Are you running short of disk drive space?  Given the size of video and picture files it is easy to run out of hard disk drive space. Well, there’s a simple answer for you! Compress important files to save disk valuable hard disk space.

Why Use File and Folder Compression?

• A Compressed file or folder takes up less storage space.
• Besides compressing files you can create a compressed folder and store several files inside it.
• You can copy or move a compressed file or compressed folder to another drive or computer quicker than conventional uncompressed files or folders.
• You can work with compressed files and folders in the same way as you do with uncompressed files and folders.
• Files and folders are easier to share.
• You can compress all types of files – picture files, video files, music files and document files to name just a few.

If you choose the compressing files option there are two ways you can do it. The first method involves creating a blank compressed folder.

Creating a blank compressed folder

The Document Library will be used for this demonstration.

1. Open the Documents Library.
2. Right click on a blank area.
3. A pop-up menu appears.
4. Select New.
5. In the menu, click Compressed (zipped) folder.
6. A Blank Zipped folder appears in the Documents Library. While it is highlighted, type a name.

   Tip! Now you have created a compressed folder you can copy or move files into it. Each file is automatically compressed.

Compressing an Individual File

The Document Library will be used for this demonstration.

1. Open the Document Library.
2. Select the file you wish to compress.
3. Right click on the selected file.
4. In the pop-up menu, select Send to.
5. In the side menu, select Compressed (zipped) folder.The illustration below shows the sequence to follow.
6. The newly created Compressed folder takes the name of the file you selected for compression.

Compressing a Folder

The Document Library will be used for this demonstration.

1. Open the Document Library.
2. Select the folder for compression.
3. Right click on the selected folder.
4. In the pop-up menu, select Send to.
5. In the side menu, select Compressed (zipped) folder.The illustration below shows the sequence.
6. The compressed folder appears in the Document Library with the original folder.

It is more practical when compressing files to use the following technique.

1. Create a blank compressed (zipped) folder in the Documents Library.
2. Select a group of files you wish to compress.
3. Right click on the highlighted group and drag the selection onto the compressed folder.

The illustration below shows the sequence.

4.   Windows opens a pop-up menu asking whether you want to copy or move the files into the Compressed folder.

• If you choose Copy, the original files remain in the Documents Library.
• If you choose Move, the files are transferred into the Compressed folder.

Extracting a Zipped file from a Compressed folder

1. Select the compressed folder and open it by double-clicking.
2. In the file list, choose the file to be unzipped.
3. Drag the file from the compressed folder to its new location.
4. When you release the mouse button, a pop-up menu offers three options – Copy, Move or Cancel.

Note:  Choosing Copy leaves the compressed file back in the compressed folder. Choosing Move does as the name suggests.

Extracting All Zipped Files

1. Right click on the Compressed (zipped) Folder.
2. In the pop-up menu, select Extract All.
3. The Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders window opens.
4. Click the Browse button to choose a location.
5. The Select a destination window opens
6. Select where you wish the files extract to.
7. Click the Make New Folder button.
8. Type in a name for the folder
9. Click the Ok button.
10. The new folder destination appears in the Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders window.
11. Click the Extract button.
12. Windows extracts the files and unzips them.

13. If you double-click on the Specials folder you created, you will see the extracted files.

Note: When extracting, the files are unzipped and copies to the new destination while the originals, remain zipped in the Compressed (zipped) folder.

Checking the contents of a Compressed Files folder

1. Double-click on the Compressed folder.

2.   The Compressed Folder, Important Files, opens. If you use the Details view you will see more details about the compression.

Related posts:

1. How To Take Ownership Of A Folder/File In Windows 7
2. Windows 7 Guides: Windows 7 Libraries
3. How to Share a File and Map a Drive in Windows 7
4. Customise Windows 7 With Windows 7 Little Tweaker
5. Windows 7 Tweaks
6. Shortcut To Create New Folders In Windows 7

Windows 7 ships like previous Windows operating systems with a firewall. The firewall was introduced back then in Windows XP and has since then been constantly improved. The firewall in Windows 7 is a solid software firewall that does a good job of protecting the computer system from attacks. A comparison with commercial software firewalls reveals however that it is still not on pair with those programs especially where usability is concerned. One example would be the configuration of allowed applications in the private and public network space. Most third party firewalls will display a prompt whenever a new application tries to establish a connection. The Firewall in Windows 7 will block that attempt and the user has to configure the firewall rules in the control panel.

The Windows 7 Firewall Control program tries to change that. The software is available as a free version with limited functionality and a pro version that offers all the functionality but comes at a price. The free version is compatibly with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

The main feature of the free version is the application prompt which is shown whenever a program tries to create a connection, be it to a private network or public network.

The user can then decide to disable or enable all traffic or set the application to only allow incoming or outgoing traffic. That’s a more comfortable way of managing new applications in the Windows 7 Firewall. According to the developers the firewall control works independently from the default Windows 7 Firewall.

Windows7FirewallControl is completely based on Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), the security core introduced in Windows Vista and does not install any third party kernel drivers. The Built-in Firewall is based on the same WFP as well. The both products work entirely independently. Windows7FirewallControl uses the Built-in Firewall only once, at the first start to grab the initial settings. Due to complete product independence you can switch the Built-in Firewall ON or OFF at your option.

What this does mean is that the applications that are configured in the Windows 7 Firewall Control are not synced with the Windows 7 Firewall configuration. This could be a problem if the user decides to uninstall the Firewall Control software at a later time.

Windows 7 Firewall Control is available at the developer’s website. The Pro version enables additional features like port forwarding management, group security zone configurations, a security zone editor, desktop integration or additional options.

Related posts:

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2. What’s stopping you from going x64?
3. About the Microsoft Security Essentials Public Beta
4. Windows 7 Application Compatibility Update
5. Windows 7 Security
6. Microsoft To Release Free Anti-Virus Software Morro Soon

According to a recent study by ComScore.com, Microsoft websites have captured close to a 15 percent share of the worldwide online presence. Facebook and YouTube together account for almost 10 percent of the time users spent online globally.

The following table shows the top companies and their presence globally on the Internet for the month of September, 2009.  The results are interesting because the biggest Internet users are in Latin America and the Middle East/Africa, according to the study. The study does not show Asia, so it is limited.

Facts about the Internet presence:

In September 2009, an online global population of 1.2 billion Internet users aged 15 and older accounted for almost 27 billion hours spent on the Internet.
In terms of destination for end users on the Internet, the rankings came in with:
the leader – Microsoft, followed by Google, then Yahoo, and Facebook.

• Microsoft sites accounted for 14.5 percent of total minutes spent online in September
• Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger was very popular accounting for nearly 70 percent of time spent during September.
• Google sites captured 9.3 percent of total minutes or about 2.5 billion hours.
• YouTube users accounted for nearly half of total time spent or about 1.2 billion hours.
• Yahoo sites ranked as the third most engaging Web site at 1.7 billion hours.
• Facebook.com had close to 1.4 billion hours. But Facebook’s share of attention closed in on 5.1 percent in September.

This next table shows how those sites fared along global locations.

Source:

http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/11/Microsoft_Sites_Captures_Largest_Share_of_Time_Spent_Online_Worldwide

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5. Microsoft to Launch Windows Azure Cloud Computing Service With Windows 7
6. Windows 7 To Add Up To $1.5 Billion To Microsoft’s Earnings

The Microsoft Office Suite of software programs is very popular. However, you cannot pick and choose which application comes with the suite, although once you begin the installation process, you can select which programs to install. Nevertheless, alternatives do exist to the MS office suite. Oxygen office is an extension of the OpenOffice.org suite of programs. It is free to download, and it will run on Windows 7, even the 32 bit version of the software will run on 64 bit Windows7.

Here is the software:

OxygenOffice Download

The standard installation wizard will kick in…accept the defaults.

The Download is complete...next stage - installation.

asas

Save and Select Folder And Unpack the contents for the Installation

Next launch and kick off the Installation Wizard.

Fire off the Installation Wizard and accept the Defaults

Some customizable settings will appear…

Fillin the Customer Information

Select the type of installation to proceed with…

Setup Type: Standard or Custom...With Custom you can make your own suite.

Installation is now ready to proceed.

Ready To Install Open Office

..

Installing Open Office ... it may take some minutes to complete.

…

The Installation is now Complete...next step launch the application

…

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I’ve just installed a very basic Windows 7 theme that has a nice clean Windows 7 Wallpaper that I think looks quite cool.  The free Windows 7 theme comes from the ThinkDifferent team.  I’ve zoomed into the main wallpaper from the Start Windows 7 Theme so you can see the detail in the center:

You can download the Start Windows 7 Theme from here.  Click here to visit our Windows 7 Theme section to find more great themes.

No related posts.

Obviously Microsoft is already working away at the first Service Pack for Windows 7, but thats about all we know. Well now the Russian site wzor.net, which gave away lots of leaks leading up to the final release of Windows 7 has released time frame information about the release of the first Windows 7 service pack.

According to this rumor Windows 7 SP1 will have two betas and two release candidates. It’s also possible that developers will get the first beta as early as December 2009. The finally RTM version of SP1 is set to be released in summer 2010 and will be RTW ( Release To Web ) by autumn 2010. Now this is all according to Russian site wzor.net and nothing has been announced officially be Microsoft.

