“This continues our record breaking pace of more than 7 copies sold per second. And as of today – Windows 7 is now running on more than 16% of all PCs worldwide,” Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft community manager, blogged. “It’s exciting to see this kind of response from customers who have helped make Windows 7 the fastest selling operating system in history.”

Part of the reason for Microsoft’s continuous growth with regards to 7 is that they’ve been dropping support for their “legacy” operating systems.  Sure a lot of us folks wouldn’t mind not getting support for our installation of XP Service Pack 2 but those in the corporate field, it’s a matter of life and death.

On that note, have you upgraded to Windows 7 yet?

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Post tags: Microsoft, Windows 7

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If you’re eager on testing the latest build for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, head to the MSDN download page. Otherwise (if you’re a consumer), just wait for the final version.

No new features will be brought to Windows 7 in the upcoming service pack, just bug fixes and general improvements. Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, on the other hand, brings Virtual Desktop Infrastructure enhancements that enable hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and video playback over a Remote Desktop Connection.

via Windows Team Blog, TechNet

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Post tags: Service Pack, Windows, Windows 7

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Hat’s off to Microsoft and their marketing team. Yes the marketing team, for giving us the Windows 7 Whopper and Nanami-chan And of course, the best version of Windows yet.

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Post tags: Nanami, OS-tan, Whopper, Windows, Windows 7

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Windows Double Explorer (WDE for short) opens two panes, each with it’s own Windows Explorer window where users can browse and navigate files, folders, documents, etc. Two panes aren’t enough for you? Just add more tabs until you get your fill . I haven’t found out what the limit is on the number of tabs WDE can handle but I’m pretty certain it’s a lot.

Now you might be wondering, what good does using Windows’ very own Explorer application instead of using it’s own dedicated file navigation system. By using Windows Explorer, you get access to all the nifty additions that Windows 7 has added like Libraries, Favorites, etc. If you want something a bit more toned down and back to basics, you may want to look at the free version of Xplorer2 (Xplorer lite). My only qualm about WDE is that auxiliary mouse buttons (button 4 and 5 on my A4tech laser mouse) don’t work. They work gracefully with an ordinary Windows Explorer window for moving back and forth (button 4 is usually mapped to back and button 5 to forward) the directories you’re browsing and I kinda miss it while using WDE. I’m hoping it’ll be addressed with future releases .

Windows Double Explorer is freeware and can be downloaded via the developer’s a href=”http://wde.codeplex.com/”>site. The current build as of publishing this post is v0.3.7
Do note that this application ONLY works with Windows 7

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Post tags: Free Software, Windows 7, Windows Double Explorer

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Here’s an exhaustive list of keyboard commands for Windows 7  or accelerator hotkeys available on the operating system level and also for several built-in application programs in Windows 7, as published by Microsoft.

Ease of Access keyboard shortcuts

• Right Shift for eight seconds: Turn Filter Keys on and off
• Left Alt + Left Shift + PrtScn (or PrtScn): Turn High Contrast on or off
• Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock: Turn Mouse Keys on or off
• Shift five times: Turn Sticky Keys on or off
• Num Lock for five seconds: Turn Toggle Keys on or off
• Windows logo key + U: Open the Ease of Access Center

