the Local Group Policy Editor:
We pass the path indicated in the screenshot below. If you need to block the store only for the current account, open, as in the screenshot, the tree of the "User Configuration" section. If you need to block for all accounts, we expand, respectively, the same tree, but in the “Computer Configuration” section. Click on the "Disable Store app" option.
Put a tick "Enabled". Apply.
Image Viewer
The Modern UI "Photos" app is also one of those that "do not cut down with an axe." To view pictures in the classic image viewer, you just need to set it as the main one in the system. We go to the control panel, go through the path:
Programs - Default programs - Select default programs
Select a tool and click the button to use it as the default program.
Conductor
Next, we need a free OldNewExplorer tweaker utility. She returns to the conductor modern versions operating system from Microsoft, the look that it had in Windows 7 is more ascetic, without the Ribbon panel, with the appearance of a menu by pressing the Alt key and other nuances. The official website of the utility seems to have died, but it can be downloaded without problems on other Internet resources. For example, from the same Windows customization site where I took pictures for the Start button:
We launch OldNewExplorer, set the necessary checkboxes and click the “Install” button at the top. Which checkboxes are needed? In the screenshot below, the numbers indicate those that can be used in our case - when the goal is to simulate a conductor in the style of "Seven":
1 - display elements in a hierarchical order, hide the user profile folders and add the "Libraries" section instead;
2 – hiding the Ribbon panel;
3 - display of the Aero Glass effect on the navigation bar;
4 - use of alternative navigation buttons, if such are provided by the themes;
5 - display information panel at the bottom of the window;
6 - display of the status bar.
As a result, on board modern versions of Windows we will get an explorer with a design and useful options from the past.
Theme
Now, friends, let's install a Windows 7 theme. But first, in Windows environment 8.1 you need to install the patcher program. Downloading free program UltraUXThemePatcher from its official website:
Unpack the theme files and place them in a folder:
C:\Windows\Resources\Themes
Let's go to the personalization section. Themes with imitation of Windows 7 offer us two options, but they are not very different. We choose any.
Aero Glass
The highlight of Windows 7 is the Aero Glass effect. You can implement it into the Windows 8.1 environment using a program with the same name - Aero Glass. Details on this program, friends, read. The program seems to be free, but after installation it starts asking for donations in a pop-up window. And he also sculpts his watermark on the wallpaper. So, in the comments to that article, readers of the site unsubscribed how they resolved these problems. I will return to the specifics of using the program in the context of the topic of the article. And here is an important point: when installing the program, you must uncheck the installation of the Aero Glass theme. Otherwise, the Windows 7 imitation theme will not be displayed, it will be interrupted by the glass theme.
As you can see, the fact of imitation is given out by the brighter colors of Windows 8.1, the finest details in the design theme and the Start menu that are not implemented everywhere, the application of the Aero Glass effect that is different from the native one, etc. But in general, the atmosphere, it seems to me, is sustained. In addition, you can additionally work with the brightness of colors and make them less saturated, as in the "Seven".
And, finally, the final transformational touch: not so much to imitate, but simply to give even more atmosphere, you can install a branded Windows 7 picture on the lock screen.
