Welcome to Windows 7 Resources. Windows 7 was released on October 22nd 2009 and is already the operating system everyone is talking about these days. In this section we will collect together Windows 7 related technology resources both from this blog and around the web.

To kick off here are some quick pointers to resources you might find useful:

• One of the first things you should consider is Which version of Windows 7 should you go for?
• The next thing you really should do if considering an upgrade is run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
• You can go to the official home of Windows 7 at Windows 7 Homepage.
• Check out the Microsoft TechNet Windows 7 Springboard site.

Windows 7 New Features

If you are wondering why you should upgrade to Windows 7, here are some of the new features available:

• Desktop Peek
  • Hide Icons and Widgets
  • Ok, we could hide icons before but now we can choose to hide icons, widgets or both.
  • Click on the small rectangle at the bottom of the taskbar and you can quickly view your desktop. You can now also do this using the alt-tab combination (the desktop is the last item in the list)
• More Advanced Context Menu
  • Right clicking on the programs area in the task bar now brings up far more information and options than has been available in earlier versions of windows including recent documents.
• Media Streaming
  • Media streaming is now built into Windows 7. Lets hope it doesn’t provide choppy sound quality.
• Media Mini Mode
  • A better, improved Mini Mode for music.
• New Programs on Start Menu
  • Newly installed programs can now be pinned onto the start menu pin menu by default.
• Highlighted Search Terms
  • A small, but useful, change highlights your search terms.
• XP Mode
  • Run XP applications in a virtual environment and requires at least Windows 7 Professional. We talked about this in a previous article and it has since had the window dressing removed so applications running under the virtual environment seem like normal applications.
• Touch and Multi-Touch
  • Windows 7 is getting all touchy feely introducing a number of gestures (not the three fingered salute kind).

Tips for Upgrading to Windows 7

There are two important things you should do prior to installing Windows 7 if you are upgrading.

• Firstly, run the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, we talked about this recently in Are you ready for Windows 7 ? This tool will analyse key areas of your system to ensure your computer meets the requirements of Windows 7.
• Secondly, you should ensure you have all the key drivers handy – including networking drivers (both wireless and wired as appropriate) – to ensure you can get updates once you have installed Windows 7. Also, video drivers to ensure Windows 7 will operate correctly. Take a look at your additional devices such as Keyboard, Mouse, Printer, Scanner, etc to ensure you can identify Windows 7 compatible drivers.

Hints, Tips and How To’s About Windows 7

Once Windows 7 is installed you should head into Start then Maintenance and Create a System Repair Disc – this will ensure you can restore your computer without going through the painful rebuild procedure.

Another thing you may want to do is head into Tools then Folder options and uncheck the Hide Empty Drives options.

To maximise a Windows press the Windows Key and Up Arrow, to minimise it press the Windows Key and Down Arrow.

To quickly see the desktop press the Windows Key and Spacebar – this is similar to pressing the little grey block at the end of the taskbar.

Use Windows Key and Left Arrow to dock a window to the left of the screen. The same works on the right side of the screen with the Windows Key and Right Arrow.

To lock the screen press Windows Key and L key.

If you want to play various videos and music files you could download some additional Windows 7 Codecs from this third party site: http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html.

Here are some handy links to websites which have all sorts of useful hints and tips to help us get the most out of Windows 7.

• The Bumper List of Windows 7 Secrets
• 50 seriously useful Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets
• How To Install Windows 7 On Almost Any Netbook
• Windows 7: How to check if your computer is Windows 7 compatible
• Windows 7: How to remove the Windows 7 RC build info from your desktop
• 10 cool Windows 7 tips, tweaks and secrets

Windows 7 Key Shortcuts

As we discover new productivity keyboard shortcuts in Windows 7 we will add them here. Win refers to the Windows Key. The + symbol means press the Windows key and the next key together.

• ALT SHORTCUT KEYS
  • Alt+P = When in Explorer toggles the Preview Window
  • Alt+G = Display widgets
• WINDOWS SHORTCUT KEYS
  • Win+E = Launch Explorer
  • Win+L = Lock Computer
  • Win+T = Loop through the Taskbar items
  • Win+Home = Minimise everything except current Window
  • Win+Up = Maximse Window
  • Win+Down = Minimise Window
  • Win+Left = Dock Window Left
  • Win+Right = Dock Window Right
  • Win+Plus Key = Launch Magnifier and Zoom In
  • Win+Minus Key = Zoom Out

News Articles About Windows 7

• Windows 7 borrowed ‘look’ of Mac (Nov 13, 2009)
• Windows 7 rush breaks UK retail records (Oct 22, 2009)
• Microsoft part 2: Planning for Windows 7 and beyond (May 18,2009)
• Dismal economy hits corporate Windows 7 testing (May 14, 2009)
• Windows 7 – It’s like Vista, only less annoying • The Register (April 30, 2009)
• Downgrade plan for Windows 7 PCs (April 9, 2009)
• Microsoft Windows 7 in depth review: CES 2009 – Telegraph (Jan 8, 2009)
• Engineering Windows 7

Articles About Windows 7 From This Site

• Windows 7 RC Available On TechNet
• Clean Install Windows 7 Beta Upgrades
• Installing Windows 7 Beta
• Downloading Windows 7 Beta
• Video: Windows 7 Screen Shots
• Windows 7 Snippets from PDC 2008