Microsoft Windows 7 Your Way: Speed Up and Customize Windows

✍ Scribed by Michael Miller

• Publisher: Que
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 529
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Want to make Windows 7 run faster, smarter, easier, better? Want to personalize Windows to look and act the way you want it to? Want to get more efficient and ditch all those Windows hassles? You don’t need a Ph.D in computer science or expensive upgrades. All you need is this book!

Michael Miller makes it easy to tweak Windows so it works just like you want it to–and runs smooth as silk for years to come. No extreme hacking required: These are simple, step-by-step techniques anyone can perform in minutes–even beginners!

 

     •    Customize Windows 7’s desktop for the way you work

     •    Strip out bloated, worthless software that slows your PC down

     •    Get your network running faster and more reliably

     •    Surf the Web more quickly and safely

     •    Improve performance and battery life on notebooks and netbooks

     •    Get more security with fewer annoyances

     •    Discover great free and cheap alternatives to Microsoft’s built-in software

     •    Fix Windows 7’s most aggravating problems

     •    And much more...

 

 

Michael Miller has written more than 100 non-fiction how-to books over the past 20 years, including Que’s Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics, Speed It Up! A Non-Technical Guide for Speeding Up Slow Computers, and How Microsoft Windows Vista Works. His books have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. He has earned a reputation for clearly explaining technical topics to non-technical readers and for offering useful real-world advice about complex topics.

 