Arstechnica attempted to translate the original article by wzor using Google:

Since the end of September 2009, Microsoft has resumed intensive work on the first service pack for Windows 7, the assembly gathered, the work in full swing, we observe the processes taking place in a company and as soon as work on SP1 significantly advance to the “interesting stages, so we just try to give you know about this.

Now we will not “spook” the leadership and development team, leak test assemblies SP1 Beta 1.

To our knowledge the first Beta 1 version of SP1 for Windows 7 may appear at the end of December this year, just before the Christmas holidays, and after the new year, SP1 Beta 1 will be given to the TAP Testori.

The public phase of testing SP1 for Windows 7 will begin in early January 2010.

Total scheduled to launch two beta versions of SP1 for Windows 7 and two release candidates.

Output the final version of SP1 for Windows 7 is scheduled for the autumn of 2010, PC makers will get the updated distributions of Windows 7 with SP1 as always much earlier ie in the summer of 2010.

According to this rumor, Microsoft will be releasing a SP1 much quicker than they did with Vista. Windows Vista SP1 had a 5 month Beta Program. It included a Beta, a Release Candidate Preview, a Release Candidate, a Release Candidate Refresh, and a Release Candidate Refresh 2 ( Which went on to be the final RTM ) Whats more Vista was released in November 2006 and the SP1 wasn’t available until March 2008.

If this rumor appears to be true then Windows 7 SP1 could be released in autumn 2010 which would only be a year after the RTM release of Windows 7. And as Arstechica rightly pointed out, delays are bound to occur, although they didn’t with the Windows 7 release.

When do you think the SP1 will be released? What would you like to see in it?

Sources:

Arstechnica

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4. Technet Publishes Windows 7 RC Information Accidentally
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Remember the Windows 7 Whopper that Burger King and Microsoft launched jointly to celebrate the launch of Windows 7?  If you missed it the first time, this monster burger featured 7 patties and cost 777 yen, (approx $8.55) for the first 30 Burger King customers then 1,450 yen ( $17.10 ):

Well, I’m not sure if it’s because the Windows 7 Whopper provides enough meat to feed a family of four for a week, or because Japanese people like to punish their arteries, but Time magazine are reporting that Burger King Japan are selling 10,000 Windows 7 Whoppers a week.  That’s more impressive when you consider there are only 15 Burger Kings in Japan -- that’s 95 orders a day or 8 Windows 7 Whoppers an hour (assuming stores open 12 hours a day).  I imagine that the stores can’t physically serve more than 100 Windows 7 Whoppers a day because there’s not enough space to cook any more patties or to store all the grease and lard that must be produced!

I really hope that the Japanese health system are staffing up to cope with the inevitable heart attacks!

Here’s some foolhardy customers trying to eat a Windows 7 Whopper:

More: Time Magazine

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6. Windows 7 Power Users Guide competition winners

Most computer users who have tested or worked with Windows 7 would probably agree that Windows 7 is a very stable operating system. My guess is that Windows 7 would be the least problematic operating system in a troubleshooting comparison between Windows 7 and Windows Vista or Windows XP. Still, some users do experience errors when using Windows 7. Microsoft has created the Windows 7 Solution Center for these users but also for everyone else who is interested in the new operating system.

Solution also means that the center is not solely concentrating on troubleshooting issues although those make up a large part of the Windows 7 support website. The Windows 7 Solution Center is divided into two key areas. The first a sidebar menu that leads to specific sub-sections like Internet Explorer, Install Upgrade and Activate, Safety and Security or Performance while the second lists resources that lead to posts that contain further information.

A user clicking on the Safety and Security link in the navigation will find article links about backup programs, Windows firewall recommendations, Bitlocker encryption, Windows Live and links to other solution centers in the main area.

The sidebar contains four additional links that contain various support options if the other categories do not contain the answer to a user’s problem. Ask the Community and Self-Support lead to the Microsoft Answers forum and provide links to Microsoft blogs and other resources on Technet or MSDN. The Microsoft Answer forum is a support forum that Microsoft users from all over the world can access to post and answer questions about Microsoft products. The last two navigational links lead to assisted support requests and customer service requests.

The Windows 7 Solution Center offers a collection of helpful links for users who experience problems with their operating system. Users who are experiencing troubles can visit the Solution Center for troubleshooting help and support.

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6. @MicrosoftHelps?

Network Management software can help you keep track of your network settings. Instead of using Network Connections  and Properties or IpConfig. NetSetMan will give you five different network profiles and it is easier to use .

First Step in the Installation Wizard: Select The Language

The Wizard will now launch.

NetSetMan Setup Wizard

The license agreement materializes. Do the obvious.

Agree to the License Agreement

You can next select an installation type.

Take the Standard Installation

The Destination location is next in the installation.

Select the Destination to Install the files

Now Select the Start Menu Folder

Select the Start Menu Folder

Additional Tasks can be selected…they make the post installation operations easier.

Select Additional Tasks

The Pre-installation choices, being complete, the installation is now ready.

The Program is now Ready To Install

Information

Information about the Software and Computer Settings is presented

All is go when the installation is complete.

Completing The NetsetMan Setup Wizard...Ready to Launch

This is the NetSetMan program.

The NetSetMan Home Screen

There are four tabs: Profile, Options, Tools, and Help.

The Profile Tab

..

The Options Tab

..

The Tools Tab

..

The Help Tab

These four tabs present the bulk of the features available to network techs.

Selecting Ip and other settings

To use the program, activate the network card.

Selecting the Network Card to get the network settings

Get the settings…

Get Current Settings...This will generate the network settings.

..

The Network Settings displayed on the program interface.

One of the features available comes by selecting tools -> network environment. This will show you the objects associated with the network.

The Network environment on the computer.

The Program can be accessed at:   http://www.netsetman.com/index.php?s=nsm#nsmdl

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The Windows 7 Taskbar has been one of the most prominent new features in Windows 7 ever since it was first introduced by Microsoft. The new taskbar changes the way users interact with the taskbar by adding several new features that make it more comfortable to work with the operating system. Many users – even those that have not used Windows 7 yet – know that the new taskbar offers thumbnail previews for selected applications, jumplists and abilities to pin applications to the taskbar. What many do not know is that the taskbar icons are also displaying progress meters where applicably. Copying or moving files in Windows Explorer will for instance display the progress of that operation in the Windows 7 taskbar.

Taskbar Meters is a third party program for Windows 7 that can add up to three new icons to the Windows 7 taskbar displaying the computer system’s computer memory, hard disk and cpu utilization. The program makes use of the aforementioned feature to display meters in the taskbar icons in the operating system.

The portable software program comes with three executables after download and extraction. Each executable will place one new icon in the Windows 7 taskbar that is displaying the utilization level of that component.

It is possible to customize the update frequency and color scheme used by any of the three meters individually. A right-click will open the jumplist containing links to the Windows 7 Resource Monitor and Task Manager.

Each individual icon is using roughly 10 Megabytes of computer memory while running raising the computer memory usage by 30 Megabytes if all three icons are displaying values in the taskbar. Users who are interested in the program can download it from the developer’s website. The software program is only compatible with Windows 7 (and probably Windows Server 2008 R2 as well).

Related posts:

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5. A Closer Look at: The Windows 7 Taskbar -Part 1
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According to the leading market research company, The NPD Group, Windows 7 sales in the USA for the week of October 18-24 have exceeded those of its predecessor (Window Vista) by 234%. This figure includes the pre-orders of Windows 7, which had – surprisingly - outsold UK Amazon’s own ”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” novels as Robert B mentioned earlier. Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD, explained:

Microsoft’s program of early low-cost pre-sales, high visibility marketing, and aggressive deals helped make the Windows 7 software launch successful…

Microsoft is definitely overjoyed to hear about the current success of its latest operating system. In fact, it has pointed out this news on The Windows Blog.

This was regarding the sales of Windows 7 retail boxes. But what about those of PC hardware? Despite the fact that PC sales growth was at its peak for the third quarter, it wasn’t strong enough to beat that of Windows Vista’s. For those who prefer to deal with numbers, PC sales were less by 6% compared to those of Windows Vista during the first few days after its launch.

In my opinion, sales of Windows 7 are going well overall. However, I’m more excited to see how the market share of Windows 7 will be. It has already broken the 3% barrier, which is a good indication. Nevertheless, I totally agree with Andrew when he exclaimed:

Windows 98 still has 0.11% marketshare. Really, you guys? How are you even using the Internet with that OS? Makes me wonder how much longer Windows XP will be around…

I guess we’ll have to wait several months before we can answer the question: Will Windows 7’s market share surpass that of the eight year-old Windows XP? Personally, I’ll be pleased to see this happen. What about you?

Related posts:

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3. Of Vista and Windows 7
4. Windows 7 and the OS Market Share
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6. 177m Windows 7 Sales By The End Of 2009

Having themes is one of the more interesting features in Windows7. There are numerous themes available through out the Internet. Managing the themes can be a challenge. For that reason, the Theme Manager, a software tool, can help you manage the themes. It can help you install the themes if you download them to your disk or import them from the web. It works by taking  existing desktop enhancement programs and applying a MyColors or Suite file.  In addition the Theme Manager supports:

• Wallpapers
• Icons (IconPackager themes)
• Visual Styles (WindowBlinds)
• Widgets (DesktopX Widgets)
• Sounds (SoundPackager format)
• Screen Savers (Windows format)
• Launchers (ObjectDock, WorkShelf)
• Boot Screens (BootSkin Vista format)
• Animated Wallpaper (Deskscapes format)
• Logon Screens (LogonStudio Vista format)
• Mouse cursors (both Windows and CursorFX)
• MP3 Players (Windows Media Player, Cool Player)

Here are the steps to follow to install the Theme Manager:

First install the theme manager

Launch the Theme Manager Wizard

The License Agreement screen appears.