General keyboard shortcuts

• F1: Display Help
• Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert): Copy the selected item
• Ctrl + X: Cut the selected item
• Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert): Paste the selected item
• Ctrl + Z: Undo an action
• Ctrl + Y: Redo an action
• Delete (or Ctrl + D): Delete the selected item and move it to the Recycle Bin
• Shift + Delete: Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first
• F2: Rename the selected item
• Ctrl + Right Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
• Ctrl + Left Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
• Ctrl + Down Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
• Ctrl + Up Arrow: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
• Ctrl + Shift with an arrow key: Select a block of text
• Shift + any arrow key: Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
• Ctrl + any arrow key + Spacebar: Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop
• Ctrl + A: Select all items in a document or window
• F3: Search for a file or folder
• Alt + Enter: Display properties for the selected item
• Alt + F4: Close the active item, or exit the active program
• Alt + Spacebar: Open the shortcut menu for the active window
• Ctrl + F4: Close the active document (in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
• Alt + Tab: Switch between open items
• Ctrl + Alt + Tab: Use the arrow keys to switch between open items
• Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel: Change the size of icons on the desktop
• Windows logo key + Tab: Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
• Ctrl+ Windows logo key + Tab: Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D
• Alt + Esc: Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened
• F6: Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
• F4: Display the address bar list in Windows Explorer
• Shift + F10: Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
• Ctrl + Esc: Open the Start menu
• Alt + underlined letter: Display the corresponding menu
• Alt + underlined letter: Perform the menu command (or other underlined command)
• F10: Activate the menu bar in the active program
• Right Arrow: Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
• Left Arrow: Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
• F5 (or Ctrl + R): Refresh the active window
• Alt + Up Arrow: View the folder one level up in Windows Explorer
• Esc: Cancel the current task
• Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open Task Manager
• Shift when you insert a CD: Prevent the CD from automatically playing
• Left Alt + Shift: Switch the input language when multiple input languages are enabled
• Ctrl + ShiftL: Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are enabled
• Right or Left Ctrl + Shift: Change the reading direction of text in right-to-left reading languages

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl + Tab: Move forward through tabs
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Move back through tabs
• Tab: Move forward through options
• Shift + Tab: Move back through options
• Alt + underlined letter: Perform the command (or select the option) that goes with that letter
• Enter: Replaces clicking the mouse for many selected commands
• Spacebar: Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
• Arrow keys: Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
• F1: Display Help
• F4: Display the items in the active list
• Backspace: Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

• Windows logo key: Open or close the Start menu.
• Windows logo key + Pause: Display the System Properties dialog box.
• Windows logo key + D: Display the desktop.
• Windows logo key + M: Minimize all windows.
• Windows logo key + Shift + M: Restore minimized windows to the desktop.
• Windows logo key + E: Open Computer.
• Windows logo key + F: Search for a file or folder.
• Ctrl + Windows logo key + F: Search for computers (if you’re on a network).
• Windows logo key + L: Lock your computer or switch users.
• Windows logo key + R: Open the Run dialog box.
• Windows logo key + T: Cycle through programs on the taskbar.
• Windows logo key + number: Start the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the program is already running, switch to that program.
• Shift + Windows logo key + number: Start a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
• Ctrl + Windows logo key + number: Switch to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
• Alt + Windows logo key + number: Open the Jump List for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
• Windows logo key + Tab: Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
• Ctrl+Windows logo key + Tab: Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
• Ctrl+Windows logo key + B: Switch to the program that displayed a message in the notification area.
• Windows logo key + Spacebar: Preview the desktop.
• Windows logo key + Up Arrow: Maximize the window.
• Windows logo key + Left Arrow: Maximize the window to the left side of the screen.
• Windows logo key + Right Arrow: Maximize the window to the right side of the screen.
• Windows logo key + Down Arrow: Minimize the window.
• Windows logo key + Home: Minimize all but the active window.
• Windows logo key + Shift + Up Arrow: Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen.
• Windows logo key + Shift+ Left Arrow or Right Arrow: Move a window from one monitor to another.
• Windows logo key + P: Choose a presentation display mode.
• Windows logo key + G: Cycle through gadgets.
• Windows logo key + U: Open Ease of Access Center.
• Windows logo key + X: Open Windows Mobility Center.

