Microsoft Windows 7 Your Way: Speed Up and Customize Windows

Cover
......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 21
Reader Services......Page 22
Introduction......Page 23
Using the Control Panel......Page 27
Other Ways to Configure Windows......Page 35
Changing Your PC’s Time and Date......Page 38
Changing Your Computer’s Name......Page 42
The Bottom Line......Page 45
Changing Default Programs......Page 47
Changing File Type Defaults......Page 51
Downloading New Applications from Windows Live Essentials......Page 54
Configuring AutoPlay Settings......Page 58
The Bottom Line......Page 59
Changing Desktop Themes......Page 61
Changing the Desktop Background......Page 65
Changing the Color Scheme......Page 70
Changing Display Resolution......Page 71
Changing Font and Window Size......Page 72
Changing Cursor Schemes......Page 73
Organizing the Desktop......Page 75
Using Gadgets......Page 78
Applying a Screen Saver......Page 82
Calibrating Your Monitor......Page 83
Changing System Sounds......Page 86
The Bottom Line......Page 87
What’s New About the Windows 7 Taskbar......Page 89
Using the Windows 7 Taskbar......Page 90
Personalizing the Taskbar......Page 92
Revisiting the Notification Area......Page 97
Peeking at the Desktop......Page 99
The Bottom Line......Page 100
Understanding the Start Menu......Page 101
Customizing the Right Pane of the Start Menu......Page 102
Further Customizing the Start Menu......Page 105
Pinning and Unpinning Items To and From the Start Menu’s Left Pane......Page 106
Clear Recently Opened Files......Page 107
Changing What the Power Button Does......Page 108
Advanced Customizing with the Group Policy Editor......Page 109
The Bottom Line......Page 113
Understanding Windows Explorer......Page 115
Displaying—or Hiding—Different Panes......Page 119
Changing Views......Page 120
Arranging and Sorting Files and Folders......Page 125
Displaying More Details......Page 128
Customizing the Navigation Pane......Page 129
Adding Items to the New Menu......Page 130
The Bottom Line......Page 132
Viewing File Extensions......Page 133
Viewing Hidden and System Files......Page 134
Changing Other Advanced Folder Settings......Page 135
Configuring File Search......Page 137
Creating Libraries of Virtual Files......Page 139
Single-Clicking Versus Double-Clicking......Page 142
Stop Delete Confirmations......Page 143
The Bottom Line......Page 144
Working with Media Libraries and Folders......Page 145
Managing the Pictures Library......Page 147
Managing the Videos Library......Page 153
Managing the Music Library......Page 155
Choosing Music File Formats......Page 159
Customizing Windows Media Player......Page 166
The Bottom Line......Page 177
Using Windows Media Center in the Living Room......Page 179
Configuring a Whole House Audio/Video System......Page 201
Accessing Your Media from Other Computers—At Home or Away......Page 205
The Bottom Line......Page 211
Adding New Users to Your PC......Page 213
Adding a Password to an Account......Page 216
Changing Account Details......Page 217
Changing and Deleting Accounts......Page 221
Managing Parental Controls......Page 224
The Bottom Line......Page 226
Understanding User Account Control......Page 227
Changing User Account Control Settings......Page 230
The Bottom Line......Page 231
Configuring Windows for Network Use......Page 233
Configuring a Network Workgroup......Page 234
Adding Your Computer to a HomeGroup......Page 237
Managing Your Network......Page 238
Managing Wireless Networks......Page 246
The Bottom Line......Page 247
Configuring File Sharing......Page 249
Sharing Files and Folders......Page 252
Sharing Files from Other Computers......Page 255
Installing a Network Printer on Other PCs......Page 258
The Bottom Line......Page 260
Personalizing Internet Explorer......Page 261
Configuring Internet Explorer......Page 273
Working with Browser Add-Ons......Page 282
Working with Accelerators......Page 283
Working with Web Slices......Page 285
Working with Compatibility View......Page 286
Changing Web Browsers......Page 287
The Bottom Line......Page 289
Things That Slow Down Web Browsing......Page 291
Managing Your Cache......Page 294
Dealing with Cookies......Page 297
Reconfiguring Other Settings......Page 298
Uninstalling Unnecessary Add-Ons......Page 301