Accept the License Agreement

Identify the target folder

Installing Stardock Software

This will be followed ….

Completing The Installation Wizard

The Theme Manager after it is launched.

The Theme Manager

With the theme manager running…one can get other themes.

You Can Add A Theme from the Web or from the local disk.

There are locations on the web which are available using the Theme Manager.

http://www.technospot.net/blogs/download-free-windows-7-themes-styles/

5 Free Theme Packages

Theme Manager developer Stardock.com at: http://www.stardock.com/

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Microsoft has added native vhd (that’s virtual hard disk) support in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. This basically allows a user to create a virtual hard disk that uses space of one of the physical hard disks but displays with its own drive letter. You can read up on virtual hard drives in Windows 7 by reading Robert’s two in depths articles How to Create and Configure a VHD in Windows 7 and How to Attach/Detach VHDs in Windows 7. One interesting application for VHDs in Windows 7 is the ability to use them to store a different operating system which can then be booted into as if it were normally installed on a separate partition.

If you read Robert’s article about attaching and detaching VHDs you might have noticed that it requires some menu fiddling to do so. The user needs to go into Computer Management, click on Disk Management under Storage and select Attach VHD (or Detach) from there. It is not a problem if this is a once-a-lifetime operation but users who work regularly with different VHD images might prefer a faster solution.

That’s where VHD Attach comes into play. The software program adds options to attach and detach vhd images to the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer. All that it takes to attach a vhd is therefor to right-click it in Windows Explorer and select the attach option. The same is true for detaching vhd images which can be done by right-clicking the mounted vhd image in My Computer.

VHD Attach is a free software program for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It can be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. (via Download Squad)

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Other than a 64-bit installation of Windows XP, I have been running Windows OS’ in the dark ages for quite some time now. The last time I went through a PC upgrade, I decided to make the switch to a 64-bit processor. When I finally did have the computer built and ready to go, I decided to avoid any program or driver hassles and just stick with the Windows 7 RC 32-bit edition. With the final release of Windows 7, I decided to make the switch to 64-bit and see what all the fuss is about. I figured that Microsoft is pushing for a switch from 32 to 64-bit and even Apple has started making the move, so why not. If you have not yet installed your copy of Windows or have, but are considering changing to 64-bit while it’s still fresh, this article may be of some help from a fellow user in the exact same situation.

What advantages are there to switching to 64-bit?

The short answer is not many, right now. The 64-bit platform will not look any different from your 32-bit flavour of Windows and in some instances, may not act any different. The real advantage to a 64-bit OS is in the future. Most programs are still being written for the 32-bit OS, so we will have to wait until more programs are written to take full advantage of the 64-bit goodness. The main difference for switching to 64-bit is the amount of memory a 64-bit system allows. Older Windows versions running 32-bit mode would only allow less than 4GB of Memory (actually 3.XXGB’s). To take advantage of the higher amounts of memory, you will need to change over to a 64-bit OS.

Another advantage to switching to a 64-bit OS now is that you will be better-prepared to upgrade and install products in the future. Early reports tend to be leaning toward that notion that Windows 7 will be the final Windows version to ship with a 32-bit option, so it may be easier to adapt now and create less hassle down the road.

Some games which are written to take advantage of a 64-bit OS, like Far Cry and Crysis, can look better and run better depending on the hardware you have.

What should keep me from making the switch?

• You do not have a 64-bit processor (Obvious, I know, but users like my brother, who don’t know much about the differences thought he could install Windows 7 on his 32-bit system, so I figured it was worth mentioning).
• You have a 64-bit processor, but have less than 4GB of Ram. The minimum requirement for a 64-bit OS is 4GB, so you may not want to switch if you have less.
• A necessary piece of software or hardware is known not to work in a 64-bit environment. It used to be the case that 64-bit drivers were few and far between, but support for 64-bit is now very good, so you shouldn’t have much of an issue. You can always check the manufacturer’s website, in advance, to see if your hardware or software supports 64-bit. (Most 32-bit software can be installed and run in a 64-bit environment)

In conclusion, I decided to make the leap because I wanted to prepare myself for the switch instead of being forced to when Windows 8 comes out. This is clearly the direction that computing is moving and it would be foolish to try and fight the current. If you can make the switch, it’s probably not a bad idea to start preparing for the future.

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I wokeup this morning to an email from Chuck Anderson the designer of the beautiful Windows 7 default wallpaper, about a piece on Gizmodo where he’d shared with them the process he went through to create the default Windows 7 wallpaper, which will surely become a design classic.  Chuck is only 24, but already has done more in his career than many other designers.

In just over four months, Chuck developed the wallpaper concepts starting from hand drawn sketches below into the finished articles we all love today.  In the images below you can see how the iconic Windows 7 images evolved over time.  In the interview Chuck had some very positive things to say about the Microsoft design team he worked with:

“The desktop was obviously heavily influenced by the look of the login screen. Microsoft had made the decision to make the Windows logo the centerpiece of the default desktop. But you always worry about the classic complaint you hear from designers about clients: ‘Make the logo bigger!’ In response to this first desktop experiment, Microsoft told me straight up, ‘That’s too big. Tone it down.’ Awesome. I agreed.”

[View with PicLens]

12►

It’s a shame that the images that Chuck was allowed to show to Gizmodo are so small as some of the discarded designs look quite stunning and would have made good Windows 7 wallpapers.  To read more about the design process then head on over to Gizmodo, for more details of their interview with Chuck.

Update: I’ve added an extra gallery of some of Chuck’s amazing work from his website which includes a Google Chrome theme.

[View with PicLens]

12►

More: Gizmodo

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6. Use A Classic Start Menu In Windows 7

Problem reports where making the rounds shortly after the final release of the Windows 7 operating system. It is not unusual that some users report problems when installing a new operating system or upgrading their old OS to a new one. Windows 7 in this regard did not get a lot of bad press except for a problem that got reported quite frequently by Windows Vista users who tried to perform an upgrade to Windows 7. These Windows Vista users were experiencing an error at exactly 62% of the update.

Windows performed an automatic rollback to Windows Vista at this point leaving the user puzzled and confused. Some users even experienced an endless reboot problem which would initiate the upgrade process again only to fail again at 62%.

Microsoft has released a Fix-It solution for the problem that the Vista to Windows 7 upgrade hangs at 62%. Fix-It solutions are one-click solutions that will correct a problem that was experienced by the user before. In this case the Vista user needs to click on the Fix-It button on the Microsoft support website after the upgrade failed at 62% to fix the issue and initiate the upgrade again.

Experienced users can also fix the problem manually by following the steps detailed at the very same support page:

To resolve this problem yourself, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer. Then, your computer will roll back to Windows Vista.
2. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
4. Under System variables, click New.
5. Type MIG_UPGRADE_IGNORE_PLUGINS in the Variable name field.
6. Type IphlpsvcMigPlugin.dll in the Variable value field.
7. Click OK three times to close the dialog boxes.
8. Start the upgrade installation again.

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Upgrade Plans
2. Microsoft To Allow Downgrades To Windows Vista And Windows XP
3. Windows 7 Upgrade Performance
4. Windows 7 Upgrade Chart
5. Windows 7 Upgrade Pricing
6. Windows XP To Windows 7 Upgrade Confirmed

As a writer of computer books and articles I regularly capture screen pictures to illustrate points rather than use long winded phrases and unnecesarry description.  I am a great believer in the old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

When I began writing computer training manuals, I frequently used screen dumps to illustrate important points. The earlier methods I used are described below:

To Capture All the Screen

1. Press the PrtScn (Print Screen) key.
2. After capturing the image, paste it into the document.

To Capture a Window

1. Press the Alt key and PrtScn (Print Screen) key.
2. After capturing the image, paste it into the document.

Following image capture  the image goes into Windows Clipboard AND Clipboard only holds on image. This was “One shot in the locker”.  Snagit the better option, pastes all captures into Snagit Editor where they remain available for editing or manipulating.

In this primitive method of screen capture, I used Paint to modify and crop its  elements. While this method was pretty crude, it achieved its purpose.

Snagit

Then along came Snagit produced by TechSmith. I began to use this valuable program  back in its early stages of development. Over the years it has been refined and has developed into a powerful tool eminently suited to my work. At present, I’m using the latest version, Snagit 9.

While this program is not free, the purchase price is not prohibitive. It is a worthy investment and Snagit has been a boon to my work. I highly recommend it.

Incidentally, for those interested in trying it, you can download a free version. It is time stamped and you can only use it for a limited period.

This is available at this website:  Free 30 Day Snagit Trial

Snipping Tool

This free tool, found in Windows Vista and in Windows 7, works in a similar fashion to Snagit.Though its not as refined or precise as Snagit, it still does a pretty good job.

Andrew referred to this tool in his post on 13 Oct – Odds and Ends, Part Two: Calculator, Snipping Tool, and Math Input Panel

Let’s take a more detailed look at Snipping tool.

Where is the Snipping Tool?

