Windows 7 is here
- 13 years ago
Windows 7 is finally out. Would you like to see all the new features and improvements it brings to your computer? Let's have a look.
The most outstanding characteristic in Windows 7 is the system's new taskbar. After years without any outstanding changes, the taskbar now has a new look and feel, and also offers more functionality.
Program icons are bigger and easier to click on. Like in the Mac OS Dock, they can be used for both launching programs and switching among running apps.
Some programs hide a list of frequent tasks in their taskbar icons. They are called Jump lists and enable you to launch frequently used commands in a program right from the taskbar icon. To see a program's Jump list, simply right click its icon. Bear in mind thought that this feature is not included in every program.
Minimized windows and applications are easier to manage in Windows 7, thanks to the AeroPeek functionality: whenever you minimize any window or application to the taskbar, they will display a thumbnail with the window's content so that you can distinguish them more easily.
If you place your mouse over these thumbnails, you'll make all the other windows transparent, enabling you to have a full preview of the window before switching to it.
One last AeroPeek trick: hover your mouse over the right end of the taskbar and you'll be able to see your desktop.
The taskbar is also the place where Windows 7 displays all system messages.
These notifications are handled through the Action center and classified into two main categories: Security and Maintenance.
The Start menu in Windows 7 is very similar to Vista's. Simply start typing the name of any program you want to run, or any file you want to open, and the system will display search results in real time.
But there's more to the Start menu than just running programs. You can also launch any task included in Windows 7's Jump lists, and access recently opened files in a quicker way.
Windows 7 gadgets also include new features. Now they are not locked up in the Sidebar, as they were in Windows Vista. You can freely arrange them around the desktop and place them wherever you want.
Some of them include options to tweak their transparency, and choose between small or large interface. Oh, and in case you were wondering: yes, Vista gadgets are compatible with Windows 7.
Windows Explorer has been greatly improved in Windows 7. You can now manage windows more easily with your mouse. Drag any window to the side and it will be automatically resized, taking exactly half of your screen. This comes in really handy when you need to work with two windows opened at the same time, like reading one document while writing another.
Likewise, if you drag any window to the top of the screen it will be maximized. Move it down again, or double click the title bar, and the window will go back to its original size without having to restore it.
One more trick: do you have too many windows on the desktop? Shake the one you want to keep on top of the screen and all the other windows will be minimized. If you shake that selected window once more, all opened windows and apps will show up again.
Browsing folders on your system just got easier thanks to the new file preview functions in Windows Explorer. Simply browse to any folder with photos, videos or documents, enable the preview pane and select the file you want to check. This preview shows the actual contents of the selected file.
Now, what about customization? Windows 7 won't let you down with this either. Right click anywhere on the desktop, select "Personalization" and you'll be able to customize the system's look and feel to your liking in a very simple way.
Windows 7 now includes themes - predefined packs of wallpaper, window color, sounds and screensaver - that can be easily adapted to your personal taste or needs. What's more, you can download more themes from the Microsoft website for free, and install them in a couple of clicks.
Windows 7 is not only a new operating system. It also includes new, improved versions of popular Microsoft apps such as Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Player 12, DirectX 11 and the revamped versions of Paint, Wordpad and the Windows Calculator.
Even the game collection shipped by default with the system has been enhanced with new titles like Chess and Mahjong.
But we'll be talking about this in detail in future screencasts. For now, we'll let you explore Windows 7 by yourself and discover all the new features and improvements in Microsoft's new operating system.
The most outstanding characteristic in Windows 7 is the system's new taskbar. After years without any outstanding changes, the taskbar now has a new look and feel, and also offers more functionality.
Program icons are bigger and easier to click on. Like in the Mac OS Dock, they can be used for both launching programs and switching among running apps.
Some programs hide a list of frequent tasks in their taskbar icons. They are called Jump lists and enable you to launch frequently used commands in a program right from the taskbar icon. To see a program's Jump list, simply right click its icon. Bear in mind thought that this feature is not included in every program.
Minimized windows and applications are easier to manage in Windows 7, thanks to the AeroPeek functionality: whenever you minimize any window or application to the taskbar, they will display a thumbnail with the window's content so that you can distinguish them more easily.
If you place your mouse over these thumbnails, you'll make all the other windows transparent, enabling you to have a full preview of the window before switching to it.
One last AeroPeek trick: hover your mouse over the right end of the taskbar and you'll be able to see your desktop.
The taskbar is also the place where Windows 7 displays all system messages.
These notifications are handled through the Action center and classified into two main categories: Security and Maintenance.
The Start menu in Windows 7 is very similar to Vista's. Simply start typing the name of any program you want to run, or any file you want to open, and the system will display search results in real time.
But there's more to the Start menu than just running programs. You can also launch any task included in Windows 7's Jump lists, and access recently opened files in a quicker way.
Windows 7 gadgets also include new features. Now they are not locked up in the Sidebar, as they were in Windows Vista. You can freely arrange them around the desktop and place them wherever you want.
Some of them include options to tweak their transparency, and choose between small or large interface. Oh, and in case you were wondering: yes, Vista gadgets are compatible with Windows 7.
Windows Explorer has been greatly improved in Windows 7. You can now manage windows more easily with your mouse. Drag any window to the side and it will be automatically resized, taking exactly half of your screen. This comes in really handy when you need to work with two windows opened at the same time, like reading one document while writing another.
Likewise, if you drag any window to the top of the screen it will be maximized. Move it down again, or double click the title bar, and the window will go back to its original size without having to restore it.
One more trick: do you have too many windows on the desktop? Shake the one you want to keep on top of the screen and all the other windows will be minimized. If you shake that selected window once more, all opened windows and apps will show up again.
Browsing folders on your system just got easier thanks to the new file preview functions in Windows Explorer. Simply browse to any folder with photos, videos or documents, enable the preview pane and select the file you want to check. This preview shows the actual contents of the selected file.
Now, what about customization? Windows 7 won't let you down with this either. Right click anywhere on the desktop, select "Personalization" and you'll be able to customize the system's look and feel to your liking in a very simple way.
Windows 7 now includes themes - predefined packs of wallpaper, window color, sounds and screensaver - that can be easily adapted to your personal taste or needs. What's more, you can download more themes from the Microsoft website for free, and install them in a couple of clicks.
Windows 7 is not only a new operating system. It also includes new, improved versions of popular Microsoft apps such as Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Player 12, DirectX 11 and the revamped versions of Paint, Wordpad and the Windows Calculator.
Even the game collection shipped by default with the system has been enhanced with new titles like Chess and Mahjong.
But we'll be talking about this in detail in future screencasts. For now, we'll let you explore Windows 7 by yourself and discover all the new features and improvements in Microsoft's new operating system.