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl + N: Open a new window
• Ctrl + W: Close the current window
• Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new folder
• End: Display the bottom of the active window
• Home: Display the top of the active window
• F11: Maximize or minimize the active window
• Ctrl + Period (.): Rotate a picture clockwise
• Ctrl + Comma (,): Rotate a picture counter-clockwise
• Num Lock + Asterisk (*) on numeric keypad: Display all subfolders under the selected folder
• Num Lock + Plus Sign (+) on numeric keypad: Display the contents of the selected folder
• Num Lock + Minus Sign (-) on numeric keypad: Collapse the selected folder
• Left Arrow: Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the parent folder
• Alt + Enter: Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item
• Alt + P: Display the preview pane
• Alt + Left Arrow: View the previous folder
• Backspace: View the previous folder
• Right Arrow: Display the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder
• Alt + Right Arrow: View the next folder
• Alt + Up Arrow: View the parent folder
• Ctrl + Shift + E: Display all folders above the selected folder
• Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel: Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
• Alt + D: Select the address bar
• Ctrl + E: Select the search box
• Ctrl + F: Select the search box

Taskbar keyboard shortcuts

• Shift + Click on a taskbar button: Open a program or quickly open another instance of a program
• Ctrl + Shift + Click on a taskbar button: Open a program as an administrator
• Shift + Right-click on a taskbar button: Show the window menu for the program
• Shift + Right-click on a grouped taskbar button: Show the window menu for the group
• Ctrl + Click on a grouped taskbar button: Cycle through the windows of the group

Magnifier keyboard shortcuts

• Windows logo key + Plus Sign or Minus Sign: Zoom in or out
• Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar: Preview the desktop in full-screen mode
• Ctrl + Alt + F: Switch to full-screen mode
• Ctrl + Alt + L: Switch to lens mode
• Ctrl + Alt + D: Switch to docked mode
• Ctrl + Alt + I: Invert colors
• Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys: Pan in the direction of the arrow keys
• Ctrl + Alt + R: Resize the lens
• Windows logo key + Esc: Exit Magnifier

Remote Desktop Connection keyboard shortcuts

• Alt + Page Up: Move between programs from left to right.
• Alt + Page Down: Move between programs from right to left.
• Alt + Insert: Cycle through programs in the order that they were started in.
• Alt + Home: Display the Start menu.
• Ctrl + Alt + Break: Switch between a window and full screen.
• Ctrl + Alt + End: Display the Windows Security dialog box.
• Alt + Delete: Display the system menu.
• Ctrl + Alt + Minus Sign (-) on the numeric keypad: Place a copy of the active window, within the client, on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing Alt + PrtScn on a local computer).
• Ctrl + Alt + Plus Sign (+) on the numeric keypad: Place a copy of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard (provides the same functionality as pressing PrtScn on a local computer).
• Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow: “Tab” out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.
• Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow: “Tab” out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program (for example, a button or a text box). Useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.

Paint keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl + N: Create a new picture
• Ctrl + O: Open an existing picture
• Ctrl + S: Save changes to a picture
• F12: Save the picture as a new file
• Ctrl + P: Print a picture
• Alt + F4: Close a picture and its Paint window
• Ctrl + Z: Undo a change
• Ctrl + Y: Redo a change
• Ctrl + A: Select the entire picture
• Ctrl + X: Cut a selection
• Ctrl + C: Copy a selection to the Clipboard
• Ctrl + V: Paste a selection from the Clipboard
• Right Arrow: Move the selection or active shape right by one pixel
• Left Arrow: Move the selection or active shape left by one pixel
• Down Arrow: Move the selection or active shape down by one pixel
• Up Arrow: Move the selection or active shape up by one pixel
• Esc: Cancel a selection
• Delete: Delete a selection
• Ctrl + B: Bold selected text
• Ctrl + +: Increase the width of a brush, line, or shape outline by one pixel
• Ctrl + -: Decrease the width of a brush, line, or shape outline by one pixel
• Ctrl + I: Italicize selected text
• Ctrl + U: Underline selected text
• Ctrl + E: Open the Properties dialog box
• Ctrl + W: Open the Resize and Skew dialog box
• Ctrl + Page Up: Zoom in
• Ctrl + Page Down: Zoom out
• F11: View a picture in full-screen mode
• Ctrl + R: Show or hide the ruler
• Ctrl + G: Show or hide gridlines
• F10 or Alt: Display keytips
• Shift + F10: Show the current shortcut menu
• F1: Open Paint Help