It is located in the Accessories folder in your Start menu. Rather than dig and delve to find it, use this method to access it.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. In the Search box, type snip.
3. In the Search results box, click Snipping Tool.
4. The Snipping Tool opens.
5. Next, click the New button on the toolbar and choose the snipping tool.
6. There are four options available:

• Free-form Snip
• Rectangular Snip
• Windows Snip
• Full-screen Snip

The Illustration below shows you how to select and save a section of a web page. Remember, you can use the other capture options too.

Once you master this tool, you can grab text and pictures from anywhere.

As a matter of interest, I used Snagit to prepare these illustrations.

Related posts:

1. Odds and Ends, Part Two: Calculator, Snipping Tool, and Math Input Panel
2. Windows 7 Logon Screen Editor
3. Windows 7 Logon Screen Rotator
4. How To Burn ISO Images In Windows 7
5. Where’s The Windows 7 Ballot Screen?
6. A Beginner’s Guide to Opening Applications

Win7Zilla is an all-in-one utility software that can meet your system maintenance requirements. It is a utility manager where the settings can be applied to take effect immediately unlike other tweaking software.

Once you download the software, launch the executable file.

Win7Zilla Setup

For Most of the installation, you can accept the defaults to complete the program install.

Accept the License Agreement and then click to install.

The Application is Ready To Install

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Completing The Win7Zilla Installation

Once the application is installed, launch it; click Start =>Win7Zilla.

The Main Window: Allows Change to Windows7 Settings

There are six links that will allow you to customize the Windows7 settings.

One of the modifiers: TaskBar

Desktop And Personalization

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The System And Security Settings

The Control Panel Settings Modifier has Four Links

Internet Explorer with four modifier links

Windows Explorer

The application’s links show that Win7Zilla has depth in it’s control settings. These settings offer a lot of modifying opportunity.

Some facts:

OS : Windows 7
Software Licensing : Shareware ($9.99)
Created : Oct 23, 2009
Download size : 6465 kBytes

http://www.downloadroute.com/Win7Zilla-Sagitos-Ltd.html

Related posts:

1. How to Use Theme Manager with Windows 7
2. Oxygen Office Suite – an Alternative to MS Office for Windows 7
3. How to Use NetSetMan with Windows 7
4. How to Set Up Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows
5. More on Virtual Desktops – How To Use Virtual Dimension in Windows 7
6. How To Configure Themes for BumpTop Organizer in Windows 7

Net Applications data indicates that Windows 7’s marketshare has broken the 3% barrier less than two weeks after its release to consumers.

Surely, part of this quick rise is due to the lengthy beta and release candidate phases – Net Applications does not differentiate between those two pre-release versions and the RTM version now on store shelves. Still, this is an impressive feat, given that Windows Vista reached similar marketshare levels six months after it released to the public.

It’s hard not to frame Windows 7’s success in the context of Windows Vista’s shortcomings since Net Applications’ data doesn’t go back more than a couple of years, but let’s compare this number some other interesting figures (all according to Net Applications data at time of writing).

- Linux has just under 1% marketshare. That’s every Linux distribution anywhere, combined.

- All versions of Mac OS X have a little under 5% marketshare (1.17% 10.6, 2.82% 10.5, 0.93% 10.4 and 0.26% other). Windows 7 already has more marketshare than any single version of OS X.

- Windows 98 still has 0.11% marketshare. Really, you guys? How are you even using the Internet with that OS? Makes me wonder how much longer Windows XP will be around…

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Market Share Climbing
2. Windows 7 RC To Windows 7 Final Upgrade
3. Updated Windows 7 FAQ
4. Windows 7 Already On The Way To Replacing Vista
5. Windows Complete PC Backup
6. Windows and Mac OS – Held Back By Marketshare?

It turns out that there is an unfinished feature in Windows 7 hidden away, a developer has found a partially completed feature that will allow any laptop to turn into a wireless access point, allowing all Wi-Fi enabled devices to share that connection. All you have to do is install a small piece of software and away you go.

A company called Nomadio, who specialise in military network consulting and development, have developed a beta version of Connectify, which takes advantage of the Virtual Wi-Fi feature in Windows 7. It turns out Microsoft’s research group had been working on a way to virtualise one wireless card into multiple, separate adaptors. However the project was discontinued in 2006.

Yet the code for this Virtual Wi-Fi made its way into Windows 7, but driver support didn’t get finished for it.

“A year ago, Microsoft talked a lot about this as a big feature in Windows 7,” said Alex Gizis, the CEO of Nomadio. “But driver support didn’t get finished. The low-level code is in there, but the driver-level stuff isn’t. And there’s no app or setting in Windows to turn it on.”

Alex Gizis said that his company have developed the missing part of software to make this feature work. This piece of software actually makes your laptop show up as a real wireless access point, and differs from the conventional way that Microsoft already supports sharing an internet connection with other Windows computers.

He points out how useful this could be in real life situations – It’s not only convenient but can also save you money

“You’re sitting in a coffee shop that charges you for a wireless connection. With Connectify, I can pay for that connection, and still have all my other devices, like my iPhone, connected to the internet”

“There are a lot of neat scenarios where this comes in handy,” he said. “For example, people can use a wireless printer without any setup, which usually requires that you first plug the [wireless] printer into the computer with a USB cable so it can select the network.”

Connectify effectively lets you tether your laptop to other wireless devices using a single internet connection. It even works when your using another Wi-Fi network. He puts it as a ” Software Based Wireless Router ”

It really is a great piece of software and whats best of all the Beta is free and available to download here. Unfortunately Nomadio has plans to put a price on it when they release the final full featured version of it, which they reckon will be ready in about 6 weeks. However they are also thinking of offering a ad supported free version as well as the full paid version.

Connectify runs on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 r2, both in either 32 or 64 bits. Connectify also works with the vast majority of WiFi cards that have Windows 7 drivers. There seem to be a number of Intel WiFi cards that do not have proper driver support (such as the 4965AGN and 5100 series, though it does work with the 1395). However they are working on a solution and will make an announcement when we have a resolution.

So there you have it, bet you didn’t know your new Windows 7 OS could act as a Wi-Fi hot spot? Whats also handy is Connectify encrypts the traffic to and from the software “hot spot” using WPA2-Personal (AES) encryption.

It’s about time Microsoft allowed us to do this, You’ve been able to do it on a Mac under ” Internet Sharing ” for ages! Just one problem, it doesn’t appear to be working for me……

Is it working for you? Let us know in the comments

Source:

Tech World

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 To Include VWiFi
2. Windows 7 Application Compatibility Update
3. Backup And Restore Wireless Network Settings In Windows 7
4. Trouble with Drivers or Software in Windows 7?
5. What’s stopping you from going x64?
6. Enabling Multi-Touch In Windows 7 Beta

We discussed how to add the Desktop Organizer, Bumptop, to Windows 7. The result of the desktop, is the appearance of a 3D version with a “Floor”, and “Walls.” Once you have setup the Desktop, you can change it’s appearance. Let’s look at how this is done.

Let’s look at the current desktop theme, CPU.

Desktop With CPU Theme

Next Right Click on the Desktop

Configuration Circle Appears

Now you must modify the desktop’s settings.

Select Settings to be modified

Modify the Bumptop Configuration

BumpTop Configuration

Select the Themes Tab

BumpTop Theme Installation Guide

Select The Themes Site

Bump Top Themes

Select the Bleach Aizen Theme

Related posts:

1. Bumptop a 3 Dimensional Desktop For Windows 7
2. How to Configure a Difference Virtual Machine In Windows 7
3. Windows 7 Guides: Managing Windows 7 Themes (Part 1)
4. More on Virtual Desktops – How To Use Virtual Dimension in Windows 7
5. How To Configure a Virtual Machine in Windows 7
6. How to Use Dexpot for Virtual Desktop with Windows 7

There are many issues concerning the purchase and installation of Windows 7. The first question that requires an answer is : “Do I purchase an upgrade or a full version of Windows 7?”

Potential buyers need to consider the price factor. The upgrade is the cheaper option which brings me to my second question: “Can I perform a clean install?”

Clean installing Windows 7 has already been discussed in Windows7news website in an article written by Mike Halsey on Oct 22 entitled How to clean install from Windows 7 Upgrade media.

Since Mike wrote this article I have been following up other sources on the web about performing a clean install.

Before digging deeper into this controversial method keep in mind the name of Brian Livingston, the well-known writer numerous books of Windows, perhaps his most well-known one being “Windows Secrets”. His website for these publications is www.brianlivingston.com/

Back in 2007, Brian came up with the technique of performing a clean installation using the upgrade version of Windows Vista. He wrote an article and published it on the Web explaining the process. Paul Thurrot and others have revisited his ideas and recommendations and suggest using a similar technique to install a clean version of Windows 7.

However, Paul Thurrot has gone two steps further and come up with three scenarios, the first two breaking new ground while the last one is the good old “double install” method, originally described by Brian Livingston.  Though the “double install” method takes time, I used it successfully for Windows Vista and am confident it will work for Windows 7.

It is worth your while to read Paul Thurrot’s article on his website. Check out this post.
clean install Windows 7 with Upgrade media

On the Web I have come across several other sources suggesting the same procedure.Check out these websites for similar articles.