Browsing Faster with an Alternate DNS Service......Page 303
Increasing the Size of Your DNS Cache......Page 306
Enabling More Simultaneous Connections......Page 308
The Bottom Line......Page 309
Protecting Against Offending Pages with the Content Advisor......Page 311
Managing Cookies......Page 313
Managing Security Zones......Page 317
Protecting Against Phishing Scams with the SmartScreen Filter......Page 319
Blocking Unwanted Pop-Ups......Page 321
Surfing Secretly with InPrivate Browsing......Page 323
Practicing Safe Computing......Page 324
The Bottom Line......Page 330
Managing Notebook Settings with the Mobility Center......Page 331
Using an External Monitor......Page 335
Presenting from Your Notebook......Page 336
Exploring Gadgets for Notebook Users......Page 338
Using Your Notebook to Control Your Office PC from the Road......Page 339
Touchpad Tricks......Page 342
The Bottom Line......Page 346
Understanding Battery Capacity......Page 347
Running on Battery Power......Page 348
Configuring Windows 7’s Power Plans......Page 349
Tips for Extending Battery Life......Page 354
The Bottom Line......Page 356
Backing Up Your Files with Windows Backup......Page 357
Restoring System Files with System Restore......Page 364
Creating a System Repair Disk......Page 365
The Bottom Line......Page 367
Understanding Computer Threats......Page 369
Using the Windows 7 Action Center......Page 375
Defending Against Attacks with the Windows Firewall......Page 377
Defending Against Spyware with Windows Defender......Page 382
Defending Against Malware with Microsoft Security Essentials......Page 385
Protecting Your Wireless Network......Page 404
Using Third-Party Security Tools......Page 408
The Bottom Line......Page 411
Installing and Managing Printers......Page 413
Managing Printers and Other Devices......Page 416
Working with Device Drivers......Page 419
The Bottom Line......Page 422
Running Programs as an Administrator......Page 423
Running Programs in Compatibility Mode......Page 425
Running Older Programs in XP Mode......Page 428
The Bottom Line......Page 433
Hard Disk Capacity—Enough Is Never Enough......Page 435
What’s on Your Hard Disk—And Why?......Page 437
Freeing Up Hard Disk Space by Deleting Bundleware......Page 439
Deleting Unwanted Files with the Disk Cleanup Utility......Page 440
Emptying the Recycle Bin......Page 442
Uninstalling Unwanted Programs......Page 443
The Bottom Line......Page 444
Too Many Running Programs Slows Things Down......Page 445
Discovering Programs That Load Automatically—Without Your Awareness......Page 446
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs from the Startup Folder......Page 449
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs from the Windows Registry......Page 450
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs with the System Configuration Utility......Page 451
Deleting Auto-Loading Programs with Autoruns......Page 452
Turning Windows Features Off (or Back On)......Page 453
The Bottom Line......Page 456
Defragmenting Your Hard Disk......Page 457
Scanning Your Hard Disk for Errors......Page 461
Adding More Hard Disk Space......Page 463
Boosting System Memory with ReadyBoost......Page 467
Adding More System Memory......Page 470
The Bottom Line......Page 474
Using PC Tune-Up Utilities......Page 475
Using File Cleanup Utilities......Page 476
The Bottom Line......Page 477
Understanding the Windows Registry......Page 479
Editing the Registry......Page 481
Editing the Registry to Speed Up Windows......Page 483
Cleaning Up the Registry for Faster Performance......Page 485
The Bottom Line......Page 488
How to Troubleshoot Computer Problems......Page 489
Starting Windows in Safe Mode......Page 490
Starting Windows from the System Repair Disk......Page 492
Diagnosing Startup Problems with the System Configuration Utility......Page 493
Using the Task Manager to Deal with Program Freezes......Page 495
Fixing Driver Problems with the Device Manager......Page 496
The Bottom Line......Page 498
A......Page 499
B......Page 500
C......Page 501
D......Page 503
E......Page 506
F......Page 507
H......Page 508
I......Page 509
L......Page 511
M......Page 512
N......Page 514
O......Page 515
P......Page 516
R......Page 518
S......Page 520
T......Page 523
V......Page 525
W......Page 526
Z......Page 528
Back Cover
......Page 531