WordPad keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl + N: Create a new document
• Ctrl + O: Open an existing document
• Ctrl + S: Save changes to a document
• F12: Save the document as a new file
• Ctrl + P: Print a document
• Alt + F4: Close WordPad
• Ctrl + Z: Undo a change
• Ctrl + Y: Redo a change
• Ctrl + A: Select the entire document
• Ctrl + X: Cut a selection
• Ctrl + C: Copy a selection to the Clipboard
• Ctrl + V: Paste a selection from the Clipboard
• Ctrl + B: Make selected text bold
• Ctrl + I: Italicize selected text
• Ctrl + U: Underline selected text
• Ctrl + =: Make selected text subscript
• Ctrl + Shift + =: Make selected text superscript
• Ctrl + L: Align text left
• Ctrl + E Align text center
• Ctrl + R:: Align text right
• Ctrl + J: Justify text
• Ctrl + 1: Set single line spacing
• Ctrl + 2: Set double line spacing
• Ctrl + 5: Set line spacing to 1.5
• Ctrl + Shift + >: Increase the font size
• Ctrl + Shift + <: Decrease the font size
• Ctrl + Shift + A: Change characters to all capitals
• Ctrl + Shift + L: Change the bullet style
• Ctrl + D: Insert a Microsoft Paint drawing
• Ctrl + F: Find text in a document
• F3: Find the next instance of the text in the Find dialog box
• Ctrl + H: Replace text in a document
• Ctrl + Left Arrow: Move the cursor one word to the left
• Ctrl + Right Arrow: Move the cursor one word to the right
• Ctrl + Up Arrow: Move the cursor to the line above
• Ctrl + Down Arrow: Move the cursor to the line below
• Ctrl + Home: Move to the beginning of the document
• Ctrl + End: Move to the end of the document
• Ctrl + Page Up: Move up one page
• Ctrl + Page Down: Move down one page
• Ctrl + Delete: Delete the next word
• F10: Display keytips
• Shift + F10: Show the current shortcut menu
• F1: Open WordPad Help