Paul Thurrot                www.winsupersite.com/Default.asp

Ed Bott                        www.blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/

Onuora Amobi             www.windows7update.com/

Though I haven’t purchased a copy of Windows 7 Upgrade yet, I am still using the Windows 7 RC version. As this version does not expire until early 2010, I’m really  waiting to see if Microsoft will eventually release the Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack in Australia. (See my post on “So Much for Product Loyalty”.)

It seems that Microsoft is not too keen on users clean installing Windows 7 using the upgrade version. Naturally, the company would prefer you to buy the full version rather than use the cheaper update version.

Related posts:

1. How to clean install from Windows 7 Upgrade media
2. Windows 7: Clean Install Vs Upgrade
3. Will You Upgrade, Clean Install Or Use Pre-Installed Windows 7?
4. How To Clean Install Windows 7 From XP or Vista
5. Windows 7 Upgrade Chart
6. Windows XP To Windows 7 Upgrade Confirmed

Australia is not far behind the United Kingdom, the EU, Japan, Canada and the United States in its usage of Microsoft products. Large numbers of Australian computer users regularly use the current versions of Windows. This market makes for a rich source of income for Microsoft.

Why then does Microsoft treat Australia as second-class citizens?

I have two grievances about this unreasonable behaviour which I’d like to air.

Grievance No 1

Why do we pay a higher price for Windows 7 in Australia?

Here we have to pay premium prices for both the upgrade and the full versions. The Table below shows you current Australian prices and compares them with the United Kingdom, and the United States. You can see there is a significant pricing difference.

Note: The comparative prices are taken from Amazon, US and Amazon UK. The currency conversion rates are current at writing this post.

The costs for the upgrade and full copy for the Professional and the Ultimate versions are below:

Upgrade

• Professional                $399 AU
• Ultimate                      $429 AU

Full Version

• Professional                $449 AU
• Ultimate                      $469 AU

Now it should be said that by a little judicious shopping around you can get all versions, with the exception of the Home Premium Family Pack a little cheaper here in Australia but not by much.

Grievance No 2

My second complaint concerns the availability of Home Premium Family Pack.

While it is freely available in the United Kingdom and the United States, it is unavailable in Australia. Here we miss out again!

Why are we in Australia deprived?

Is this because Australia is at the ends of the earth and we don’t count for much or is there a more sinister reason. Why should Microsoft stop milking the cash cow that is the Australian consumer market?  Am I being cynical when I say it isn’t economic!

I believe Microsoft is quite happy to clean up in Australia by only providing the upgrade version or the full version, knowing full well that all those Aussies will line up in droves and buy the new product anyway.

A possible light at the end of the tunnel!

In one of our computer magazines the writer suggested that Microsoft might, and he said “a big might!” generously provide the Home Premium Family Pack some time in 2010.

Meantime those families with two or more computers will have to consider whether it is good economics to buy two copies of Windows 7 or perhaps wait for the possible arrival of the Home Premium Family version in the distant future.  It’s crazy that this Family Pack deal is available in other parts of the world but not here. I’m sure Apple does not restrict the sale of their family pack.

In conclusion, I am bound to say that Microsoft’s failure to provide the Home Premium Family Pack misses a golden opportunity to fill households in Australia with Windows 7. This is an incredible oversight.

I can’t work Microsoft out!

And another thing! I regularly buy books and CDs from Amazon, in fact you could say I am a good customer BUT when I tried to purchase the Home Premium Family Pack my request was refused. It seems Amazon is barred from selling software to overseas customers. Is this another example of Microsoft pulling the strings?

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Family Pack & Anytime Upgrade Pricing Announced
2. Windows 7 OEM Pricing Details
3. Microsoft Reduces Prices for Windows 7 E
4. Windows 7 Family Pack And Anytime Upgrade Prices
5. Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade And Family Pack Pricing Announced
6. Amazon UK Windows 7 Bargain Offers

Some of our readers may read the title and say, “Flip 3D is already in Windows 7″ and this is true, so I am technically not showing you how to add it to Windows, but instead, how to find it and add it to the taskbar. Now that we’ve sorted through that, I wanted to explain why I am dedicating an article to a small feature such as Flip 3D.  It’s simple, I was very pleased when I first used Windows Vista and saw Flip 3D for the first time. It signified an actual visual change to the UI. Of course, the toolbar and start button were redone a bit, but Flip 3D created a 3D style that we had not yet seen in Windows and when I first got my hands on Windows 7, I was suprised to find that it was missing and replaced with the normal, boring, alt-tab windows switcher.

I had assumed that because Flip 3D had been removed from the quick launch menu, that it had been removed from the OS altogether. After finally giving up on Flip 3D, I installed the actual drivers for my mouse, which is a Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 3000. The software that came with the mouse gave options for button assignments for both Flip and Flip 3D, I thought this was a mistake. After assigning the button and pressing it, I was suprised to see that Flip 3D was still in Windows 7. That’s my introduction, and this is how to find it:

1. Right-click on your desktop, select New, and then select Shortcut.

2. In the location field, type C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe dwmapi #105 (assuming that Windows is installed on C:)

3. Click Next, and then type Window Switcher for the shortcut name, then press Finish.

4. Right-click on the Window Switcher shortcut that you just created and then click on Properties.

5. Click on the Change Icon… button.

6. In the Look for icons in this file field type %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\imageres.dll, and then press Enter.

7. Select the first icon and then click on OK.

8. Click on OK to dismiss the properties dialog.

9. Drag the Window Switcher shortcut from your desktop onto the taskbar.

(Note: Flip 3D will only work if Aero is enabled. You can also access Flip 3D by using Windows Key+Tab)

Yes, I really did just write an article on how to do this. I’m sure some people may find Flip 3D absolutely useless, but I bet there are at least a few users that were like me and wondered why Microsoft got rid of or hid a feature such as this.

Related posts:

1. Modifying Windows 7’s Taskbar
2. A Closer Look at: The Windows 7 Taskbar -Part 2
3. Change Windows 7 Taskbar Hover Time
4. A Close Look At The New Windows 7 Taskbar
5. Shortcut To Create New Folders In Windows 7
6. The Windows 7 Taskbar

BumpTop is a 3D Desktop Organizer which allows you to keep your computer desktop organized and productive similar to a real desktop.

You can perform functions like file-stacking, pin-up reminders, tossing files for easy emailing, printing, copying and even uploading to social-media networks.

It also works with touch-screen enabled computers running Windows 7  so you can use touch-gestures to perform these functions.

Wait While Windows Configures Bump Top

Wait While Windows Configures Bump Top-2

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Welcome To The BumpTop SetUp Wizard

Setup the Software

License Agreement

Accept the License

Installing The BumpTop Software

Installing the Application

Welcome To the BumpTop Quick Tour Tutorial

The Tutorial is a five part series that allows users to learn how to work with BumpTop.

The Results: A New 3D DeskTop

This desktop has a “floor” and three “walls.” The FaceBook and Twitter connections are installed automatically. Here is a video that shows the main features of BumpTop. The presenter is Anand Agarawala the designer.

Software Source:

http://techpp.com/2009/04/08/free-download-best-3d-desktop-organizer-windows-bumptop/

Related posts:

1. How To Configure Themes for BumpTop Organizer in Windows 7
2. How to Use Dexpot for Virtual Desktop with Windows 7
3. Using Win7Zilla A Windows7 Utility Manager
4. How to Use Theme Manager with Windows 7
5. How to Use NetSetMan with Windows 7
6. More on Virtual Desktops – How To Use Virtual Dimension in Windows 7

Another new feature that appeared in Windows 7 was ” Jump Lists ” They allow you to quickly access files and shortcuts to documents, webpages etc.. before you even open the program. If your not entirely sure of what they are, John did a great article on Jump lists that you can find here

A Jump List

I love using jump lists and they are really handy for me, traditionally you would access jump lists by right clicking on a programs icon in the task bar and this would pop up the jump list. Well now I have a new way of doing it that I’d like to share with you.

Some of you may know this already but some may not -- you can access jump lists by:

1. Left clicking and holding the icon in the taskbar
2. Slide your mouse/cursor upwards, your jump list will now slide up.

I like to call this the ” Swoosh Effect ” While this may not be a massive time saver, I think it’s a more fluid motion than the regular way of right clicking.

I’ve made a quick video showing how to do this on my own site which I’ve inserted below

Hope you find this helpful

Source:

Techinfo-4u

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Jump Lists for Improved Access
2. How To: Change the Number Of Jump List Items
3. How to Display the “Close, Restore,…” Menu In The Windows 7 Taskbar
4. Office 2010 To Support Windows 7 Features
5. A Closer Look at: The Windows 7 Taskbar -Part 3
6. A Closer Look at: The Windows 7 Taskbar -Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, many Mac enthusiast sites ran pieces with headlines declaring that Snow Leopard was faster than Windows 7. The source for this news was CNET’s Dong Ngo, who ran a battery of tests designed to test gaming performance, media encoding time, battery life, and other attributes.

Ngo was fairly even-handed in his reporting. While noting that Snow Leopard beat out Windows 7 in many of the benchmarks, he also said that many of the poorer results (battery life in particular) were probably caused in part by unoptimized drivers on his test machine (a Mac). This makes sense, since Apple has said that official Windows 7 support for Boot Camp isn’t coming until later this year.

Of course, just because Ngo’s piece was fair doesn’t mean that everyone else was – most sites seemed perfectly willing to boil his report down to “Snow Leopard faster than Windows 7, buy a Mac.”