✦ Table of Contents

QUE - Rough Cuts - Windows 7 Your Way (November 2009) (ATTiCA)......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 5
Acknowledgments......Page 20
Reader Services......Page 21
Introduction......Page 22
Using the Control Panel......Page 26
Other Ways to Configure Windows......Page 34
Changing Your PC’s Time and Date......Page 37
Changing Your Computer’s Name......Page 41
The Bottom Line......Page 44
Changing Default Programs......Page 46
Changing File Type Defaults......Page 50
Downloading New Applications from Windows Live Essentials......Page 53
Configuring AutoPlay Settings......Page 57
The Bottom Line......Page 58
Changing Desktop Themes......Page 60
Changing the Desktop Background......Page 64
Changing the Color Scheme......Page 69
Changing Display Resolution......Page 70
Changing Font and Window Size......Page 71
Changing Cursor Schemes......Page 72
Organizing the Desktop......Page 74
Using Gadgets......Page 77
Applying a Screen Saver......Page 81
Calibrating Your Monitor......Page 82
Changing System Sounds......Page 85
The Bottom Line......Page 86
What’s New About the Windows 7 Taskbar......Page 88
Using the Windows 7 Taskbar......Page 89
Personalizing the Taskbar......Page 91
Revisiting the Notification Area......Page 96
Peeking at the Desktop......Page 98
The Bottom Line......Page 99
Understanding the Start Menu......Page 100
Customizing the Right Pane of the Start Menu......Page 101
Further Customizing the Start Menu......Page 104
Pinning and Unpinning Items To and From the Start Menu’s Left Pane......Page 105
Clear Recently Opened Files......Page 106
Changing What the Power Button Does......Page 107
Advanced Customizing with the Group Policy Editor......Page 108
The Bottom Line......Page 112
Understanding Windows Explorer......Page 114
Displaying—or Hiding—Different Panes......Page 118
Changing Views......Page 119
Arranging and Sorting Files and Folders......Page 124
Displaying More Details......Page 127
Customizing the Navigation Pane......Page 128
Adding Items to the New Menu......Page 129
The Bottom Line......Page 131
Viewing File Extensions......Page 132
Viewing Hidden and System Files......Page 133
Changing Other Advanced Folder Settings......Page 134
Configuring File Search......Page 136
Creating Libraries of Virtual Files......Page 138
Single-Clicking Versus Double-Clicking......Page 141
Stop Delete Confirmations......Page 142
The Bottom Line......Page 143
Working with Media Libraries and Folders......Page 144
Managing the Pictures Library......Page 146
Managing the Videos Library......Page 152
Managing the Music Library......Page 154
Choosing Music File Formats......Page 158
Customizing Windows Media Player......Page 165
The Bottom Line......Page 176
Using Windows Media Center in the Living Room......Page 178
Configuring a Whole House Audio/Video System......Page 200
Accessing Your Media from Other Computers—At Home or Away......Page 204
The Bottom Line......Page 210
Adding New Users to Your PC......Page 212
Adding a Password to an Account......Page 215
Changing Account Details......Page 216
Changing and Deleting Accounts......Page 220
Managing Parental Controls......Page 223
The Bottom Line......Page 225
Understanding User Account Control......Page 226
Changing User Account Control Settings......Page 229
The Bottom Line......Page 230
Configuring Windows for Network Use......Page 232
Configuring a Network Workgroup......Page 233
Adding Your Computer to a HomeGroup......Page 236
Managing Your Network......Page 237
Managing Wireless Networks......Page 245
The Bottom Line......Page 246
Configuring File Sharing......Page 248
Sharing Files and Folders......Page 251
Sharing Files from Other Computers......Page 254
Installing a Network Printer on Other PCs......Page 257
The Bottom Line......Page 259
Personalizing Internet Explorer......Page 260
Configuring Internet Explorer......Page 272
Working with Browser Add-Ons......Page 281
Working with Accelerators......Page 282
Working with Web Slices......Page 284
Working with Compatibility View......Page 285
Changing Web Browsers......Page 286
The Bottom Line......Page 288
Things That Slow Down Web Browsing......Page 290
Managing Your Cache......Page 293
Dealing with Cookies......Page 296
Reconfiguring Other Settings......Page 297
Uninstalling Unnecessary Add-Ons......Page 300
Browsing Faster with an Alternate DNS Service......Page 302
Increasing the Size of Your DNS Cache......Page 305
Enabling More Simultaneous Connections......Page 307
The Bottom Line......Page 308
Protecting Against Offending Pages with the Content Advisor......Page 310
Managing Cookies......Page 312
Managing Security Zones......Page 316
Protecting Against Phishing Scams with the SmartScreen Filter......Page 318
Blocking Unwanted Pop-Ups......Page 320
Surfing Secretly with InPrivate Browsing......Page 322
Practicing Safe Computing......Page 323
The Bottom Line......Page 329
Managing Notebook Settings with the Mobility Center......Page 330
Using an External Monitor......Page 334
Presenting from Your Notebook......Page 335
Exploring Gadgets for Notebook Users......Page 337
Using Your Notebook to Control Your Office PC from the Road......Page 338
Touchpad Tricks......Page 341
The Bottom Line......Page 345
Understanding Battery Capacity......Page 346
Running on Battery Power......Page 347
Configuring Windows 7’s Power Plans......Page 348
Tips for Extending Battery Life......Page 353
The Bottom Line......Page 355
Backing Up Your Files with Windows Backup......Page 356
Restoring System Files with System Restore......Page 363
Creating a System Repair Disk......Page 364
The Bottom Line......Page 366
Understanding Computer Threats......Page 368
Using the Windows 7 Action Center......Page 374
Defending Against Attacks with the Windows Firewall......Page 376
Defending Against Spyware with Windows Defender......Page 381
Defending Against Malware with Microsoft Security Essentials......Page 384
Protecting Your Wireless Network......Page 403
Using Third-Party Security Tools......Page 407
The Bottom Line......Page 410
Installing and Managing Printers......Page 412
Managing Printers and Other Devices......Page 415
Working with Device Drivers......Page 418
The Bottom Line......Page 421
Running Programs as an Administrator......Page 422
Running Programs in Compatibility Mode......Page 424
Running Older Programs in XP Mode......Page 427
The Bottom Line......Page 432
Hard Disk Capacity—Enough Is Never Enough......Page 434
What’s on Your Hard Disk—And Why?......Page 436
Freeing Up Hard Disk Space by Deleting Bundleware......Page 438
Deleting Unwanted Files with the Disk Cleanup Utility......Page 439
Emptying the Recycle Bin......Page 441
Uninstalling Unwanted Programs......Page 442
The Bottom Line......Page 443
Too Many Running Programs Slows Things Down......Page 444
Discovering Programs That Load Automatically—Without Your Awareness......Page 445
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs from the Startup Folder......Page 448
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs from the Windows Registry......Page 449
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs with the System Configuration Utility......Page 450
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs with Autoruns......Page 451
Turning Windows Features Off (or Back On)......Page 452
The Bottom Line......Page 455
Defragmenting Your Hard Disk......Page 456
Scanning Your Hard Disk for Errors......Page 460
Adding More Hard Disk Space......Page 462
Boosting System Memory with ReadyBoost......Page 466
Adding More System Memory......Page 469
The Bottom Line......Page 473
Using PC Tune-Up Utilities......Page 474
Using File Cleanup Utilities......Page 475
The Bottom Line......Page 476
Understanding the Windows Registry......Page 478
Editing the Registry......Page 480
Editing the Registry to Speed Up Windows......Page 482
Cleaning Up the Registry for Faster Performance......Page 484
The Bottom Line......Page 487
How to Troubleshoot Computer Problems......Page 488
Starting Windows in Safe Mode......Page 489
Starting Windows from the System Repair Disk......Page 491
Diagnosing Startup Problems with the System Configuration Utility......Page 492
Using the Task Manager to Deal with Program Freezes......Page 494
Fixing Driver Problems with the Device Manager......Page 495
The Bottom Line......Page 497
A......Page 498
B......Page 499
C......Page 500
D......Page 502
E......Page 505
F......Page 506
H......Page 507
I......Page 508
L......Page 510
M......Page 511
N......Page 513
O......Page 514
P......Page 515
R......Page 517
S......Page 519
T......Page 522
V......Page 524
W......Page 525
Z......Page 527