Calculator keyboard shortcuts

• Alt + 1: Switch to Standard mode
• Alt + 2: Switch to Scientific mode
• Alt + 3: Switch to Programmer mode
• Alt + 4: Switch to Statistics mode
• Ctrl + E: Open date calculations
• Ctrl + H: Turn calculation history on or off
• Ctrl + U: Open unit conversion
• Alt + C: Calculate or solve date calculations and worksheets
• F1: Open Calculator Help
• Ctrl + Q: Press the M- button
• Ctrl + P: Press the M+ button
• Ctrl + M: Press the MS button
• Ctrl + R: Press the MR button
• Ctrl + L: Press the MC button
• %: Press the % button
• F9: Press the +/– button
• /: Press the / button
• *: Press the * button
• +: Press the + button
• -: Press the – button
• R: Press the 1/× button
• @: Press the square root button
• 0-9: Press the number buttons (0-9)
• =: Press the = button
• .: Press the . (decimal point) button
• Backspace: Press the backspace button
• Esc: Press the C button
• Del: Press the CE button
• Ctrl + Shift + D: Clear the calculation history
• F2: Edit the calculation history
• Up Arrow key: Navigate up in the calculation history
• Down Arrow key: Navigate down in the calculation history
• Esc: Cancel editing the calculation history
• Enter: Recalculate the calculation history after editing
• F3: Select Degrees in Scientific mode
• F4: Select Radians in Scientific mode
• F5: Select Grads in Scientific mode
• I: Press the Inv button in Scientific mode
• D: Press the Mod button in Scientific mode
• Ctrl + S: Press the sinh button in Scientific mode
• Ctrl + O: Press the cosh button in Scientific mode
• Ctrl + T: Press the tanh button in Scientific mode
• (: Press the ( button in Scientific mode
• ): Press the ) button in Scientific mode
• N: Press the ln button in Scientific mode
• ;: Press the Int button in Scientific mode
• S: Press the sin button in Scientific mode
• O: Press the cos button in Scientific mode
• T: Press the tan button in Scientific mode
• M: Press the dms button in Scientific mode
• P: Press the pi button in Scientific mode
• V: Press the F-E button in Scientific mode
• X: Press the Exp button in Scientific mode
• Q: Press the x^2 button in Scientific mode
• Y: Press the x^y button in Scientific mode
• #: Press the x^3 button in Scientific mode
• L: Press the log button in Scientific mode
• !: Press the n! button in Scientific mode
• Ctrl + Y: Press the y√x button in Scientific mode
• Ctrl + B: Press the 3√x button in Scientific mode
• Ctrl + G: Press the 10x button in Scientific mode
• F5: Select Hex in Programmer mode
• F6: Select Dec in Programmer mode
• F7: Select Oct in Programmer mode
• F8: Select Bin in Programmer mode
• F12: Select Qword in Programmer mode
• F2: Select Dword in Programmer mode
• F3: Select Word in Programmer mode
• F4: Select Byte in Programmer mode
• K: Press the RoR button in Programmer mode
• J: Press the RoL button in Programmer mode
• <: Press the Lsh button in Programmer mode
• >: Press the Rsh button in Programmer mode
• %: Press the Mod button in Programmer mode
• (: Press the ( button in Programmer mode
• ): Press the ) button in Programmer mode
• |: Press the Or button in Programmer mode
• ^: Press the Xor button in Programmer mode
• ~: Press the Not button in Programmer mode
• &: Press the And button in Programmer mode
• A-F: Press the A-F buttons in Programmer mode
• Spacebar: Toggles the bit value in Programmer mode
• A: Press the Average button in Statistics mode
• Ctrl + A: Press the Average Sq button in Statistics mode
• S: Press the Sum button in Statistics mode
• Ctrl + S: Press the Sum Sq button in Statistics mode
• T: Press the S.D. button in Statistics mode
• Ctrl + T: Press the Inv S.D. button in Statistics mode
• D: Press the CAD button in Statistics mode

Windows Journal keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl + N: Start a new note
• Ctrl + O: Open a recently used note
• Ctrl + S: Save changes to a note
• Ctrl + Shift + V: Move a note to a specific folder
• Ctrl + P: Print a note
• Alt + F4: Close a note and its Journal window
• Ctrl + Z: Undo a change
• Ctrl + Y: Redo a change
• Ctrl + A: Select all items on a page
• Ctrl + X: Cut a selection
• Ctrl + C: Copy a selection to the Clipboard
• Ctrl + V: Paste a selection from the Clipboard
• Esc: Cancel a selection
• Delete: Delete a selection
• Ctrl + F: Start a basic find
• Ctrl + G: Go to a page
• F5: Refresh find results
• F5: Refresh the note list
• F6: Toggle between a note list and a note
• Ctrl + Shift + C: Display a shortcut menu for column headings in a note list
• F11: View a note in full-screen mode
• F1: Open Journal Help

Windows Help viewer keyboard shortcuts

• Alt + C: Display the Table of Contents
• Alt + N: Display the Connection Settings menu
• F10: Display the Options menu
• Alt + Left Arrow: Move back to the previously viewed topic
• Alt + Right Arrow: Move forward to the next (previously viewed) topic
• Alt + A: Display the customer support page
• Alt + Home: Display the Help and Support home page
• Home: Move to the beginning of a topic
• End: Move to the end of a topic
• Ctrl + F: Search the current topic
• Ctrl + P: Print a topic
• F3: Move the cursor to the search box

Know a hotkey/keyboard shortcut that’s not listed here? Post a comment and we’ll add it to this admittedly very useful list

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Post tags: Hotkeys, Keyboard Shortcuts, Windows 7