Now we’ve got people like PC Pro’s Chris Brennan claiming the opposite, that Windows 7 is in fact snappier than Snow Leopard, albeit without the benefit of benchmarks, charts and graphs. The Internet has only had a couple of days with this one, but rest assured that there will be headlines like “Windows 7 faster than Snow Leopard” floating around soon enough.

The problem with the people who write these follow-up pieces is that (1) they’re oversimplifying both Ngo’s and Brennan’s reporting and (2) they’re perpetuating an endless and pointless cycle, where Mac enthusiasts and Windows enthusiasts take endless stupid potshots at one another that don’t mean anything or add anything meaningful to the discussion.

I have trouble understanding why people invest themselves so personally in the Mac and Windows platforms. I suppose that choosing a computer is sometimes a way that people express themselves, like wearing a particular T-shirt or driving a particular car. Even so, trading insults on the Internet about whether to choose PC or Mac seems to me like a waste of time to me.

OS X and Windows are both good at different things, and so I’ll often switch back and forth between platforms depending on what I’m trying to accomplish. For example, no matter how fast Macs get, I don’t think they’ll ever make one that can open Word 2008 faster than any given 3-year-old PC can open Word 2007. Office is just faster on Windows.

Likewise, my experiences with editing video on Windows have all been horrible, soul-crushing, time-consuming, nightmarish ordeals that have left me a shell of the man I once was. If I’m going to stitch together some nice looking movies, I’ll go to the Mac every time.

If I’m interested in playing games that aren’t browser-based Flash games or 3D Chess, I’ll go to the PC. The back-and-forth could go on forever if I wanted it to.

My point is, so what if one OS is faster than the other OS at some tasks, or better than the other OS at some tasks? People need to remember that computers are tools, and not all tools are suited for all tasks. If my wrench won’t hammer in a nail, it’s not the wrench’s fault – I just need to go get a hammer and get on with my life.

Related posts:

1. 20 Snow Leopard Vs Windows 7 Reviews – Which Wins Overall?
2. Windows 7 and Snow Leopard: Better together
3. Windows 7 & Snow Leopard Next-Gen Wallpaper Pack
4. Windows 7: Faster Than A Snow Leopard?
5. Hacker Says Snow Leopard Is Less Secure Than Windows 7
6. Are Windows 7 and OS X Snow Leopard pushing into different markets?

A light-hearted post for Friday follows.  I’ve just found a video that plays every Windows startup and shutdown sounds all the way from Windows 1 to Windows 7 milestone.  Which one is your favourite?  My vote goes for Windows 98:

Related posts:

1. Vote For Your Favourite Windows 7 Website
2. Vote (Again) For Your Favourite Windows 7 Website
3. Windows 7 Forum: What’s Your Windows Experience Score?
4. Hide Windows 7 Media Center Startup Strips
5. Windows 7 Build 7048 Sound Schemes, Icons And Other Goodies
6. Upgrading Windows 7 Forum – Which is Best: SMF, vBulletin, IPB or phpBB?

Windows 7 allows you to manage roles and features for remotely administered computers running Server 2008 R2, Server 2008, or Server 2003. If you require access to these servers you must download the tools from Microsoft and install them. These tools can only be installed on computers that are running Windows 7 Enterprise, Professional, or Ultimate editions.

To begin the installation option go to:

Download from Microsoft

The Next step is to get updates

Searching For Updates

This will permit Windows 7 to get the software  updates necessary to load the Server Administration Tools.

Install the Updates

Select Yes from the option, and download the package.

Copying Packages

Now accept the license.

Read the License and Accept the Terms

That done, the updates will be installed.

Updates Are Installed

Finally, the tool installation update is complete.

Installation Complete

Now you are ready to configure the tools. Go to Start-> Control Panel.

From the menu select the Control Panel link

Next go to Programs

Select the Programs option

Select Programs and Features

Programs- Features -> Turn Windows Features on or off

Select Remote Server Administration Tools

Select Remote Server Administration Tools

Expand the option.

Expand Remote Server Administration Tools and select the options you want to use.

When you install tools for specific roles, role services, and features within Administration Tools, you install only a set of snap-ins and tools for remote management of those roles, role services, and features installed on other computers.

Installing  the administration tools does not install any roles or features on the local computer.

Related posts:

1. Window 7 Remote Server Administration Tools
2. How To Use BranchCache in Windows 7
3. How to Use NetSetMan with Windows 7
4. How to Shrink a Volume in Windows 7
5. Window 7 DirectAccess and BranchCache Will Improve Access For Remote Workers
6. How To Extend a Partition in Windows 7

There is certainly no shortage of logon screen editors for the Windows 7 operating system. We here at Windows 7 News have reviewed several in the past (see: Windows 7 Logon Changer, Windows 7 Logon Background Changer or Customizing the Windows 7 Logon Screen) and the Windows 7 Logon Screen Editor is another program that falls right into that category.

The portable software program needs to be started with administrative rights but that’s the only requirement. The application offers two main functions: To change the background image and to change the shadow type of the logon screen.

The background image can be easily changed by selecting another image from the local computer system. The shadow type by clicking on the + icon in the lower right corner of the screen. The program comes with an option to reset the logon background. The Windows 7 Logon Screen Editor can be downloaded from Deviant Art.

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Logon Background Changer
2. Windows 7 Logon Changer
3. Windows 7 Logon Screen Rotator
4. Customizing the Windows 7 Logon Screen
5. Automatic Logon Into Windows 7
6. Windows 7 To Support Logon Background Customization

Microsoft has released several Windows 7 related guides in the past few days. One of the guides is the Windows 7 Product Guide which can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website free of charge. The guide, which is offered as an impressive 62 Megabyte pdf file or 30 Megabyte xps file, provides a “detailed look at the many new and improved features in Windows 7″.

The Windows 7 Product Guide provides a detailed look at the many new and improved features in Windows 7. The guide is designed as an accurate source of information that can help you to understand how Windows 7 Simplifies Everyday Tasks, Works the Way You Want, and Makes New Things Possible. The guide is also designed to provide IT Professionals with information about how to Make People Productive Anywhere, Manage Risk Through Enhanced Security and Control, and Reduce Costs by Streamlining PC Management. This is not a help and how to guide. Rather, it provides an overview of the many exciting features in Windows 7 and pointers to more information.

The Windows 7 Product Guide has three major sections on 139 pages. Part 1 is an introduction to Windows 7. It provides details about the different Windows 7 editions, upgrade options and features that have been introduced in the new operating system. The second chapter addresses Windows 7 end users by showcasing how Windows 7 simplifies their day-to-day work on the computer. The third part is for IT professionals detailing Windows 7 deployment options, hardware and software logo programs, optimizations, PC security and administration.

The appendix contains several interesting charts. Next to comparison of Windows 7 editions and Windows 7 to Windows XP and Windows Vista are charts that outline the new keyboard shortcuts in Windows 7 which can be very helpful for users who like to work with shortcuts.

The Windows 7 Product Guide is available for download at the Microsoft website.

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4. Windows 7 Developer Guide
5. 1 day left to Win the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in Paperback
6. Win the Windows 7 Power Users Guide in paperback (+10 ebooks)

Back in September, I wrote an article entitled Windows 7 Guides: Windows Media Player 12 which covered the basics of the new interface and a few player options. This time around I wanted to overview, in my opinion, the best feature in the new media player, Play To. Basically, Play To provides the user the ability to send media from one pc to any device that is Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatible. In short, this means that you could send a picture located on your pc, in your bedroom, to a digital picture frame located in your living room as long as it was networked. This is also true for music and video, which brings me to Windows Media Player 12. If you do have DNLA compatible devices, you can use WMP 12 to stream your files to those devices.

(Note: You will need to set up the computer to receive streamed media by changing the Media Streaming Options under the Network and Sharing Center.)

Before using Play To, you will first need to turn on Streaming. To do this, with media player open, click Stream and then click Turn on media streaming. You will then be given some options for sharing media and which devices you wish to allow.

Once the streaming has been turned on, there are two different ways to send Play To items to the desired device:

You can right-click the item that you wish to play and move your cursor to the Play To option and select the device you want to receive that media file.

Another way to send items, is to drag and drop the desired items into the task pane on the right-hand side of the player, then click on the Play To button at the top of the task pane window and select the device to receive the media.

Once the media is sent, you can use the playback controls to perform normal playback functions on the streamed media.

(Note: Play To is also available outside of Windows Media Player, which can be activated by right-clicking on the file to be sent and selecting the Play To option.)

The Play To feature in Windows 7 is one of the best media features that I use pretty consistently. If you have a DLNA device or multiple devices on a network, there is no better way to take advantage of this great feature. It’s ease of use and simple setup make a great idea even better.

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Media Streaming
2. Windows 7 Guides: Windows Media Player 12
3. Windows 7 Adds Native .mov Playback
4. Windows 7 To Support Digital Cable Tuners With CableCARD
5. Windows 7 And Its Running Processes
6. Windows 7 Guides: Windows Live Applications

If you want to install a specific edition of Windows 7, say Windows 7 Professional, you need a Windows 7 Professional setup disk or iso image. If you only got another edition of Windows 7 you are out of luck. The Windows 7 ISO Edition Switcher provides users with a solution to patch a Windows 7 ISO so that it will install a different version of the operating system during setup. It is for instance possible to turn a Windows 7 Ultimate edition into Windows 7 Professional. The user installing the operating system still needs a valid product key for the Windows 7 edition that gets installed afterwards but the need to re-download or create an ISO image is no longer delaying the installation.

