The Windows 7 Blog

When it comes to computers there is one running constant. You will run into problems in maintaining the consistency of use. Just like everything else, even though it is digital, a computer experiences wear and tear after hours of on going computing. In Windows 7 this is still the case. Even though this is the most advanced operating system that Microsoft has ever released in their Windows family it still inherits problems from the past. Most of the problems are problems that affect all operating systems no matter who makes them. On the other hand some problems are very Windows specific. We shall go over a few of the problems that are Windows specific and go over how we can solve them.
The first thing that you can do to keep your Windows 7 operating system running smoothly is to make sure that you do routine maintenance checks on it at least every two months. This includes running the Disk Defragmenter program, running a registry cleaner, and emptying temporary files. All of these items when left unattended will start to bog down your computer and make it run slower than normal. You will hear as a common complaint from most Windows users is that their machine does not run the same way that it use to. This is a big reason why. Just as you would keep up the maintenance with a new car, the same must be done for a new computer.

Another way to make sure that your Windows 7 operating system maintains a smooth level of operation is to keep it secured. If the system becomes compromised, it will surely affect the level of performance. Some malware that you may receive on your computer will create files and run processes that will begin to affect your everyday computing. Running an anti virus scanner while you do your normal day to day activities will help alleviate this problem. You also want to make sure that the anti virus is always updated. If it is not, newer malware will find their way into your system and start to slow things down again.

These are only a couple of ways that you can make sure that your Windows 7 installation is as fresh as the first day you bought it. If you keep up the maintenance on the system then your computer will have a long healthy life span.

Windows Live Mail. Photo by ? China ? guccio's flickr

The Windows operating system has been around for a long time. It has infiltrated the average household to the point where a child’s first experience when it comes to computing will be on a windows machine. Even though we have all of this exposure to the computer, most people still do not use the bevy of programs that come in a standard Windows installation. Most of the machines remain under utilized. With Windows 7, Microsoft has made it easier than ever for the average person to be able use the full capabilities of the system. Microsoft has packaged a group of programs together that you can get with a quick download. They call the package, Windows Essentials. Some of the programs you might be familiar with, others not so much. Let’s talk about what comes in the Windows Essential package and how it can help you in your everyday computing task.

Windows Essential consist of 7 programs that may be helpful to the average person. The package consist of

• Windows Messenger
• Windows Photo Gallery
• Mail, Writer
• Movie maker
• Family Safety
• Microsoft Toolbar.

As we said before, some of these programs you might be familiar with already. They may be programs that you use all of the time. While there is a good chance that you might have been exposed to two or three of these programs, it is very doubtful that you have been exposed to them all.

Windows Messenger, Photo Gallery, Mail and Movie maker are probably the most popular programs in this group and pretty much describe what they do in the name. Lets give the others a brief description of what they do so you can become more familiar with them.

Family Safety program

This program allows you to monitor your child’s activity while they are on online. You can regulate when they access the Internet and what sites they are allowed to go to.

The Microsoft toolbar

Microsoft toolbar gives you quick search capabilities on any web page that you may visit. This is perfect for when you are reading a story online and want to know more about a small detail in the story.

Windows 7 write

Windows 7 write is a program that is perfect if you do any kind of writing online. Especially if you are what they consider a blogger. It allows you to easily log onto your server and post the stories, all without leaving the actual program. It is also good as a general text editor as well.

As you see we have gone over the basic of the Windows 7 Essential package offered by Microsoft. Microsoft is known for a charging a premium price for its products. This time they give you a premium product for no cost at all.

Windows 7 UI. Photo by arstechnica.com

It cannot be said that Microsoft does not listen to its consumers. They listened to the complaints that Vista received and tried to incorporate the improvements into the next release of their shiny new OS. When people started to switch over from Windows XP over to the Mac, one of the chief reasons why was because of the user interface of the machine. It was cited as being prettier and easier to use than Windows XP. Microsoft listened and tried to deliver the visual eye candy in their next release, Windows Vista. Unfortunately the job was only half way done and needed a lot of adjustments. Again Microsoft listened and delivered Windows 7. Their cleanest most visually appealing operating system yet.
When you look at Windows 7 you can tell by your first glance that it is going to be a better experience. Gone are the dark overtones that permeated with Windows Vista.  With Windows 7 the desktop is somehow more cheery than before. All without having a cheesy or kiddie look to it. You can tell that this is a modern operating system full of technical goodness. The task bar at the bottom not only is visually appealing but it also is very functional as well. It is not just there for design purposes. It allows you to place  icons on it so that you can access your programs easier. Unlike in Windows past where you would have to keep the program open for them to be on the task bar they now will stay there if you choose to pin them. This not only makes the design more pleasant to the eye but it makes it more useful as well.

The start button and functionality is not very different from Windows Vista but it seems a little less cluttered. It gives you easy access to the programs that you want while being a little quicker than it was on Vista. The control panel did not see much of an upgrade either. Again the changes are noticeable but they are little ones. Nothing much to get excited over.