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If you’re asking why Microsoft would do such a thing is because as part of the agreement for allowing you to use the Release Candidate for free up until June 1.  If up until then you still haven’t switched OS (which is a feat that calls for applause considering your computer will start to forcibly shut down starting May 1), according to Ars Technica, it will trigger a “non-genuine experience.”  What’s this non-genuine experience?  Aside from the scheduled shut downs, your wallpaper will be replaced with a plain backdrop with a message “This copy of Windows is not genuine” plastered at the lower right corner of the desktop.  Looks fancy doesn’t it? /sarc

If you want to retain your copy of Windows 7 there’s two things you can do, get it cheap (via MSDNAA, your company’s MSDN/Bizspark subscription, your friend?) or locate and install a copy of Windows 7 RTM. 

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Post tags: Windows, Windows 7

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Important Note:  You need to have Windows Aero enabled to make the hack work so if you’re on Windows 7 starter, you might want to consider upgrading since you’re missing on quite a few features.

Download: Windows7-DreamScene

How to Install DreamScene in Windows 7

1. Download the file linked above (Windows7-DreamScene.zip) and extract it to your PC
2. Windows7-DreamScene.exe as Administrator to install and enable Windows DreamScene on Windows 7.  This will copy DreamScene.dll to %WinDir%\System32 folder, DreamScene.dll.mui to %WinDir%\System32\en-US folder and add the required registry keys and values.
3. Explorer will restart automatically.  Don’t panic, it’s normal.
4. You now have a Windows DreamScene folder (located at %WinDir%\Web\ folder) that holds all media that you select to use as background for DreamScene as it was in Windows Vista.  The catch is that unlike in Vista, with Windows 7, DreamScene is not available on the Control Panel giving you very little control over it.

Using DreamScene in Windows 7

1. To apply a video clip (in .WMV or .MPG format) as the DreamScene animated wallpaper desktop background, right click on the video media file.
2. Select Set as Desktop Background in the context menu.   Due to DreamScene been stripped from Windows 7 issue, video files may not be visible inside Personalization and Desktop Background configuration page. However, all features of DreamScene, such as Play DreamScene, Pause DreamScene and sound/audio are supported.

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Post tags: DreamScene, Windows 7

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Looking at the numbers, a lot of Windows 7 adopters have upgraded from their existing installation, with most migrators coming from Vista, proving that even if Microsoft had indeed fixed most of the issues from the last OS release, people still don’t like it .

Early in it’s life cycle, Microsoft is already prepping its first Service Pack for Windows 7.

[Image via: Net Applications]

Have you made the switch yet? If so, how is Windows 7 for you? If not what’s holding you back?

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Post tags: Microsoft, Windows, Windows 7

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The good news, if you’ve installed Windows 7 on a capable computer, Aero is automatically turned on after installation once you’ve updated (it’s an absolute must to do a Windows Update after installation). In some cases though, Windows Aero may not be turned on due to several factors like no your video card driver or your computer barely meets the minimum requirement.

If you encountered problems (such as Aero not running), you can refer to this guide for help.

Windows 7 Aero requirements

• 1 GB (gigabyte) of RAM memory
• a DirectX 9 compatible GPU with a minimum of 128 MB of Video RAM
• install Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) drive

Note: these specs were taken from Vista’s requirement since Microsoft hasn’t released official requirement specs.

If you’re wondering if you Windows 7 has a tool to check if your PC can supprt Aero, look no further than the Windows Experience Index score. The score (both base score and subscore for graphics component) should be equal or higher than 3.0 for Aero to work. To view your Windows Experience Index, go to Control Panel >> System and Security>> System, then click on Windows Experience Index.

If your Windows detects that your system can more than support Aero, it will be turned on automatically. But if for some reason it still fails and you’re confident that your system can handle Aero, use Window 7′s new troubleshooting task tool.

To display Aero effects such as transparency in Windows 7, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that Windows Experience Index has been calculated and computed.
2. Click on Start menu.
3. Type the following text into the Start Search box: Aero
4. Click on a search result listing under Control Panel group that named as the following: Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects


Tip: If you don’t see Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects in the search results, click on Control Panel to see all Aero related items in Control Panel.