The portable software programs comes with patch files which need to be loaded after execution. Users simply need to pick the target version that they want to install and then the iso image on the computer’s hard drive. The program will then patch the ISO image so that the selected edition of Windows 7 can be installed.

The very same website contains another patch that will turn a Windows 7 iso into an universal disk which can be used to install all different editions of Windows 7. Visit Win7Utils for downloads and additional information. (via Download Squad)

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6. Microsoft to Sell Windows 7 on USB Drives (And A HOWTO: Do It Yourself)

Ever since I began playing around with the first beta releases of Windows 7 I was confident that Windows 7 would be the next operating system for my computers. I had been running Windows XP since it came out many years ago and while it was still a great operating system it missed several of the important updates that Windows Vista and now Windows 7 introduced. I quickly pre-ordered Windows 7 from the Amazon UK shop as it was much cheaper there than in my country’s Amazon shop. And since I wanted to use an English version anyway I decided to purchase Windows 7 Professional. The main reason for that edition was merely that it was the last edition missing in my collection. I had purchased an Acer Aspire Timeline 3810 laptop earlier which came with a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium and my attendance at a Windows 7 conference in November would supply me with Windows 7 Ultimate.

I knew that there was no direct way of upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 but since I always felt that upgrades would carry all the weight and excess of the old operating system the decision was quickly made to do a clean installation of Windows 7. The main problem with clean installs is to find a way to move the data from the old installation or computer system to the new one. I’m talking about essential stuff like documents, photos, specific applications, emails, web browser bookmarks and everything else that was accumulated over time.

The first thing that I did was to create a priority list that contained files and applications that I needed to move to Windows 7. It usually is easy enough to install the applications anew but it is more difficulty to transfer the settings and data to the new system. It is usually up to the individual to research possibilities to backup data and restore it on another computer system. It was easy enough for me as my main applications were Firefox and Thunderbird, which both could be backed up and restored easily with MozBackup. It took a bit longer to research the information for some other applications but I was eventually able to backup the data and files that I needed.

Hardware drivers were another aspect of the migration that I needed to take care of. I downloaded all relevant drivers for the computer hardware installed in my computer system. This included audio and video drivers, drivers for the network adapter, computer monitor and basically anything else that was connected to the system.

I initiated the Windows 7 installation from within Windows XP and had to select custom installation. This was outlined in a small sheet that was distributed with the Windows 7 Professional box. The installation went smoothly. It took between 30-60 minutes before the Windows 7 desktop was shown. A quick check revealed that two hardware devices were not recognized by the operating system. One of the devices was the network adapter which I was able to install with the drivers that I downloaded previously. The other devices was the Creative X-Fi sound adapter which also installed fine after supplying the drivers.

My overall Windows 7 upgrade experience was excellent. It took less than four hours to update to Windows 7 including all the preparations in the old system.

How was your Windows 7 Upgrade or installation experience? Did yours run as smoothly as mine or did you run into issues that you had to fix?

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2. Windows 7 Upgrade Performance
3. Will You Upgrade, Clean Install Or Use Pre-Installed Windows 7?
4. Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
5. Windows 7 Device Experience
6. How To Upgrade From XP To Windows 7

Just though you guys might find this interesting, I just came across this video which features the Windows 7 logo, made out of 7000 dominoes.

22 Microsoft employees at Microsoft’s Hyderabad Center in India, must have spent hours putting it together, but it only took 3 minutes to bring it down.

It’s quite impressive, complete with a fireworks finale ( with dominoes ), the Windows slogan ” Windows, life without walls” and a balloon release, again in the shape of the Windows logo.

What do you guys think about it? Let us know in the comments

Sources:

Engadget

Techinfo-4u

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6. $200 BeanBag Competition Winner!!

When I first saw Robert’s post about the Windows 7 Whopper I thought it was a joke, but then I realised that this heart attack in a wrapper was real.  In my university days we had a few nights out where the guys tried to out eat each other including one night when we tried (and failed) to eat the entire McDonald’s menu, but none of us would have taken on this monster!  Here’s a great video of ‘CheapyD & CampingKev’ taking on the Window 7 Whopper:

My wife nearly threw up just from watching the first 30 seconds!  The Windows 7 Whopper is definitely one for sharing:

• Windows 7 Whooper features 7 patties
• Priced at 777 yen, (approx $8.55) for the first 30 Burger King customers then 1,450 yen ( $17.10 )

How many calories do you think are in the Windows 7 Whopper?

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6. Congratulations Spiros Giokaris – First Man To Legally Buy Windows 7!

I was hoping that Windows 7 News team member Sean would have posted some photos from his Windows 7 Launch Party by now….unfortunately we’ll have to make do with some Windows 7 Launch Photos borrowed from Gizmodo:

[View with PicLens]

12►

I never expected that people would bake Windows 7 cakes.  To be honest the parties don’t look as lame as I thought they would!

Did you do anything to celebrate Windows 7’s launch or did you just get on with installing your new software? Me?  I spent most of the worrying about keeping the site alive as we got a very big traffic spike.  Apart from a twenty minute bad spell, our new server performed admirably!

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Over the last 2 years we’ve pulled together a number of Windows 7 Guides that will help you decide which version of Windows 7 is right for you, as well as how to get the most out of Windows 7.  However, this site now has competition in the form of the official Windows 7 Product Guide from Microsoft that weighs in at a weighty 140 pages.

On the download page the following overview is displayed:

The Windows 7 Product Guide provides a detailed look at the many new and improved features in Windows 7. The guide is designed as an accurate source of information that can help you to understand how Windows 7 Simplifies Everyday Tasks, Works the Way You Want, and Makes New Things Possible. The guide is also designed to provide IT Professionals with information about how to Make People Productive Anywhere, Manage Risk Through Enhanced Security and Control, and Reduce Costs by Streamlining PC Management. This is not a help and how to guide. Rather, it provides an overview of the many exciting features in Windows 7 and pointers to more information. The Windows 7 Product Guide is available in both XPS and PDF formats.

The guide is very comprehensive and is split into 3 key sections:

1. Introduction to Windows 7
2. Windows 7 Features in detail
3. Windows 7 For IT Professionals

Personally I think the guide is a bit too big, but it’s a good Windows 7 reference document to keep on your PC or desk.

More: Windows 7 Product Guide

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2. Windows 7 Reviewer’s Guide
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4. Windows 7 Developer Guide
5. Three Windows 7 E-Learning Clinics Up
6. The Windows 7 Power Users Guide Sample Chapter – EXCLUSIVE [last chance to download it!]

The Windows Messenger Plus! team have been busy and have created a Windows 7 Theme For Windows Live Messenger.  The skin is available in Italian and English versions:

If you haven’t come across Messenger Plus! Live before, it’s a great free addon that enables lots of additional functionality in Windows Live Messenger, including tabbed chats, chat logging and personalised status.

Download Windows 7 Theme.

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Remember when we brought you the news that Microsoft and Fox had teamed up to create a one off special variety show with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. Well it now turns out Microsoft have decided to pull out of sponsoring the show.

Microsoft claim that after reviewing an early version of the show, they realised that the show didn’t really represent the Microsoft brand very well. Microsoft were planning to use this show to promote Windows 7 but because of some Family Guy style humor in the show, Microsoft withdrew from being the main sponsors after they discovered the show would “include riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest.”

However the actually show itself, complete with all the Windows 7 references, will still be aired on November 8th but you wont be bombarded with Windows 7 advertisements at every commercial.

We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand… We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent.

I don’t know how Microsoft didn’t realise that the creator of Family Guy might add a bit of twist to the Microsoft brand, but I think Engadget sum it up very well

We’re not sure how 10 years and over 120 episodes of offensive precedence bypassed Redmond’s radars, but man, that’s gotta be some strong personal bubble.

At least we still have a brief preview of the show from the Windows 741 site

Source:

Engadget

The Raw Feed

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From yourgreenfriend.com

The home theater PC, or “HTPC” as it is often called, has never really gained a lot of traction – it seems doomed to forever remain a niche product, especially as home video game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation step up and become high-definition media devices.

Still, with streaming video Web sites like Hulu confined to PCs, the HTPC can still have a place under many TVs, and the low cost of decent computing equipment these days makes it more affordable than ever to put one together.

In this, the first post in a two part series, I’ll cover why Windows 7 is an ideal operating system to use in an HTPC – in the next post, I’ll show you what I used to put together my own HTPC and why.

The first question to ask when considering any HTPC: What kind of a computer does it need to be? The ideal HTPC should fit in a small amount of space, usually in one’s home entertainment center under one’s television, and it should be quiet – nothing will ruin a movie or TV show like the whir of one or more loud fans.

So, small and quiet. To keep things suitably inaudible, most people will need to use a slower processor that generates less heat – less heat means less fans means less noise. Unfortunately, this means the computer isn’t going to be breaking a lot of speed records.

This is where Windows 7 comes in – Windows XP will run well on low-end and low-power hardware, but it takes more time to setup. Installing Windows XP on a new PC nowadays involves hunting down a lot of drivers, downloading a lot of updates and doing a lot of fiddling with its rapidly-aging user interface. You’ll also need to find DVD codecs and, unless you happen to have the Media Center edition of the OS, some good third-party HTPC software. Also, let’s face it, XP is rapidly nearing the end of its useful life.

