Microsoft Windows 7 Your Way: Speed Up and Customize Windows

✍ Scribed by Michael Miller

• Publisher: Que
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 528
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Well written book, with a lot of tips and tricks. But I think this type of book will only get better as Windows 7 matures a bit.

✦ Table of Contents

Table of Contents......Page 4
Acknowledgments......Page 19
Reader Services......Page 20
Introduction......Page 21
Using the Control Panel......Page 25
Other Ways to Configure Windows......Page 33
Changing Your PC’s Time and Date......Page 36
Changing Your Computer’s Name......Page 40
The Bottom Line......Page 43
Changing Default Programs......Page 45
Changing File Type Defaults......Page 49
Downloading New Applications from Windows Live Essentials......Page 52
Configuring AutoPlay Settings......Page 56
The Bottom Line......Page 57
Changing Desktop Themes......Page 59
Changing the Desktop Background......Page 63
Changing the Color Scheme......Page 68
Changing Display Resolution......Page 69
Changing Font and Window Size......Page 70
Changing Cursor Schemes......Page 71
Organizing the Desktop......Page 73
Using Gadgets......Page 76
Applying a Screen Saver......Page 80
Calibrating Your Monitor......Page 81
Changing System Sounds......Page 84
The Bottom Line......Page 85
What’s New About the Windows 7 Taskbar......Page 87
Using the Windows 7 Taskbar......Page 88
Personalizing the Taskbar......Page 90
Revisiting the Notification Area......Page 95
Peeking at the Desktop......Page 97
The Bottom Line......Page 98
Understanding the Start Menu......Page 99
Customizing the Right Pane of the Start Menu......Page 100
Further Customizing the Start Menu......Page 103
Pinning and Unpinning Items To and From the Start Menu’s Left Pane......Page 104
Clear Recently Opened Files......Page 105
Changing What the Power Button Does......Page 106
Advanced Customizing with the Group Policy Editor......Page 107
The Bottom Line......Page 111
Understanding Windows Explorer......Page 113
Displaying—or Hiding—Different Panes......Page 117
Changing Views......Page 118
Arranging and Sorting Files and Folders......Page 123
Displaying More Details......Page 126
Customizing the Navigation Pane......Page 127
Adding Items to the New Menu......Page 128
The Bottom Line......Page 130
Viewing File Extensions......Page 131
Viewing Hidden and System Files......Page 132
Changing Other Advanced Folder Settings......Page 133
Configuring File Search......Page 135
Creating Libraries of Virtual Files......Page 137
Single-Clicking Versus Double-Clicking......Page 140
Stop Delete Confirmations......Page 141
The Bottom Line......Page 142
Working with Media Libraries and Folders......Page 143
Managing the Pictures Library......Page 145
Managing the Videos Library......Page 151
Managing the Music Library......Page 153
Choosing Music File Formats......Page 157
Customizing Windows Media Player......Page 164
The Bottom Line......Page 175
Using Windows Media Center in the Living Room......Page 177
Configuring a Whole House Audio/Video System......Page 199
Accessing Your Media from Other Computers—At Home or Away......Page 203
The Bottom Line......Page 209
Adding New Users to Your PC......Page 211
Adding a Password to an Account......Page 214
Changing Account Details......Page 215
Changing and Deleting Accounts......Page 219
Managing Parental Controls......Page 222
The Bottom Line......Page 224
Understanding User Account Control......Page 225
Changing User Account Control Settings......Page 228
The Bottom Line......Page 229
Configuring Windows for Network Use......Page 231
Configuring a Network Workgroup......Page 232
Adding Your Computer to a HomeGroup......Page 235
Managing Your Network......Page 236
Managing Wireless Networks......Page 244
The Bottom Line......Page 245
Configuring File Sharing......Page 247
Sharing Files and Folders......Page 250
Sharing Files from Other Computers......Page 253
Installing a Network Printer on Other PCs......Page 256
The Bottom Line......Page 258
Personalizing Internet Explorer......Page 259
Configuring Internet Explorer......Page 271
Working with Browser Add-Ons......Page 280
Working with Accelerators......Page 281
Working with Web Slices......Page 283
Working with Compatibility View......Page 284
Changing Web Browsers......Page 285
The Bottom Line......Page 287
Things That Slow Down Web Browsing......Page 289
Managing Your Cache......Page 292