5. An “Aero – Troubleshoot computer problems” wizard dialog will appear. Click on Next button.
6. The troubleshooting wizard will try to detect any problem by running a series of checks against various components required to make Aero works and running, such as video memory, Desktop Windows Manager (DWM) service, color depth, theme, power settings and etc. At the end of the analysis, the wizard will attempt to fix the issues related to Aero service and restart the Aero feature.


Tip: If there is still items that are marked with red cross which indicates is the problems that prevent Aero from working properly, fix the issues and then rerun the Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects troubleshooting wizard again.

Tip: To create a shortcut to ‘Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects’, right click on it on search results, and then click on Open file location. On the “All Tasks” window opened, right click on Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects again, and select Create Shortcut to place the shortcut on desktop.

If you’re on Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Starter and Vista Home Basic, you may want to try using Aero Enabler for Windows 7 & Vista.  Just make sure that the computer you’re installing hacking Aero on meets the very basic hardware requirements.  Aero Enabler is small utility which will disable the hardware check & enables Aero for you.

And there you have it. Enjoy Aero on Windows 7

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Post tags: Aero, Windows

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Windows 7 editions

Despite what marketing shills and fearmongers will tell you, you should take no worry of the six versions of Windows 7. Why? Despite having a total of six versions, you’ll only get to see three on store shelves: Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. If you want a copy for your home PC, get the Home Premium. If you want a copy for your work, get the Professional edition. If you’re a PC enthusiast that want everything, then it’s Ultimate for you. That’s it. Simple right?

Now you might be asking what about the other versions and why you should not be worried about them right? Well, you won’t encounter the other three versions unless you’re buying from a specific part of the world, a netbook or for a corporate entity. To explain it further, you’ll get to see the Windows 7 Starter Edition ONLY if you buy a netbook (or nettop). Home Basic Edition is only available in emerging markets, so chances are you won’t see it at all. The Enterprise Edition is meant for corporations and the only way you’ll encounter it is if you work for a large company migrating to Windows 7.

Simple right?

Can I run it?

Windows 7 carries a modest (in today’s term) hardware requirement so if you’re looking to install it on your current PC be sure that it meets these:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit)
• DirectX® 9 graphics processor with WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) 1.0 or higher driver

If you’re not sure of what your PC contains then you can use the  Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to check things out for you.

Wondering if the programs and peripherals you use are compatible?  Use the  Windows 7 Compatibility Center to check the compatibility of thousands of devices and software programs for 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 7. Microsoft determines a product’s compatibility status for the Compatibility Center by looking at whether it has earned the “Compatible with Windows 7” or “Certified for Windows Server 2008″ logo and whether the software publisher or device manufacturer states that they currently (or plan to) offer product support for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Clean install versus upgrade

If you’re on Vista, upgrading to an equivalent edition like Vista Home Premium to 7 Home Premium OR a higher SKU Vista Home Premium to 7 Ultimate, the process will be a cinch.  Upgrading to Windows 7 will replace your Vista installation and migrate your files automatically.  Of course like any upgrade, you SHOULD BACKUP YOUR DATA, just in case.

If you’re on XP or upgrading to a lower SKU, like Vista Ultimate to 7 Home Premium, the only way for you to process is to have a clean install.  So backup your data before doing anything else.

Will it work out of the box?

Yes.  Unless you have a very OLD piece of hardware or a very specific peripheral yes, Windows 7 will work out of the box.  If you find something isn’t working properly or doesn’t have the proper drivers, do a windows update.  Windows 7 is smart enough to identify your hardware and install the proper drivers for it and you’re good to go .

What else?

Well if you’re in Japan and want to participate in the celebration of the Windows 7 worldwide launch, you can order this 7 layer whopper for Burger King   It costs ¥777.  Neat marketing huh?

© sylv3rblade for Techie Xplorer, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Windows

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