Windows Vista improves the situation somewhat – the Windows Media Center application is built-in to the Home Premium and Ultimate editions, DVD codecs are included, and it looks better on a wider variety of screens. Still, depending on your configuration, Vista might be too slow for your taste even after a couple of service packs and dozens of patches. Intel’s Atom processor is a great choice for an HTPC – it is generally fast enough for most applications, and it doesn’t generate a lot of heat. Vista just isn’t going to be happy on such a processor, however.

Windows 7 is great on an HTPC because it marries the look and functionality of Vista to the hardware requirements of XP (it gets pretty close, anyway). The Media Center application, which we’ve written about before, makes organizing, watching and listening to audio and video convenient, and Windows 7 handles larger fonts and icons better than the aging XP.

So, using Windows 7 as a base, I’ve put together a cheap, low-power, reasonably functional HTPC that wouldn’t have been nearly as good if I had built it before October 22. Tune in tomorrow, when I’ll let you know the particulars of the components I’ve picked.  In the meantime, check out the Windows 7 Media Center PC Everton built for less than $300.

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Managing the size of your partitions is always challenging. Using third party partition software has been standard for several years now. But with Windows 7 you can make some modifications to the partition without using an external third party source.

In a previous post we showed how to shrink a volume. Here we do the opposite, how to extend a volume.
We Begin with Start -> Control Panel

Click Start and then Select Control Panel

Next select System and Security

System And Security

The next step in the process is to select Administrative Tools

Administrative Tools

Select Computer Management

Computer Management

Next select the drive or partition that you want to extend or resize.

Working with the Simple Drive

On the Simple drive the New Volume (J) has 200 mb available. In order to extend drive (I) to contain the additional space, one must first delete the volume.

Delete The Volume with the space that you will use

Select Yes

Do You Want To Delete

The Volume gets deleted and the volume has an unallocated amount of disk space. You are now ready to extend the volume.

The Disk1 with a primary partition and an unallocated volume

Now select the volume to extend. In this case it is the Simple Drive. Right Click and from the Options Available follow the steps.

Select the Extend Volume Option

Follow the Wizard

Extend the Volume Wizard

The window will show what available space you can use. In this case, it is the 200 mb that was taken from the deleted volume.

Disk Space available to extend: 200mb

Completing the operation follows

Finish The Extended Volume Operation

Results: The entire primary partition has additional space.

The Extended Volume - New Size

This completes the change. It is easy and it can allow you some modification to the partition.

One other note. If you have upgraded from XP or Vista to Windows 7 there will be a Windows.old folder that you can remove to recover additional hard drive space. It is recommended that you do this before you shrink or extend your volume partition.

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With all of the excitement surrounding the testing and launch of Windows 7, it seems that one demographic of PC users have been left out…the gamers. While I have read a few articles on gaming in the new OS, very little has been said as to how Windows 7 will improve this experience. This is also one of the few areas that pertains to users of both PC and Mac users, because whether Mac users like to admit it or not, they probably use Windows for PC gaming. Many will contest that the PC gaming market is dying, but that’s perception of the few. There are a few popular titles that will probably never be written for a console, not to mention, a PC is able to constantly push the threshold of graphics because graphics cards are developed and upgraded more often than gaming consoles. So, what are the advantages of gaming in Windows 7 versus Vista or XP?

DirectX 11 – DirectX 11 is perhaps the largest improvement in WIndows 7 gaming. PC game developers have already begun taking advantage of the improvements that DirectX 11 will allow. Stage Select claims that, “The power of DirectX 11 also claims to improve in-game details without sacrificing gameplay”.

Per Microsoft, DirectX 11 features include:

• Tessellation – Tessellation is implemented on the GPU to calculate a smoother curved surface resulting in more graphically detailed images, including more lifelike characters in the gaming worlds that you explore.
• Multi-Threading – The ability to scale across multi-core CPUs will enable developers to take greater advantage of the power within multi-core CPUs. This results in faster framerates for games, while still supporting the increased visual detailing.
• DirectCompute – Developers can utilize the power of discrete graphics cards to accelerate both gaming and non-gaming applications. This improves graphics, while also enabling players to accelerate everyday tasks, like video editing, on their Windows 7 PC.

Games for Windows- This didn’t quite take off in previous Windows, but a growing catalogue and more support should help turn the corner for Games for Windows. Microsoft touts that Games for Windows guarentees: Quality, Compatibility, Saftey Features and games are Easy to Play. 

Games in Windows 7- While this feature was not always consistent in Windows Vista, I have found that every game I have installed in Windows 7 has found its way to the Games folder where it has been catalogued properly. This gives the user one place to store and keep track of all their games. Another feature that has made its way from Vista is the ability for Parents to control their kids gaming experiences using the Parental Control feature.

The Drawback to Windows 7 Gaming- Some games which are not designed to run on Windows 7 may have difficulty installing on the new OS. Compatibility Mode and patches may fix these hiccups, but it may be time to trash some old favorite titles. I haven’t had any major problems with games installing and running under Windows 7, except for Need For Speed: Undercover. Some users have been able to get this game to work, but I have visited every forum and tried pretty much everything and it’s a no go.

Crysis on Very High

While this is certainly not a benchmark test to compare across the board, my own personal experience on Windows 7 has been great. Crysis, the quintessential measuring stick for graphics-intensive games has produced a higher frame rate and seems to run smoother on my installation of Windows 7 than Vista or XP (all on the same hardware). So, there you have it gamers, Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about you. In fact, with the promise of DirectX 11 and some impressive game titles in the pipeline…the best may be yet to come.

Sound off in the comments about your experiences with Windows 7 gaming. Also, if anybody has a sure-fire way to get NFS: Undercover to work for me, I’d appreciate any suggestions.

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In the lead up to the Windows 7 release, we heard all about proposed Windows 7 “E” editions for people in Europe because of the European Commissions objection for the inclusion of IE8 in the OS. This “E” edition of Windows 7 would be shipped without a browser to keep the E.U happy, however this “E” Edition was cancelled and replaced with a browser ballot screen. This ballot screen will appear once you install Windows 7 and will give you an option to select a browser of your choice to install.

However since Windows 7 was released on the 22nd October, multiple reports have come in from users in Europe who say they were never shown this ballot screen. It turns out this ballot screen is still open for industry feedback and has not yet been passed by the European Commission as a legally binding agreement.

Browser makers and everyone else has until November to oppose this proposal, and after this the European Commission may decide to make it an article 9 decision which would make it a legally binding commitment.

Assuming the industry and the E.U agree to this, Microsoft will have 8 weeks to distribute the ballot screen to Windows 7 users in the E.U who are using IE8 as their default browser. This browser ballot screen is also set to go out to Windows XP and Windows Vista users as well. The ballot screen will be applied via a Windows Update.

So depending on the reaction of the industry, this browser ballot screen may never come to light. Opera have already expressed their dissatisfaction because the browser ballot is listed in alphabetical order so as a result they are last in the ballot screen.

We recently posted an article asking which browser you would choose if every Windows 7 edition came with a ballot screen. It also tells you a bit about each browser to help you make a decision, see it here.

Source:

The Register

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Microsoft have launched the compatibility centre for Windows 7.  A website simply containing a database of software and hardware that is known to work fine with their new operating system.

The database is by no means exhaustive.  The first software package I searched for, Microsoft’s own Photodraw v2.0 failed to appear in the database even though I know it works fine in Windows 7.  The website does give you the opportunity though to add additional hardware and software yourself if you know it to work, which is a nice touch.

With hardware you’re always better first visiting the manufacturer’s website and downloading any Windows 7 drivers, at the same time checking whether those drivers will support both 64 bit and 32 bit versions of Windows 7.

For seeing if some of your older software will work though, this is a useful tool when you’re considering upgrading.

Related posts:

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6. Trouble with Drivers or Software in Windows 7?

Microsoft have embraced video like never before with the launch of Windows 7.  One of the most useful of these videos is a quick tutorial on how to upgrade your PC from Windows XP.

The upgrade from XP is especially important to Microsoft.  This is because of the sheer volume of people who skipped Vista due to its bad press and sluggish performance.

You can’t do an in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.  This is because the two operating systems are so completely different in structure.  The only way to install Windows 7 if you are still using XP is to format your hard disk and start again with a clean install.

You can watch the video on how to make the upgrade process from XP as painless as possible here.

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One of the many frequents arguments that occur in the comments on this site concerns whether macs are built better than PCs.  We asked Windows 7 News special correspondent Ice-T to check it out for us and here are the results of his experiment:

 Round 1 to mac owners who can definitely say they have passed the ‘Ice-T Build Quality’ test!

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To coincide with the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft launched a number of official Windows 7 Themes.  The new Windows 7 Themes were grouped into two categories: Windows 7 Featured Themes and Windows 7 International Themes.

Below you can view and download the wallpapers from each Windows 7 International Theme, as well as find links to download the complete themes:

Official Windows 7 Australia Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Brazil Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Canada Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 China Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 France Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Germany Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 India Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Italy Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Japan Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Korea Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Mexico Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Netherlands Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Poland Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Russia Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 South Africa Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Spain Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Taiwan Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 Turkey Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 United Kingdom Theme

6 Photos

Official Windows 7 United States Theme

6 Photos

 

Download links for each of the Windows 7 Themes above can be found on the next page.

No related posts.