July 16, 2012 Mark Lopez
Here are some Tips and Tricks for Windows 7.
The Shortcuts
Windows key + left or right arrow button, which snaps the window to the left
or right, so you can see two open windows equally — perfect for multitasking.
Pin those apps
In Windows 7, you can pin any application, website, file or folder you use a lot,
so you can easily click to open it — regardless of what program you might be in.
That is, if you use the calculator a lot, simply right mouse click on the app and
choose "Pin to Taskbar" and move it wherever you like. This is much faster than
clicking on the Start button, selecting All Programs, then Accessories and finally
Calculator. For files, such as a Word or PDF document, simply drag to the taskbar
and let go. If you have a lot of pins on your taskbar, you can press the Windows key
(beside Alt) and a number (e.g. 1 or 2) and the corresponding app will launch from
your taskbar.
Extending the trial version
This is one of my favorites. If you're using Windows or Microsoft Office and you'd
like to extend the activation period to the maximum 120 days instead of the usual
30-day period, it's possible if you use Windows Vista and Windows 7 and you're
the administrator of the PC. Simply click on the Start button and in the search
window, type in cmd and you'll see the Command Prompt at the top of the page
. Don't press Enter yet — instead, right-mouse click on the shortcut and select Run
as Administrator. Now, after the Command Prompt loads up, type this: slmgr.vbs
-rearm and the hit Enter and reboot. That's it.
Uppercase and Lowercase
Highlight the words.Hold down the Shift button on the keyboard and tap F3.
Doing so will immediately change the case from lower to upper (or vice-versa).
Tap a third time to change the highlighted text to Title case, Where The First Letter
Of Every Word Is Capitalized. This little-known SHIFT + F3 shortcut will save you
time — and frustration — and works in Outlook, Word and other Microsoft programs.
Shake it up
Ever glance at your computer monitor and see a cluttered mess of open windows,
such as a browser, media player, IM window and word processor? A quick way
to close it all and focus on one application is to click and hold your mouse on top
of an open pane and give your mouse a shake. Doing this will minimize all your open
windows, except for the one you're in. Give your wrist a shake again and they all
reappear. Windows calls this "Aero Shake" and it can be a fast way to get rid of the
clutter in a snap. Give it a shot. If your version of Windows doesn't have it, you can
download it for free here.
Batch rename
Photo takers should get to know the "batch rename" feature in Windows
Explorer. Instead of all your images having arbitrary names like IMG_0339.jpg
or DSC01121.jpg, you can highlight all your photos in a folder, right mouse-click
and select Rename; now type in something relevant to the photos, like Spring
Break 2012. And hit Enter. Now, all of those files will be renamed with a number
at the end, such as Spring Break 2012 (1).jpg, plus you can quickly see what's
inside the photo file by changing from "list" view to "large icons." This batch
rename tip can also be used for documents and other media.
Encrypt it
If you share your Windows computer with someone and have a folder or files
you want to password-protect, there's an easy way to do it with a built-in
encryption tool. First select the folder or file you wish to encrypt, right-click
on it and choose Properties. Now click the Advanced button and add a
check beside "Encrypt contents to secure data" option. Click Apply and then
Ok. To access this file you'll type in your Windows password used to log into
your account. If your version of Windows doesn't offer this feature, there's
always the free TrueCrypt software.
Get a boost
If you own Windows Vista or Windows 7, a little-known feature called
ReadyBoost can give your PC a boost — without having to add more
RAM (system memory). Instead, ReadyBoost lets you use a USB flash
drive or SD memory card -- which you might already have in your desk
drawer -- to improve performance without having to install purchased memory
. The flash memory you connect externally serves as an additional memory
cache -- meaning the computer can access data quicker on this than on the
hard drive. You can choose to allocate part of a USB drive's memory to
speed up performance and use the remainder to store files. More information
on ReadyBoost is here.
Search
It might be an obvious one but be sure to use the search window to find
what you're looking for — be it a program or file. Simply click the Start
button and you'll see a universal search window at the bottom of the pop-
up window. Start typing a few letters and Windows will try to guess what
you're looking for by showing you matching apps or files near the top of the
window (such as typing C and U, and immediately seeing Cute FTP
Professional as a selectable option). This simplifies the search process that
used to take a while on older versions of Windows.
