Windows 7 features – Device Management

One of the several salient features of Windows 7 is Device Management, which includes device stage and the devices and printer folder making it easier for a user to work with printers, cameras, phones, and music players.

The tool acts as a location for external devices that updates you with the device status information. Device Stage acts as a home page for your hardware in Windows 7. In earlier versions, you need to go to separate menus, but in Windows 7 this advanced feature will pop up all the functions of the device.

The user can also have a look at everything connected to the PC with Devices and Printers folder. Now you don’t have to worry about downloading the drivers as the drivers of the new devices will be downloaded automatically.

In Windows 7, default printing adjusts itself depending upon the connected network. If you are at home or work it gets aware of the location from where you are printing with Location aware printing feature. It also provides support for wireless alternatives to USB such as Ultra Wideband (UWB), Wireless USB (WUSB), Wireless Host Controller Interface (WHCI), Device Wire Adapter (DWA).

Moreover, it supports devices such as ambient light sensor, GPS, temperature gauge, etc. You can also enlarge the text display when using high resolutions . The tool provides improved support for external displays. You can easily toggle between the laptop screen and an external display by simply pressing +P key.

If you want to add a new device it can easily be done with Devices and printers as it also provide the place to add a new networked or wireless device and also to troubleshoot problems with it. It also provide Blue-ray Disc write support and standardizes the Display color as it helps in adjusting an LCD display to be as close as possible to the sRGB standard color space. The user can expect simpler device pairing, better security and better power savings.

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ReadyBoost: A way to speed up Windows 7

Microsoft has included an enhanced version of ReadyBoost on Windows 7, a new feature that speeds up your computer even in a low memory situation by using flash memory, in its latest operating system Windows 7, scheduled to be launched on October 22.

ReadyBoost, which also comes with Vista, make use of a USB flash drive or card as memory and it works with most of the flash storage devices.

In Windows 7, it can handle more flash memory and even multiple devices up to eight, for a maximum 256GB of additional memory. When you plug a ReadyBoost-compatible storage device into your system, the AutoPlay dialog box offers you the option to speed up your computer using ReadyBoost. If you select this option, you can choose how much memory on the device to use for this purpose.

When you set up a device to work with ReadyBoost, Windows shows you the space recommended for an optimal performance. For ReadyBoost to effectively speed up your computer, the flash drive or memory card should have at least 1GB of available space. If enough space is not available for ReadyBoost, you’ll see a message asking you to free some space on the device if you want to use it to speed up your system. You can enable or disable ReadyBoost for a specific flash drive or other removable storage device.

Follow the given guidelines to enable this feature in Windows 7 .

STEP1: Connect a flash drive or flash memory card into your computer.

STEP2: Click Speed up my system, in the Autoplay dialog box, under General options.

STEP3: In the Properties dialog box, click the ReadyBoost tab, and then do one of the following:

To turn ReadyBoost off, click Do not use this device.

To use the maximum available space on the flash drive or memory card for ReadyBoost, click Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost. Windows will leave any files already stored on the device, but it will use the rest to boost your system speed.

To use less than the maximum available space on the device for ReadyBoost, click Use this device, and then move the slider to choose the amount of available space on the device you want to use.

STEP4: Click OK.

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The Improved Calculator In Windows 7

Windows 7 allows you to calculate fuel economy, distance, and fuel used in gallons or liters. Sometime you need to calculate a vehicle's fuel economy based on its distance and fuel used. To perform these, you do not need to visit websites or download additional software. Just use the improved calculator in Windows 7.
First, click the Start button- All Programs- Accessories then open Calculator. After that you can click on next and select "View", then "Worksheets", then one of the two worksheets to perform calculations involving miles or liters. These are Fuel economy (mpg) and Fuel economy (L/100 km).
From fuel economy worksheet pane you can perform three types of calculations such as Distance, Fuel economy and Fuel used.
Enter the needed values that will depend on the type of calculation. Click "Calculate" to display the result. You can select "Edit" - "Copy" to copy the result to the calculator, a Notepad file, or other document.
Windows 7 also allows users to prevent Security or Maintenance Messages in the Action Center. You will just have to disable unwanted messages in Windows 7.
Action Center alerts you about various computer problems such as the virus protection being out of date, a backup needing to occur, or if your computer needs to be restarted. Sometime you don't want theses messages to appear. You can disable these messages with the help of given steps.
Open Action Center by clicking the Start button, type “action center” or alternatively click on Windows Action Center flag in the Windows Taskbar. Click Change Action Center setting in the left pane in Action Center windows. On the next screen, uncheck boxes next to messages you do not wish to see. Message categories include: Security messages & Maintenance messages. Click "OK" to save your settings, then close the "Action Center" window.

In Windows 7 you can also access your favorites sites and folder from Taskbar by adding an additional Toolbar. In Windows 7, you can click the Start button and type in the name of a web address or folder to open up your web browser or Explorer. However, if you perform these tasks frequently then you can create an additional Toolbar. An "Address" Toolbar is easy option of navigating to web sites or folders. Just type in the name of your website or folder and press the Enter key. You can follow these steps to perform this task. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar. Select "Toolbars" - "Address".