Windows 7 has made big user interface changes compared to the last couple of releases of Windows. If you are coming over to Windows 7 from Windows XP then you are in for a big surprise. The interface is a huge difference between the two systems. if you are coming over from Windows Vista then you will notice a difference but a little more subtle. It is everything that you wished was better in Vista realized.

Years ago, Windows XP Media Center Edition was curiously sold – and billed – as a unique operating system. That may struck some people as odd due to the fact that Media Center is just a program that works on top of Windows XP just like, Windows Media Player or Internet Explorer.  Media Center is available in Windows 7 Home Premium edition and above. Chances are, it is already installed on any desktop and notebook you are going to buy – perhaps not in some netbooks.  A lot of other features – may seem less sexy but certainly every bit as practical – Windows 7 is certainly head and shoulders above Windows XP. These Windows 7 features may prove useful for XP users:

• Backup: In Windows XP, backup was a bad joke. Windows Vista did it better, but Windows 7 makes it very easy.
• Support for second monitor: Although a few graphic card manufacturers managed to cleverly jury-rig multiple monitors support into the Windows XP, you still need Windows 7 to get native and smooth multiple monitors support
• Simple wireless networking: All sorts of annoyances and traps lurk inside the Windows XP wireless support, now Windows 7 does it better
• Search feature: In Windows XP, searching for files other than by filename involved a tremendous kludge of add-ons that can literally sucked up computer resources and overwhelmed your system. In Windows 7, search is better designed and faster.

In the early days of computing, security was just an afterthought. In those days, computers were only used by a certain amount of people. You could pretty much keep tabs on everyone that had access to your system. A lot of these traditions were passed down to later systems when users started having access to their own PC’s in their living rooms. The Microsoft Windows family of operating systems has been particularly hit hard by security issues over the years. With the release of Windows Vista they decided to go a different route and try to securely fortify their OS. They implemented the UAC controls on the newly minted operating system. Unfortunately the way that they designed the OS was sloppy and created a lot of complaints from users. This was probably the biggest complaint that the very much maligned Windows Vista system had. In the new version of Windows, titled Windows 7, Microsoft has decided to smooth out the rough edges and what they have come up with is a lot better.

Before we go on, we should probably educate the readers that don’t know what exactly the UAC is. UAC stands for User Account Control. The user account control allows people to grant or deny authority to programs that are trying to change the system settings. In the past, once a program was executed, no matter the user level, the program would commence to installing and changing settings on your computer. Now when there is anything done on the computer that might disrupt or damage the system as it currently is at that time, a pop up will show up and ask you are you giving the program permission to do that. The UAC will only allow certain changes unless the administrator is logged on. This is especially good for malware programs that attempt to install on your system without your knowledge. If they try to change a setting then the system will alert you.

Overall the UAC was a good ideal but in Windows Vista it was badly implemented. The problem was that people only had two settings for the UAC, on and off. If the program was on, it would send people a load of pop ups for almost every single change that they would make. As you can imagine this grew to be very annoying. So some people would turn the UAC pop ups off and then they would have no protection at all. In Windows 7, this problem for the most part has been solved. The UAC now offers you four different settings on how you would like to be alerted. This allows you to be able to decide the amount of protection that you might need. If you are an experienced user then a lot of hand holding can be a real turn off to a system.

As it turned out, Microsoft was on the right path when they implemented the User Access Control system but their set up left a lot to be desired. Now in Windows 7, you have the choice on how much protection that you might need and now users of all levels can be happy.

Search in Windows 7

Many have railed against the displeasing inconsistencies within Windows Search. Luckily, Search feature in Windows 7 actually works and it works well. With big difference! Now, Windows 7 allows you to search data outside your PC using OpenSearch and Federated Search standard. It can create libraries -just like the Vista Media Player libraries but it is now extended to all types of files – makes searching and organizing simpler. Sometimes, getting the hang of Windows Search is a little difficult, but if you spend ten to fifteen minutes figuring it out, surely the capabilities found in Search feature can repay your investments over and over again.

Security improvements

In Windows 7, the User Account Control has gone through substantial changes. If you don’t change any original settings, it prompts you with those ‘darken your screen and pray’ prompts that previously bugged many Vista users. Even so, the prompts show up rarely, and only when there is a genuine cause for concern.  While under the hoods, Windows 7 has a number of improved security features, however the ones you can see – like HomeGroups and the revamped BitLocker drive encryption – simply bundle old Vista security ideas differently and make them fully usable.

Media Center

The Media Center gets a facelift in Windows 7; it supports different types of graphic and video files and also has integrated capabilities to clear QAM tuners and connect to CableCARD.  While those small, tired and old (very old) Windows applications – Calculator, WordPad, Paint – sport new looks and interfaces. Windows 7 has a more useful troubleshooting support and better networking features particularly for wireless networks, and dozens of other small improvements.

However, on the flip side, a few features found in Windows Vista are removed in Windows 7. That old Sidebar finally bit the dust – Microsoft decided that you no longer need it. The Defender Software Explorer which gives you some controls over which applications start automatically on your PC, disappeared, without doubt the victim of enormous quantity of tech-support phone calls. Even so, you can find other better and free alternatives.  Several Windows Vista programs (Movie Maker, Windows Mail, Photo Gallery, Messenger) have been removed