Windows 7 userbar

Because of the button size, people with touch screens should find it especially easy to use. Jump lists are another new taskbar improvement that make recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you've recently used in that program. In Internet Explorer, this will show recently visited Web sites, although it doesn't yet seem to work in Firefox. If you've noticed the missing Show Desktop icon, that's because it's been baked into the taskbar itself.

Mouse over to the right corner. Hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all your programs. Resizing programs has been simplified and improved by the capability to drag a window's title bar.

Drag a program window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they'll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor.

Dragging a program away from the top or sides will return it to its original size. Theme packages also make it much faster to change the look of Windows 7. From the Control Panel, you can change the theme under Appearance and Personalization. Microsoft has created several theme packages to give people a taste for what the feature can do. Click on one to download it, and it instantly changes the color scheme and background--no need to reboot.

Users can create their own themes, as well. Windows Media Player and Device Stage One of the biggest new features makes Windows Media Player useful again: you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network.

Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple. When you open Windows Media Player, there's a new Stream option on the toolbar. Click it, and you're presented with two choices.

Both require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you've associated a second Windows 7's WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer. Windows Media Player's mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art--sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it's a definite improvement. The new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining printers, phones, and portable media players into one window.

A large photo of the peripheral summarizes important device stats and makes it easy to identify which devices you're using. Device Stage can also be used to preset common tasks, such as synchronization. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7's best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don't need to be upgraded.

One annoying change is that Bluetooth driver support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you'll either need the installation disc on hand or you'll have to go download it. Search, touch screens, and XP mode Windows 7's native search feature has been improved. Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly.

This should appeal specifically to people who juggle large numbers of long documents, but it's a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster. However, the search field is available by default only in the Start menu and in Windows Explorer, and cannot be easily added to the taskbar. Touch-screen features worked surprisingly well. The hardware sometimes misread some of the multitouch gestures, occasionally confusing rotating an image, for example, with zooming in or out of the image.

Overall, though, there were few difficulties in performing the basic series of gestures that Microsoft promotes, and this places Windows 7 in an excellent position for the future, as more and more computers are released with multitouch abilities.

Experts and people or companies who hope to use Windows 7 for business situations will appreciate the new XP Mode. It doesn't have much of a practical application for the home consumer, but if you need to access programs designed for Windows XP that have not been upgraded to Windows Vista or 7, XP Mode creates a virtual environment within Windows 7 that should assuage any fears of upgrading without backward compatibility.

It's not easy to set up once you've downloaded the XP Mode installer. You'll need to double-check that you have the right hardware, and can get the right software. Motherboards older than two years probably won't work, and even if you do have a newer one you might have to go into your BIOS and activate Hardware Virtualization. When you turn off UAC, you open up your computer to potential security risks.

If you turn off UAC, you should be careful about which programs you run because they will have the same access to the computer as you do. This includes reading and making changes to protected system areas, your personal data, saved files, and anything else stored on the computer. Programs will also be able to communicate and transfer information to and from anything your computer connects with, including the Internet. Share This Post. All Rights Reserved. Always notify me when programs try to install software or make changes to my computer and when I make changes to Windows settings.

You will be notified before programs or you yourself make changes to your computer or Windows settings that require the permissions of an administrator.

You will be notified before programs make changes to your computer or Windows settings that require the permissions of an administrator. Never notify me or turn off and disable UAC. Back up your files and photos Save your personal files and photos to OneDrive or to an external hard drive. Learn more. Thinner, lighter, and faster With solid state drives and the latest technology, modern PCs offer faster speeds, security, durability, and great designs.

Help me choose a PC. Get new capabilities with a new computer From touch screens, digital pens, and facial recognition, new PCs enable features that save you steps and are easy to use. Learn more about Windows 10 features. Versatile 2-in-1s 2-in-1s provide power and flexibility. Gaming PCs All the power you need to win.

Shop Surface Original by design. Check out a variety of Windows 10 computers from our valued retail partners Shop now. Will my Windows 7 computer stop working? How do I get Windows 10? Can I upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free? Why should I consider a new computer? Checkout these innovative new features available with Windows 10 on a new device: Newer PC hardware that is faster, more capable, and more compatible with the latest industry technology. To help you keep your device secure, you can take advantage of the latest security capabilities: Get built-in security at no extra cost.

Your Windows device comes with built-in security features, including firewall and internet protections to help safeguard against viruses, malware, and ransomware. Sign in three times faster and forget your password. Most of us are familiar with touchscreens on our phones, and now many new PCs have a touchscreen on a new Windows 10 computer.

With the touchscreen, you can also utilize pen technology to write and markup documents and websites. Touchscreens and pens allow you to zoom in, zoom out, quickly scroll, and sign documents. The Photos app automatically organizes and tags your photos. Searching for photos is easy and fun. Looking for pictures you took at the beach? How is Windows 10 security better than Windows 7?

Which version of Windows 10 is right for me? How do I transfer my personal files to a new computer? You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice. After SP1 is installed, sign in to your PC.

You might see a notification indicating whether the update was successful. If you disabled your antivirus software before the installation, make sure you turn it back on. Go to the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 download page on the Microsoft website. Select Install Instructions to see which packages are available for download, and make note of the one that you need. Select the appropriate language from the drop-down list, and then select Download.

Select the packages you need to install, select Next , and then follow the instructions to install SP1. Your PC might restart a few times during the installation. Select the link in the table that corresponds with the version of Windows running on your PC.

On the Microsoft Download Center page, select your language and then select Download. It might take a few minutes for the tool to download and install.