Difficulty: 2 Stars
If you find the thumbnail previews that pop
out of the taskbar too small to be of much use, you can increase their size
with a quick registry tweak. Launch Regedit, browse to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband,
then right-click in the right-hand pane and create a new DWORD called
'MinThumbSizePx'. Double-click it, select the 'Decimal' base, then set the
value to the size in pixels that you want the thumbnail to be. The default is
200. You'll have to reboot to see the changes, though!
- Create
shortcuts to enable/disable transparency effects
Difficulty: 2 Stars
If you like the transparency effects in
Windows, but occasionally want to disable them to increase clarity or claw back
a little performance, you can use this tweak to put the option a single click
away and avoid having to trawl through the control panel every time. First,
right-click on the desktop and select 'New', then 'Shortcut'. To create a link
that turns transparency off, use the command line 'rundll32.exe dwmApi #104'.
To create one that turns transparency back on, use 'rundll32.exe dwmApi #102'.
- Enable Hidden
Backgrounds
Difficulty: 2 Stars
If there's one thing about Windows 7 that
no one can dispute, it's that it has some utterly stunning desktops bundled
with it. You should have one pack which has been automatically installed based
on your location settings, but Windows keeps every country's pack on your hard
drive.
To unlock the others, browse to 'C:\
Windows\Globalization\MCT', press F3 to enter the search box and type
'*.theme'. Select all of the theme files Windows finds, then copy them to the
clipboard. Now browse to 'c:\Windows\Resources\Themes' and click paste to copy
the files into the folder. The new themes will now be available from the personalization
options, and that includes a wealth of additional backgrounds!
Troubleshooting
And Security
If you have a problem and no one else can
help, you'll have to sort it out yourself. Luckily Windows can help.
- Use the
Problem Steps Recorder
Difficulty: 2 Stars
The Problem Steps Recorder is a
little-known Windows 7 feature that can make diagnosing problems with someone
else's computer far easier than ever before. As a reader of this magazine, it's
safe to say you're used to people phoning you up and asking for help but having
no clue what they're actually doing on their PC.
Well, all that can change. Using the PSR,
you can get a step-by-step look at exactly what they're doing on their PC, and
help figure out where they might be going wrong. The applet takes screenshots
every time there's a significant user input and automatically writes
descriptions, then when the recording has ended, it creates a zip file with all
the necessary information. All you have to do is get them to email you the file
and you'll have a much better idea what's going on.
To run the Problem Steps recorder, simply
type 'psr' into the Start menu search box and press Enter. Click 'Start
recording' to begin capture, and 'Stop' when things are done, and the recorded
data will be automatically saved to the location of your choice.
- Fix common
problems
Difficulty: 1 Star
The 'Troubleshooting' section in Control
Panel is a frequently overlooked tool for fixing common ailments. By accessing
it (either by browsing the Control Panel, or typing 'troubleshooting' into the
search box) you can find a wealth of step-by-step fixes to help even the most
novice user repair their PC. Everything from improving power usage to resetting
application settings to figuring out why your audio recording isn't working.
- Get a
detailed report before using System Restore
Difficulty: 1 Star
Windows 7 gives far more information about
system restore points than older incarnations, which allows you to see what
software will be affected before you roll things back. Right-click on
'Computer', select 'Properties' > 'System Protection' > 'System Restore'
> 'Next'. Click on the restore point you're interested in and press
the button that says 'Scan for Affected Programs'. Windows will tell you
exactly what updates and installations will be undone if you use this restore
point.
- Restrict
access to certain applications
Difficulty: 3 Stars
If you're a parent and want to make sure
that your children aren't trying to circumvent your existing controls or
installing applications without permission, Windows 7's AppLocker feature
(available in Enterprise and Ultimate editions only, sadly) can restrict
software to a whitelist to ensure that there's no chance of them going
off-reservation.
To restrict software, you need to open the
Group Policy Editor (type 'gpedit.msc' into the search box) then select
'Computer Configuration' > 'Windows Settings' > 'Security Settings' >
'Application Control Policy' > 'AppLocker'. Create a rule that restricts the
account to running certain applications - for example, those signed by
Microsoft only - and your PC will be locked up tight.
- Enable
BitLocker to secure flash drives
Difficulty: 1 Star
The BitLocker technology in Windows 7
Enterprise and Ultimate allows users to encrypt documents when using flash
drives, restricting access to those with the correct password. All you need to
do is plug in your flash drive, right-click the icon in Explorer and select
'Turn on BitLocker', at which point a wizard dialogue will give you the
necessary instructions to continue.
