1. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
Using the mouse, you can drag-‘n-dock windows to either side of the
screen, or drag it to the top to maximize it. These keyboard shortcuts
are even faster:
Win+Left Arrow and Win+Right Arrow dock the window to the left and right side of the screenWin+Up Arrow and Win+Down Arrow maximize and restore/minimizeWin+M minimizes everything
Alt+Up, Alt+Left Arrow, Alt+Right Arrow navigate to parent folder, or browse Back and Forward through folders in Explorer
Win+Home minimizes/restores all open windows except the active window
Alt+Win+# accesses the Jump List of program number ‘#’ on the taskbar
2.Rearrange System Tray Icons
You can rearrange icons on the taskbar as you wish and start new (or
switch to running) instances of the first ten taskbar programs using
Win+1, Win+2, and so on. The cool thing is you can also rearrange system
tray icons. Reorder them on the tray or move them outside or back in
the tray. Take control of what you want to always keep an eye on, and
from which apps you’ll require notifications.
3. Access Jump Lists with the Left Mouse Button
Jump Lists usually show up when you right-click on a taskbar icon.
However, they can also be accessed by holding the left mouse button and
dragging upwards. If you’re using a laptop touchpad or a touch screen,
this is convenient because you do not have to click any button to access
a context menu.
4. Add Any Folder to Favorites
You can add any library or folder to the Favorites section in Windows
Explorer. To add a folder, navigate to it in Explorer, right-click
Favorites in the left navigation pane, and select Add current location
to Favorites. Now you get quick access to your favorite folders in all
File->Save As dialogs!
5. Pin Frequently Used Folders to the Taskbar
Right-click, drag, and pin your favorite folders to Windows Explorer on
the taskbar. They will now show up in the Jump List when you right click
on Explorer giving you quick access to your favorite folders.
6. Pin Control Panel to the Taskbar
You cannot pin the Control Panel to the taskbar via the Start Menu or by
drag and drop. Open the Control Panel and right-click its taskbar icon
to pin it to the taskbar. An advantage of this is that Control Panel’s
Jump List allows quick access to recently used functions.
7. Create Keyboard Shortcuts for Programs
You can create keyboard shortcuts for any program in Windows 7.
Right-click the program icon and selectProperties. Select the Shortcut
tab, click in Shortcut key, to set the keyboard shortcut for that
program.
8. Open Command Prompt in Any Folder
Like the command prompt? Miss the ‘Open Command Window Here’ Windows XP
power toy? Press ‘Shift’when right-clicking on a folder to get that
option in the context menu. This also works on the desktop. No power toy
required!
9. View Expanded ‘Send To’ Menu
Press Shift when right-clicking on a folder to get an expanded Send To menu.
10. Adjust Screen Text with Clear Type
Use Clear Type Tuner for the best look on your LCD monitor or laptop
screen. Run ‘cttune.exe’ from theStart Menu search box, or go to the
Control Panel Display applet, and select Adjust ClearType Text from the
left.
11. Get Exact Colors On Your Screen
If you are an artist or you work with colors, use the Calibrate Color
option in the Control Panel Display applet or run dccw.exe from the
Start Menu search box. You can adjust gamma, brightness, contrast, and
color balance, ensuring that colors are displayed correctly on your
screen.
12. Customize the Power Button
If you restart your computer more often than you shut it down, change
the default Shutdown power button toRestart. Right-click on Start,
select Properties, and choose the Power button action that you use the
most.
13. Customize Number of Items in Jump Lists & Start Menu
Right-click Start, select Properties, click Customize and choose the
number of recent programs to be shown in the Start Menu and the number
of items displayed in Jump Lists from the Start Menu Size section below.
14. Search Internet from the Start Menu
Enable Internet search from the Start Menu using your default browser.
Run GPEDIT.MSC from the Start Menu search box to start the Group Policy
Editor. In the left pane, go to User Configuration->Administrative
Templates->Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right pane, right-click to
Edit and Enable Add Search Internet link to Start Menu.
15. Add Videos to Start Menu
Windows 7 does not place a link to your videos on the Start Menu by
default. To add a link to your videos on the Start Menu, right-click
Start, select Properties, click on Customize. In the Videos section at
the bottom, choose Display as a link.
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