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Your Account Picture How to change in windows 7

Microsoft’s Windows 7 release will be a boon for users as now they will be allowed to change the picture that appears on the Start Menu and Welcome screen in Windows 7.
While using Windows 7 you must have noticed a picture that appears when you click the Start menu or access the Welcome screen. A picture represents your account. You can replace this default picture with your favorite one.
You can follow these steps to perform this task. Click the Start button and then click on your account image to open the "User Accounts" Control Panel. When the "User Accounts" Control Panel opens, click "Change your picture" and then choose the one you like from the gallery and set as a default picture for your account.
After that you will have to click the "Change Picture" button, and then close the "User Accounts" Control Panel.
Taking up another issue, you can use setup to show the computer name on your Windows 7 taskbar.
You usually check computer name manually by right-clicking on My Computer and choosing Properties. But in Windows 7 release you can display it on Taskbar.
You just have to create a new folder in Document folder with the same name as your computer name. You can find your computer name by right-clicking on My Computer and choosing Properties. Right-click on an empty area in the taskbar and choose Toolbars, then click on New Toolbar. Now you want to browse to the location of the folder you just created. Choose that folder and click the Select Folder button.
Thats all. Now your computer name will appear on the Windows 7 taskbar.
Another Windows 7 update is that you can also get an effective package from Dr. Web CuireIt against all virus and spyware in Windows 7
When you update your system with Windows 7, then you need a comprehensive package because your existing antivirus will lose the compatibility.
Dr. Web comes with a most efficient Anti-Virus called Dr. Web CuireIt. Its extensive scanner and virus will scan the complete system even without installation. You can get it from the website link http://www.freedrweb.com, absolutely free. You can combine this package with Windows 7 install package. First, open the website with the above link. Press the button of "Download." Save the file on your desktop. Double click on the file and run the set up. Follow the prompt and at the end accept the Agreement form. Click on "Finish" after the process is complete.
You can run this program anytime, to scan your startup files and main memory. Depending upon the area you want to scan you can run this program under complete scan or custom scan. Press "Scanning" after selecting. After scanning the incurable files are moved to the quarantine directory.

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Gets to know about Windows 7 E Version

Microsoft introduced Windows 7 Version in reaction to statements made by the European government with respect to Internet Explorer. The EU introduced antitrust case against Microsoft to the group of IE with Windows and therefore the exploitation of dominant market position. The government claimed that "the linking of Microsoft Internet Explorer for the Windows operating system harms competition among web browsers, undermines the product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice."

Windows 7 version E is a response to this that shows that Microsoft must comply with the law. The E version is without any type of browser and therefore welcomes the European markets with Windows without any type of Internet browser now so they can use any browser of your choice. However, the question remains: HOW? If no browser at all how is it possible to download any web browser?

Microsoft has provided detailed information about installing Windows 7 E on its website. However, the instruction also includes an extra step for customers in Europe with regard to keeping the browser of choice in some external hard drive. Therefore, European customers that Windows 7 will save the web browser on a CD, DVD or USB or other storage media and install the browser once the Windows 7 has been completely installed.

This is a genius step taken by Microsoft, as they show they are following the laws, and to be able to get more revenue by providing additional CD web browser with the operating system.

John James is a professional writer with extensive work experience in the development of web services industry. The author has written several useful and informative articles on various topics related to IT and computer Tech Support.

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How to Repair PST Files For Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook PST files or Personal Folder Files are an extremely important part of the Outlook Application. Essentially they store all your important information associated with the program, meaning they contain all your emails, contacts, calendar events, personal folder etc. Now you should also know that pst files are very susceptible to several different types of problems and errors. There are many different reasons why pst files become corrupt or damaged and since you are reading this article I believe you have probably encountered one of them. If you have come across a corrupt or damaged PST file and wish to learn How To Repair PST Files For Microsoft Outlook, then there are two ways to go about it. You can either use the Inbox Repair Tool or invest in a good PST Repair Program both ways are able to tackle the problem however success depends on how badly the file is corrupted.

When your Microsoft Outlook PST Files become damaged you are no longer able to access them in Outlook and you probably cannot perform any further operations such as send/receive emails, make notes, set appointments etc. To fix the problem you can either use a free utility that Microsoft provides or grab hold of a third party program.

The free utility that Microsoft provides is known as the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe). This tool is able to fix some problems but it isn't always to recover all of the data lost from the corrupt pst file. This is because the Scanpst.exe works by repairing the PST Files header information and then deleting anything in the file that it doesn't understand. So if a PST Files header is corrupted then the tool should have no problem in repairing and recovering the file. However if more than just the header of the file is damaged than unfortunately you won't have much success with the Inbox Repair Tool and will have to resort to a good third party software to fully repair your PST file.

