Drive time. To see drives that aren’t currently in use, on the Start menu, clic Computer. Press ALT to display the Computer folder menus. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab. Clear the Hide empty drives check boxes in the Computer folder to see the available drives.
Prepare to launch. Use the Windows logo key + T to scroll through the icons pinned to the task bar. Then press ENTER to start the active program. Press ESC to exit this trick.
Access icons from the taskbar. Drag your icons to the taskbar in the order you desire. Open the first five icons by pressing the Windows logo key + 1, + 2, and so on.
Dock those windows. To dock your window on half the screen, drag the window to the left or right. When the cursor reaches the edge of the screen, the window will snap to half the size of the screen. Or, press Windows logo key + LEFT ARROW or Windows logo key + RIGHT ARROW.
Personalize it. Set up your Windows 7 desktop background to shuffle through your favorite images. Right-click your desktop, click Personalize, and then click Desktop Background. Select the Shuffle check box, and then select the images you want to shuffle through.
Shake things up. Windows 7 Aero® Shake clears the inactive windows from your desktop. Rest your mouse pointer over the window title bar, click, and shake the window from side to side. Repeat the procedure to shake everything back into view.
Windows 7 Aero Peek. Click the small rectangle in the lower-right corner (or Windows logo key + SPACEBAR) to peek at the icons and gadgets on your desktop.
Get a grip on your gadgets: With Windows 7, gadgets are easier to manage and use. Position them anywhere on the desktop, and resize them to your heart’s content. They’ll snap in place at the edge of the screen. To change gadget options, right-click on the desktop and select Gadgets.
Favorite pin-ups. Pin the folders you use most onto your taskbar. Simply hold your mouse over the folder, right-click, and drag the folder onto the taskbar for easy access.
Clean up your taskbar. Just right-click any icon on the taskbar, and click Unpin this program from the taskbar.
Come to order. To auto-arrange your desktop icons according to your default settings, press and hold the F5 key. Windows 7 immediately restores order.
It’s a stick-up. Put your sticky notes right on your Windows 7 desktop. On the Start menu, click All Programs > Accessories > Sticky Notes. Right-click the note to change its color, or click the PLUS SIGN to create another note.
Kill the clutter. Press Windows logo key + HOME to minimize all inactive windows. Press Windows logo key + HOME again to restore the windows when you want them.
Do you have a laptop and want to get more battery life out of it? Windows 7 includes a hidden built-in tool that will examine your laptop's energy use and make recommendations on how to improve it. To use it:
Power Efficiency Report
Run a command prompt as an administrator. To do this, type cmd in the search box, and when the cmd icon appears, right-click it and choose "Run as administrator."
At the command line, type in the following: powercfg -energy -output \Folder\Energy_Report.html where \Folder represents the folder where you want the report to be placed.
For about a minute, Windows 7 will examine the behavior of your laptop. It will then analyze it and create a report in HTML format in the folder you specified. Double-click the file, and you'll get a report -- follow its recommendations for ways to improve power performance.
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