Not quite prepared to upgrade your operating system from Windows 7? No big deal, Windows 7 is pretty efficient. Here are a few tips to take advantage of it before you take the plunge into another OS.
Access videos from the Start menu: With the Windows 7 Start menu, you can quickly access your Pictures and Music folders, however, you can’t do the same with your Videos folder. You can, nonetheless, change this. First right-click on the Start button and select “Properties.” On the screen that pops up, go to the Start Menu tab and click “Customize.” A dialogue box will appear. Scroll to its bottom, search for the Videos section, and pick “Display as a link.” Click “OK” once and then again. Now, you’ll be able to connect to your videos directly from the Start menu.
Modify your Shut Down button: Did you know you can personalize your Shut Down button to perform an action other then shutting your computer down. For instance, you could have your computer go to sleep, or restart. Just right-click the Start button and select “Properties.” Then on the Start Menu tab, select the “Power button action” menu. This will give you a listing of actions you can select as the default action for your Shut Down button.
Add some privacy to your online searching: If you use Internet Explorer, your PC instantly displays your recent searches. If you would like a little more privacy, it is possible to turn this off in Windows 7. In order to turn off this feature, you must type GPEDIT.MSC in the Start menu’s search box. Click “Enter” and this will activate the Group Policy Editor. Select the “User configuration” option and choose “Administrative Templates,” “Windows Components,” and “Windows Explorer.” After you have navigated here, double-click “Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box.” Click “Enabled” and then click “OK.”
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