Compiling a Windows 7 FAQ

ThraxThrax 🐌Austin, TX Icrontian
edited November 2009 in Science & Tech
I'm writing an IC article that answers every common Windows 7 question I can think of. I know many of you guys have some questions, so please leave 'em as a reply, and I'll hit them in the article. :) Thanks.

Comments

  • FelixDeSouzeFelixDeSouze UK New
    edited October 2009
    Can Windows 7 make a cuppa tea for me?

    OH! And can it make my bed?

    Real Q's to follow ;)
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited November 2009
    Good idea Thrax. On my TPad, Win7 Pro 32, when I come out of hibernation or sleep it can take the wireless a few minutes to find my SSID and get an IP address. It's almost as if it doesn't autmatically search for the wireless when it wakes up.

    When I Google that I see various problems with various wireless cards. It's not just power management. I had that problem till I found all the switches to turn off power management. Google is full of it.
  • ParamedicParamedic Texas
    edited November 2009
    Thrax, I stumbled upon your question and thought this text might help you get started. - Paramedic

    Windows 7 Tweaks and Notes

    1. Turning Hibernation on or off:

    At the "Run" command line, type "powercfg -h off" (without quote marks) to turn off hibernation and remove hyberfil.sys.

    At the "Run" command line, type "powercfg -h on" (without quote marks) to turn on hibernation.

    2. Make the 64-bit version of Windows Media Player 11 the default player in Windows Vista x64

    Windows Vista x64 users may want to take one additional step because the 64-bit Windows Vista defaults to the 32-bit version of Windows Media Player 11 to ensure broad file and media compatibility. To specify the 64-bit version of Windows Media Player 11 as the default WMP player for 64-bit Vista, we need to redirect a few program shortcuts.

    The 32-bit WMP11 program is located in the '.../ProgramFiles(x86)/' folder, while the native 64-bit version of WMP11 is located in the '.../ProgramFiles/' folder.

    To set your Vista x64 operating system to default to the 64-bit version of Windows Media Player 11:

    Go to Start (the Vista icon in the lower left corner) > and use one of the following commands (without quotes)...

    To set 64-bit WMP11 as default player type: "unregmp2.exe /SwapTo:64"

    To revert to 32-bit WMP11 as the default player type: "unregmp2.exe /SwapTo:32"

    From now on in Windows Vista x64 you will automatically be able to watch DVDs on the 64-bit version of Windows Media player 11.

    3. If you want Explorer to open to special, pre-set locations, such as Computer, you'll need to enter special syntax in the Target field. Following is a list of three common locations and the syntax to use, followed by the syntax for the Libraries folder in case you ever want to revert to the default.

    •Computer: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
    •My Documents: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
    •Network: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
    •Libraries: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
    The older command, "%windir%\explorer.exe /e,C:\" will open at the C: drive, which I prefer.

    4. Mouse Hover Time - In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse. Double-click MouseHoverTime. The default value you'll see is 400 -- which means 400 milliseconds. Type in a new, smaller value -- 150 is a good bet. Then click OK and exit the Registry Editor. You'll have to log off or restart your computer for the change to take effect.

    5. Get back the Quick Launch bar - Right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars --> New Toolbar. You'll be asked to select a folder for where the new toolbar should live. In the Folder text box at the bottom of the dialog box, enter this text:

    %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

    After you do that, click Select Folder. A link for the Quick Launch bar will be added to the taskbar. It will be on the right of the taskbar, just to the left of the Notification area.

    6.
  • NYCDrewNYCDrew NYC(duh)
    edited November 2009
    Great FAQ!
    http://icrontic.com/articles/the-ultimate-windows-7-faq

    I think you should add a minimum system requirements section.

    Also, you state that no software firewall is needed if you have a router. I always use a software firewall(Zone Alarm) besides my router and have noticed no slow downs or problems with either XP or Win7. Why do you feel people should not run both?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    Because the router features a mechanism called NAT, or network address translation, which makes computers behind the router immune to any remote and/or driveby attacks.

    The only attacks that work against users behind a router are ones initiated by users when they carelessly download a virus or trojan, and a firewall is not going to help you there.
  • Dilbert-FirestormDilbert-Firestorm Nuclear Wasteland, Gretna, LA New
    edited November 2009
    heres one for the faq

    how do you turn off the aero stuff completely off? its irritating me. I turned some of the aero features off, but some apparently remain like when you hover over the task bar, you get a pop up with the image of the program window and when you do some move/copy on a file, an icon is of the file appears.

    you should do one on partitioning.

    btw, I recently got a new asus G71gx-x2 laptop which came with win7, but it came without any operating system manual other than the 2 disks that came with the laptop (ones labeled vista and the other win7). Is this packaging normal?

    so I'm sorta kludging this OS blindly.

    I'll say, its a big jump for me going from win98se to win7, skipped 4 versions.
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