A Primer to Windows 7

If you are not particularly savvy with computers, it can be quite difficult to get to grips with a new computer. Many who have struggled with Windows Vista have come out of hiding and recently upgraded. Instead of jumping straight to the latest Microsoft offering Windows 8, which has gotten a lot of flack in recent times, they decided to try out Windows 7 first.

While it is a massive improvement on Windows Vista, Windows 7 will still take a while to get used to. Released in July 2009, Windows 7 was a stupefying upgrade from Windows Vista. Not only does it support multi touch but it was also designed to work on most of the applications and hardware compatible for Windows Vista. To those who still struggle with a Vista hangover, here are some tips and useful features that aim to aid you in maximizing your use of Windows 7 this 2013.

Keyboard shortcuts

There are several keyboard shortcuts which make your computer use easier. If a window is not maximized, you can press the Windows + Up arrow key to make it fill the entire screen. To minimize, you do the opposite (Windows + down). Ever wanted a preview of a file before you opened it? Press Alt + P, and a preview pane will pop up to make it easier for you to choose the correct one. By pressing Windows + Home, you can minimize every open window you have, except for the window you’re currently using. Do it again, and you’ll restore the minimized windows.

Energy reports

It is natural for you to be concerned about power consumption. You can create a report on the subject by pressing the Windows key and typing CMD in the search box. Right click on CMD and select Run as the Administrator. Then type powercfg-energy and press Enter. Powercfg will run for 60 seconds and generate a report for you. It will tell you what is happening that makes the battery bleed quickly.

CD Burning

You do not need to risk the safety of your computer with potentially infected burning software because Windows 7 already has a DVD and CD ISO burning application. Didn’t notice? Double click on your image file and Windows will start up a window to allow you to burn your disk. It is basic but effective.

Clutter Free Taskbar

The taskbar is usually cluttered with applications and software that are either running on your computer and those that are in the background. With the Windows 7’s taskbar version, the cluttering of these apps will not be a problem. The taskbar will handle all of your computer’s running and non running applications and give you a preview of an application’s window.

System Tray

With the Window 7’s version of System Tray, there are new controls users can make use of to shun the influx of unwanted applications that come with irrelevant pop up messages.

Flexible Windows Media Player

If you are a fan of Apple products then you probably have iTunes on your computer. It can be tricky to run iTunes on a pc and it may be difficult to play your media files on the Windows Media Player but with the Windows 7’s Media Player, the new file-format support enables the Media Player 12 to play unprotected video, audio and other media files purchased from the Apple’s Application store.

If all these are still not enough to convince you to ditch Vista for Windows 7 or the recently launched Windows 8, you may also opt to call Windows’ toll free numbers for more details and further convincing.