Managed Solutions » Windows 7

Windows 7 Video Tip – Adding new items to the sendto menu

Joe Hackman — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:33:28 +0000

Typical Sendto Menu

When you right click a file or folder on your Windows 7 computer there are several menus available, one of them is the “sendto” menu. This allows you to easily send that file or folder to that program or folder. One important option that is missing in this menu is the notepad program. In this video I demonstrate how to add new items to the sendto menu or specifically the notepad program in the example. You can use it for almost anything a program, network drive even an FTP server.

How to add valuable information to your Windows desktop background (Video)

Joe Hackman — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:00:13 +0000

It seems as though basic system information is often needed but not always easy to get. This video demonstrates how to use the BGinfo program by Sysinternals to display important information on the desktop background of your windows PC. The first couple of minutes show how to edit and use the program then a demonstration showing how to add it to a login script follows that for network admin types.

Here is a screenshot example of the output on one of our test machines:

Have an idea you’d like to see a video demonstration of? If it’s not already here, let us know via comments, contact form or Facebook and we’ll try to get it added to our library.

Updated Windows 7 Application Compatibility List

Joe Hackman — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:26:52 +0000

Microsoft has created a new Application Compatibility List for Windows 7. While they state it is for IT professionals anyone can access it via their website. If you are unsure if applications you need will work (use this link to learn about how to make anything compatible if it is not on the list below) with Windows 7 this is a great place to start:

Windows 7 Application Compatibility List

Windows 7 is Ready for Business

Joe Hackman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:00:48 +0000

It has been a long time since we’ve recommended an initial release of a Microsoft Operating system for business use but we’ve reached that plateau again with Windows 7. We are encouraging our clients to implement Windows 7 when replacing existing systems. There are of course always exceptions to this recommendation, the most important being resource intensive older software applications such as design and cad software. They need to be evaluated for compatibility prior to making the shift. Your basic business machine will happily function with 7, and worse case you can offer reliable compatibility through the Windows XP Compatibility Mode.

If you are considering upgrading existing machines to Windows 7 or purchasing a new computer with Windows 7 installed feel free to contact us for an honest, experienced opinion on what you might want to consider in the process. You don’t have to be a customer or become one, but we’re pretty confident that once you get to know us you will want to be one.

Windows 7 Quicktip Aero Snap Feature

Joe Hackman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:58:23 +0000

The Aero snap feature on Windows 7 is really useful. You can use it to maximize a window by left clicking and dragging that window to the top of the screen or drag left or right to have the active program use that half of the screen. This is what you might see in the Microsoft commercial. There is a small problem, what if you have 2 or more monitors? It doesn’t work unless you drag it all the way to the right, left or top most screen edge. You can actually use this feature even with multiple screens by using the windows key + arrow keys, these are the affects:

Winkey + L/R Arrow cycles the active window through all available visible options (Right Half, Left Half, Normal, Maximize)
Winkey + Up Arrow Maximizes the active window
Winkey + Down Arrow Minimizes the active window

These are must know keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7 users with 2 or more monitors and I like them even on single screens. Please note this does require the Aero interface to be enabled and not all computers support it. For a demonstration of this feature check out this video:

Windows 7 Application Compatibility and XP Mode

Joe Hackman — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:42:17 +0000

When you purchase a new computer that has Windows 7 installed or upgrade your current PC to Windows 7 you will have more to deal with than just a learning curve. New operating systems present compatibility issues, sometimes this includes hardware compatibility other times it involves software applications. Luckily there are some tools within Windows 7 that provide very broad application support. This video demonstrates how to use two of the tools, the individual application compatibility settings and the all new “XP Mode”. Links to the Microsoft site mentioned in this video are at the bottom of this article after the video.

Resources:

Microsoft Virtual PC/Application Compatibility Page

Windows 7 Very Easy System Restore

Joe Hackman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:30:08 +0000

Windows 7 provides an unprecedented feature as far as windows operating systems go, it offers you a very simple to use System Restore function. The typical scenario is you install some new bit of software and within hours or days you notice issues with stability or performance of your computer. You now have a very easy way to go back and restore the system to the previous state. When you perform this step the utility will also report to you which drivers and programs will be affected by the process if you click the “Scan for affected programs” button.

Windows 7 Create a System Repair Disk

Joe Hackman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:14:18 +0000

When you purchase your new Windows 7 Computer you should add to your checklist to create a system repair disk. Once created this disk can be used to save you a lot of headaches and time later should your computer have any issues booting up. This disk once created can be stored in a safe place and hopefully you won’t need it.

Windows 7 Burning ISO Files With Ease

Joe Hackman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:45:55 +0000

One of the things that Windows users have long hungered for is out of the box features like support for burning .iso images to CD/DVD media. Microsoft has really put a lot of effort to bringing more features like the ISO burner to Windows 7. This is a brief demonstration video that will show you how easy it is to access this functionality with your Windows 7 equipped computer:

Windows 7 Problem Steps Recorder PSR

Joe Hackman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:29:40 +0000

Being in IT is often akin to being a detective. You interview people, look at evidence and try to piece together a series of events to decide what occurred after the fact. This is an art, some people are simply amazing at it, it’s a gift they are born with. What about the rest of us? We now have an ally – PSR or Problem Steps Recorder included in Windows 7. You can now demonstrate an issue that is occurring with a very professionally documented reproduction with comments and screen captures. To re-create the output that this program seamlessly produces would require quite a bit of effort. Here is a video sample of this feature: