Windows Management and Maintenance : The Windows 7 Control Panel (part 2)

1. Breaking Down Category View

Although Windows 7, like Windows Vista, defaults to Category view, the categories and their contents are somewhat different in Windows 7 than in its predecessor.

Note

If you need to access a Control Panel option that’s available only in Large Icons or Small Icons view, or if you just plain prefer to view individual icons, open the Control Panel and click Large Icons or Small Icons (see Figure 1).

There are eight standard categories in Category view on any computer running Windows 7 (settings formerly in a separate Mobile category have been folded into other categories). Virtually every Control Panel applet in Windows 7 can be accessed from one or more categories.

Tables 1 through 8 list the tasks for each category. These are listed in the order of appearance, from top left to bottom right, not alphabetically. Clicking any of the categories takes you to another dialog box showing those tasks.

Note

The items listed in Tables 1 through 10 include every item in every edition of Windows 7. If you have the Home Starter, Home Premium, Professional or Enterprise edition, your Control Panel might not have every item listed here.

In the Control Panel screens, items featuring the Windows 7 Security shield indicate that the item is protected by User Account Control; with the default UAC settings, standard users must provide a password from an Administrator account to open these items.

Virtually every Control Panel applet visible in Large Icons view or Small Icons views can be accessed from one or more categories. However, a few can be accessed only from Large Icons or Small Icons view. Applets are listed and cross-referenced to their respective categories in Table 9.

Table 9. Control Panel Applets and Categories

Applet	Also Found in This Category
Action Center	System and Security
Administrative Tools	System and Security
AutoPlay	Hardware and Sound
Backup and Restore	System and Security
BitLocker Drive Encryption	System and Security
Color Management	Hardware and Sound
Credential Manager	User Accounts and Family Safety
Date and Time	Clock, Language, and Region
Default Programs	Programs
Desktop Gadgets	Programs; Appearance and Personalization
Device Manager	System and Security, Hardware and Sound
Devices and Printers	Hardware and Sound
Display	Hardware and Sound; Appearance and Personalization
Ease of Access Center	Appearance and Personalization; Ease of Access
Folder Options	Appearance and Personalization
Fonts	Appearance and Personalization
Getting Started	—
HomeGroup	Network and Internet
Indexing Options	System and Security
Internet Options	Network and Internet
Keyboard	Hardware and Sound
Location and Other Sensors	—
Mouse	Hardware and Sound
Network and Sharing Center	Network and Internet
Notification Area Icons	Appearance and Personalization (submenu)
Parental Controls	User Accounts and Family Safety
Pen and Input Devices	Hardware and Sound
Performance Information and Tools	System and Security
Personalization	Appearance and Personalization
Phone and Modem	—
Power Options	System and Security; Hardware and Sound
Programs and Features	Programs
Recovery	Action Center (submenu)
Region and Language	Clock, Language, and Region
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections	—
Sound	Hardware and Sound
Speech Recognition	Ease of Access
Sync Center	Network and Internet
System	System and Security
Tablet PC Settings	Hardware and Sound
Taskbar and Start Menu	Appearance and Personalization
Troubleshooting	Action Center (submenu)
User Accounts	User Accounts and Family Safety
Windows CardSpace	User Accounts and Family Safety
Windows Defender	—
Windows Firewall	System and Security
Windows Mobility Center	Hardware and Sound
Windows Update	System and Security

You can use either Category view or the individual Large Icons view or Small Icons view to access virtually every feature of the Control Panel. From the home view of Control Panel, select the view you prefer from the View By menu in the upper-right corner.

2. What Should You Use?

Working with the Control Panel in Category view simplifies access to both commonly and less-commonly used configuration controls. However, some applets are referenced by more than one category. Consequently, to provide an exhaustive discussion of the applets. If you want to use Category view, refer to Tables 1 to 9.

Table 10 shows a list of all the standard Control Panel applets and what they accomplish. Your Control Panel may include other applets that are installed by other products from Microsoft and third parties.