Dealing with Cookies......Page 295
Reconfiguring Other Settings......Page 296
Uninstalling Unnecessary Add-Ons......Page 299
Browsing Faster with an Alternate DNS Service......Page 301
Increasing the Size of Your DNS Cache......Page 304
Enabling More Simultaneous Connections......Page 306
The Bottom Line......Page 307
Protecting Against Offending Pages with the Content Advisor......Page 309
Managing Cookies......Page 311
Managing Security Zones......Page 315
Protecting Against Phishing Scams with the SmartScreen Filter......Page 317
Blocking Unwanted Pop-Ups......Page 319
Surfing Secretly with InPrivate Browsing......Page 321
Practicing Safe Computing......Page 322
The Bottom Line......Page 328
Managing Notebook Settings with the Mobility Center......Page 329
Using an External Monitor......Page 333
Presenting from Your Notebook......Page 334
Exploring Gadgets for Notebook Users......Page 336
Using Your Notebook to Control Your Office PC from the Road......Page 337
Touchpad Tricks......Page 340
The Bottom Line......Page 344
Understanding Battery Capacity......Page 345
Running on Battery Power......Page 346
Configuring Windows 7’s Power Plans......Page 347
Tips for Extending Battery Life......Page 352
The Bottom Line......Page 354
Backing Up Your Files with Windows Backup......Page 355
Restoring System Files with System Restore......Page 362
Creating a System Repair Disk......Page 363
The Bottom Line......Page 365
Understanding Computer Threats......Page 367
Using the Windows 7 Action Center......Page 373
Defending Against Attacks with the Windows Firewall......Page 375
Defending Against Spyware with Windows Defender......Page 380
Defending Against Malware with Microsoft Security Essentials......Page 383
Protecting Your Wireless Network......Page 402
Using Third-Party Security Tools......Page 406
The Bottom Line......Page 409
Installing and Managing Printers......Page 411
Managing Printers and Other Devices......Page 414
Working with Device Drivers......Page 417
The Bottom Line......Page 420
Running Programs as an Administrator......Page 421
Running Programs in Compatibility Mode......Page 423
Running Older Programs in XP Mode......Page 426
The Bottom Line......Page 431
Hard Disk Capacity—Enough Is Never Enough......Page 433
What’s on Your Hard Disk—And Why?......Page 435
Freeing Up Hard Disk Space by Deleting Bundleware......Page 437
Deleting Unwanted Files with the Disk Cleanup Utility......Page 438
Emptying the Recycle Bin......Page 440
Uninstalling Unwanted Programs......Page 441
The Bottom Line......Page 442
Too Many Running Programs Slows Things Down......Page 443
Discovering Programs That Load Automatically—Without Your Awareness......Page 444
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs from the Startup Folder......Page 447
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs from the Windows Registry......Page 448
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs with the System Configuration Utility......Page 449
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs with Autoruns......Page 450
Turning Windows Features Off (or Back On)......Page 451
The Bottom Line......Page 454
Defragmenting Your Hard Disk......Page 455
Scanning Your Hard Disk for Errors......Page 459
Adding More Hard Disk Space......Page 461
Boosting System Memory with ReadyBoost......Page 465
Adding More System Memory......Page 468
The Bottom Line......Page 472
Using PC Tune-Up Utilities......Page 473
Using File Cleanup Utilities......Page 474
The Bottom Line......Page 475
Understanding the Windows Registry......Page 477
Editing the Registry......Page 479
Editing the Registry to Speed Up Windows......Page 481
Cleaning Up the Registry for Faster Performance......Page 483
The Bottom Line......Page 486
How to Troubleshoot Computer Problems......Page 487
Starting Windows in Safe Mode......Page 488
Starting Windows from the System Repair Disk......Page 490
Diagnosing Startup Problems with the System Configuration Utility......Page 491
Using the Task Manager to Deal with Program Freezes......Page 493
Fixing Driver Problems with the Device Manager......Page 494
The Bottom Line......Page 496
A......Page 497
B......Page 498
C......Page 499
D......Page 501
E......Page 504
F......Page 505
H......Page 506
I......Page 507
L......Page 509
M......Page 510
N......Page 512
O......Page 513
P......Page 514
R......Page 516
S......Page 518
T......Page 521
V......Page 523
W......Page 524
Z......Page 526