1. God Mode
It may be
hyperbolically named, but Windows 7's God Mode is indeed omnipresent. It
conveniently puts hundreds of settings from all around the operating system all
in one place.
To turn on God Mode, create a new folder on your desktop--or anywhere you'd like--and name it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. Don't include the final period. The resulting folder will contain 270 items, representing virtually every configurable option in Windows 7.
To turn on God Mode, create a new folder on your desktop--or anywhere you'd like--and name it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. Don't include the final period. The resulting folder will contain 270 items, representing virtually every configurable option in Windows 7.
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2. Problem Steps Recorder
When you need outside PC help, it's much better to let them see for
themselves what's happening on your system. But if remote access isn't an
option, the Problem Steps Recorder may be the next best thing.
Search for and run "psr" from the Start menu. Click Start Record, and the utility will record your activities through a series of screen shots, automatically including captions that show exactly where you clicked. You can also use the Add Comment button to highlight specific areas of the screen and insert custom annotations. When you stop recording, everything will be stitched together and saved as a Web browser-compatible MHTML (MIME HTML) file, conveniently pre-ZIPped and ready for e-mailing to your geek of choice.
Search for and run "psr" from the Start menu. Click Start Record, and the utility will record your activities through a series of screen shots, automatically including captions that show exactly where you clicked. You can also use the Add Comment button to highlight specific areas of the screen and insert custom annotations. When you stop recording, everything will be stitched together and saved as a Web browser-compatible MHTML (MIME HTML) file, conveniently pre-ZIPped and ready for e-mailing to your geek of choice.
3. Hotkey a Window between Monitors
Want an easy and mouse-free way to move windows around a display or,
better yet, between multiple monitors? When you press the Windows key + the
left or right arrow key, the active window will move from its original position
and anchor itself to the edge of the screen in the direction of the arrow, and
it will do so across every monitor you have. Similarly, if you press Windows +
SHIFT + left or right arrow, the active window will jump over to the same
position on the adjacent monitor (so if you only have two monitors, it doesn't
matter which arrow key you use).
4. Pin Folders to the Taskbar
You already know that you can right-click your favorite programs and pin
them to the Windows 7 Taskbar for easy access. Right? Although there's no such
option for folders, there is another way to keep them close at hand on the
Taskbar. Right-click any folder, drag it to an empty space on the Taskbar (or
to the Windows Explorer button), and let go when "Pin to Windows Explorer"
appears. Now when you right-click the Windows Explorer button, your folders
will be accessible via the Jump List.
It's no secret (or at least, it shouldn't be) that when you delete files
or folders in Windows, they're not actually erased—the space they took up is
simply marked as "available for use," which allows the files to be
recoverable (with the right software) until they're overwritten with new data.
There is a utility built-into Windows (even XP Pro and Vista) that will overwrite all the free space on a hard drive, insuring any files you've deleted stay dead. Launch a command prompt and type cipher /w:X where X is the letter of the drive or partition you want to wipe. Be patient—the process can take a long time if you have a lot of free space.
There is a utility built-into Windows (even XP Pro and Vista) that will overwrite all the free space on a hard drive, insuring any files you've deleted stay dead. Launch a command prompt and type cipher /w:X where X is the letter of the drive or partition you want to wipe. Be patient—the process can take a long time if you have a lot of free space.