Table 10. Control Panel Applets

Applet	Function
Action Center	Displays condition of security and maintenance settings, including Windows Firewall, antivirus, antimalware, Windows Backup, Windows Update, Reliability Monitor, and others.
Administrative Tools	Provides shortcuts to these administrative tools: Component Services, Computer Management, Data Sources (ODBC) settings, Event Viewer, iSCSI Initiator, Local Security Policy, Performance Monitor, Print Management, Services, System Configuration, Task Scheduler, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, Windows Memory Diagnostics, and Windows PowerShell Modules.
AutoPlay	Configures AutoPlay options for different types of storage media and multimedia files.
Backup and Restore	Provides file backup and restore and system restore, and the recovery disc maker.
BitLocker Drive Encryption	Configures and manages full-drive encryption (Enterprise, Ultimate, and Professional only).
Color Management	Configures color management settings for displays and printers.
Credential Manager	Stores credentials used for Windows login as well as those used for other servers and websites.
Date and Time	Sets the current date, time, and time zone for the computer. It can also synchronize system time with an Internet time server.
Default Programs	Configures default file types for installed programs. Associates file types with a particular program. Also configures program access and computer defaults and provides access to AutoPlay options.
Desktop Gadgets	Manages and configures the “new” Desktop Gadgets feature (an updated version of the Windows Vista Sidebar). Also used to download additional gadgets.
Device Manager	Configures hardware devices and drivers. Also displays usage of hardware resources such as interrupt requests (IRQs), direct memory access (DMA) channels, I/O port addresses, and memory addresses.
Devices and Printers	Manages and installs many types of devices and printers, including monitors, digital cameras and imaging devices, mice, keyboards, and others. Replaces the Add Hardware, Printers, and Scanners and Cameras applets in previous versions of Windows.
Display	Sets color calibration, screen font size, resolution, ClearType, and other display settings.
Ease of Access Center	Configures accessibility tools, such as Magnifier, Narrator, On-Screen Keyboard, High Contrast display, and others.
Folder Options	Sets systemwide folder view options, file associations, and indexing.
Fonts	Adds and deletes typefaces, and displays examples of system-installed typefaces for screen display and printer output. Includes improved preview and new character search options.
Getting Started	Provides shortcuts to common tasks for new Windows 7 users, including personalization, transferring files and settings from another computer, setting up a homegroup, configuring Windows Update, downloading Windows Live Essentials, configuring Windows Backup, adding new users, and changing screen font size.
HomeGroup	Configures and manages the new HomeGroup feature, which enables easy and secure network sharing between computers running Windows 7.
Indexing Options	Configures what locations are indexed and how indexing is performed.
Internet Options	Sets Internet Explorer options.
Keyboard	Sets key repeat rate, cursor blink rate, language of your keyboard, keyboard type, and drivers, and includes keyboard troubleshooting wizards.
Location and Other Sensors	Manages the new Windows 7 support for GPS, weather, and other types of sensors.
Mouse	Configures mouse properties such as motion speed, double-click, button orientation, cursor shapes, and other proprietary settings dependent on your mouse driver.
Network and Sharing Center	Manages all network connections, including LAN, dial-up WAN, and VPN. Configures networking components (clients, services, and protocols) and file/folder devices.
Notification Area Icons	Configures when icons in the notification area are displayed. New in Windows 7.
Parental Controls	Configures user-based restrictions on computer use, gameplay, and program access.
Performance Information and Tools	Displays Windows Experience Index and provides access to performance configuration options.
Personalization	Configures window and desktop appearance, screen savers, audio sound schemes, mouse pointers, desktop themes, and display settings.
Phone and Modem	Adds, removes, and sets the properties of the modem(s) connected to your system. Using this applet, you can declare dialing rules (long-distance numbers, call waiting, credit card calling, and so on). You also can add and remove telephony drivers.
Power Options	Configures power settings (“power plans”), power and sleep buttons, and other power management issues.
Programs and Features	Uninstalls and changes installed programs. Enables or disables Windows features. Tracks installed Windows updates.
Recovery	Provides access to System Restore, as well as troubleshooters, program uninstallers, and file restore from backup.
Region and Language	Sets how Windows displays times, dates, numbers, and currency through region/country settings and language preferences.
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections	Manages remote connections to your workplace provided by Windows Server 2008 R2.
Sound	Configures audio devices or changes sound scheme.
Speech Recognition	Configures speech recognition.
Sync Center	Configures sync partnerships such as Offline Files and others.
System	Examines and changes your identification (workgroup name, domain name, computer name) and installed devices. Displays amount of RAM available to Windows, type of processor, and processor speed. Using this applet, you can add, disable, and remove specific devices using the Device Manager; configure remote access; set up user profiles; set environment variables; configure visual effects, performance, and Data Execution Protection (DEP); configure Windows Update settings; and set emergency startup options.
Tablet PC Settings	Configures settings for Tablet PC displays and handwriting recognition.
Taskbar and Start Menu	Sets the properties for the taskbar and Start menu.
Troubleshooting	Provides troubleshooters for Programs, Hardware and Sound, Network and Internet, Appearance and Personalization, System and Security features, and Remote Assistance.
User Accounts	Adds, deletes, or configures users. Enables you to assign groups, manage passwords, and set logon mode.
Windows CardSpace	Sets up and manages credentials for logging in to secure websites, such as online stores and e-banking.
Windows Defender	Configures and manages integrated antispyware utility. To learn more about Windows Defender.
Windows Firewall	Enables you to turn on, turn off, and fine-tune the firewall that protects your computer from uninvited invasion from the Internet.
Windows Mobility Center	Provides one-click access to audio, power scheme, display brightness, wireless and external display configuration, Sync Center settings, and external presentation display features.
Windows Update	Configures how you receive updates to Windows and other Microsoft applications, such as Office.