If your PST File has become corrupt due to the 2GB File Size Limit or if you see the following error messages when you try to access your PST File:

- Outlook.pst can not be accessed- 0x8004011
- An unknown error has occurred- 0x80040119
- An unknown error has occurred. 0x80040600
- Pst has reached the maximum size limit
- *.pst is not a personal storage folder file
- Outlook.pst file can't be found
- OL2000: Unable to Use Your Personal Folder File if it Exceeds the 2 GB Size Limit

Then you are going to need the help of a decent MS Outlook PST Repair Tool

One particular software that is extremely impressive is the Stellar Outlook PST Repair Program. It is a very powerful tool that can easily recover your emails, messages, contacts and other items from your corrupt pst file. Outlook PST Repair software can even recover messages or emails that have been accidentally deleted from the deleted items folder. The best part about the software is that it will repair your PST File no matter how badly it has been corrupted or damaged (even if your file has exceeded the 2 GB size limit) and it offers a Free Download, so you can try out the Software Risk Free.

Therefore if you have been struck with one of the error messages above and your PST Files have become corrupt then you must be trying to figure out How to Repair PST Files for Microsoft Outlook. Well as I mentioned before there are two options at your disposal, you may be able to get rid of the problem by using the Inbox Repair Tool or if you files are excessively damaged then you will have to obtain a third party software. Either way you will have to get the problem fixed a sap if you wish to access your valuable information in Microsoft Outlook again, so get cracking!

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How to Avoid Losing Data In Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is an email client (Mail User Agent to some) which I'm sure you know what it does. If not, let me try to explain it as simply as possible. Email clients are programs or application's which retrieves emails from the web server and downloads it onto your desktop.

Now with that out of the way, did you know that you can lose your mails because of your email client? This is a big deal as email is now a large part of communication both in the corporate world and the private/home user.

How can you lose your emails?

When you use email clients, you risk losing your email just like any other data on your desktop. Here is a list:

• - Virus attack
• - Corrupted partitions/volumes
• - Deletion/Format
• - Hard Disk Crash
• - Theft/natural disaster

In Microsoft Outlook versions 2003, 2002, 98 and 97, once Outlook's PST file size goes above 2gb, your emails, or rather, the PST file, gets corrupted.

• - PST corruption

Installation of anti-virus/anti-spyware

Prevention of viruses, spyware and basically all malware is important as they cause your system and programs to become sluggish, unstable and perform undesirable operations.

And since when you use Microsoft outlook, your emails will get affected as the mails on the server gets downloaded onto your computer.

• - Install anti-virus/anti-spyware and update frequently

Anti-virus/anti-spyware is available widely and should often be updated for the latest updates and patches.

Use it to scan you computer, and to scan ALL emails if they contain attachments.

Never download anything directly to your computer unless you are certain of the reliability and credibility of its source.

For a detailed view of how to remove viruses, refer to this virus protection blog

Backup

The most reliable way to prevent the loss of your Outlook emails is to backup your PST file. To do this, simply copy your PST to another storage media (such as your thumb drive) or another drive on the same computer.

The PST file can be found by simply opening the search function (go to start menu and you can find the search function there) and copy and paste this term into the search box " .pst " without the double quotes.

Wait for the search finish. The default .pst file name is outlook.pst. Then just copy and paste the .pst file onto your backup media. Backup frequently, as you may never know when the outlook files (or any other important files for that matter) gets accidentally deleted, formatted or corrupted.

Computer Maintenance

Although this should already part of your routine, it bears reminding again. You should maintain your system by defragmenting, running scandsk and so on. This is basic maintenance for your computer as it can help prevent file system problems. It also enables your system to run smoothly and prevent system slowdown.

Here is a slew of other maintenance tips for you to look into

Outlook housekeeping

Yes, even in outlook, you need to do some basic maintenance. This is done to prevent your .PST file from getting corrupted.

Before outlook 2003 (and in earlier versions of outlook 2003), the .PST file limit was set at 2GB. If the .PST file size exceeded this limit, it would be very difficult, if at all possible, to retrieve any data from the .PST file as it would get corrupted.

When you are doing housekeeping, you are trying to keep this limit down and at the same time, helps in organising you mails so that they are easier to retrieve when you need to read them again.

How do you do that? Simple.

Delete all the old mails that you do not need, and remember to empty the trash. Categorise all your mails accordingly. For example, all your work folders should be in a separate folder from you personal emails and so on.

Create a NEW pst file

Another way to keep control of your PST file size is to create another .PST file. Of course, don't create a new .PST file for the sake of creating one.

Have separate .PST files for business and personal mails. To create this a new .PST file, simply open outlook and follow these steps:

• 1.Go to File menu, to New, and then click Outlook Data File
• 2. In the next window, you should see two options. Simply choose Office Outlook Personal Folders file. In Outlook 2003, there is an option to increase compatibility with older outlook versions, choose the Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File option. Click Ok
• 3. Then choose an appropriate location to save your new .PST in. Choose a location, and the type in the filename of your new .PST file.

And there you have it. A new .PST file, all ready for use.

In actual fact, prevention of lost Outlook mails is not hard. However, you need to be constantly maintaining your system and backing up your mails which take up precious time. It is a necessary step to take to prevent you from losing all your precious emails.

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