77 Features for Windows 7 that Every IT Professional Should Know About

Author: Mark Mizrahi, MCSE, CEI, Certified EC-Council Instructor, MCT, MCTS, MCITP

Windows 7 builds on Windows Vista's positives and eliminates many of the negatives. It adds new functionality, is less resource-hungry, and starts and shuts down noticeably faster. Whether you're upgrading from Vista or moving up from Windows XP, these 77 tips and tricks, along with other new and enhanced features, deliver improved performance and productivity, better troubleshooting, stronger security, and a whole lot more.

Introduction

Wow! Awesome! Unbelievable! Fantastic! Cool! I didn’t know it had that! These are some of the comments I have been hearing from clients, students, and myself after I educate and demo the features below. As for me, a hard core IT Professional, I have been pleasantly surprised at the features of the Windows 7 operating system. If you have a Windows 7 machine as you read this article, you will become as excited as I have by trying these features first-hand. Without the live touch and feel, you may not fully understand these great features. It’s best if you are sitting at a Windows 7 computer when reading this so that you can interact with each feature. As the saying goes, “Try it. You’ll like it.” Not at a computer right now, read on for a great education!

It can be said that Windows 7 bears a striking similarity to Apple Mac’s OSx operating system. It builds on Windows Vista’s positives and eliminates many of that OS’s negatives. It adds new functionality, is less resourcehungry than Vista, and it starts and shuts down noticeably faster. Whether or not you’re upgrading from Vista or moving up from Windows XP, you’ll need to know how to make the most of it in your environment. Here are tips and tricks that every IT Professional must know. Windows 7 is crammed with lesser-known, but still important, new and enhanced features that, taken together, deliver improved performance and productivity, better troubleshooting, stronger security, and a whole lot more.

To say that Windows 7 is a polished version of Vista is a true statement, but it does not fully describe the redesign, enhancement, and additional features Microsoft has put into their new operating system. From Windows 3.1 to Windows Vista, the Windows operating system has taken many giant leaps. And while Vista received a lukewarm reception from some users, Windows 7 is likely to be remembered for addressing those criticisms; and much more. Microsoft seems to have paid attention to the feedback it received about Vista and created an OS that is not only stable, but also very capable.

In fact, there aren’t many changes to the overall look of Windows 7 when compared to Windows Vista. If you have some experience with Vista, you will feel comfortable with many similarities such as navigating around the desktop using Control Panel and Start Menu items. So to find out what is new in Windows 7, just read on and see for yourself. Check out my HotKey list at the end of this paper(#77).         

1. XP Mode

Do you remember Windows 95 and the restart into DOS mode? Windows 7 has a feature for those XP applications that do not work while running under Windows 7, and no reboot is necessary. It is an add-in to the operating system download Windows 7 XP Mode, known as XPM, free from the Microsoft. You will be able to run XP applications in an emulated XP virtualization environment. The download consists of a fully licensed version of Windows XP with SP3 Virtual PC environment from Microsoft. Your system will need to be running a CPU that supports processor-based virtualization and have installed Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition. XP Mode only works with systems that have hardware virtualization (AMD-V or Intel VT) built-in and turned on. Unlike Virtual PC, though, it's not a standalone virtualization program. Once installed, XP Mode works behind the scenes and allows programs to run seamlessly alongside native Windows 7 applications. Microsoft claims nearly 100% compatibility with current Windows XP applications in XPM. To help determine if your computer is capable of running this kind of environment you can download the Microsoft Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool, known as HAV, to check if the computer processor supports Hardware Virtualization and if this setting is enabled in the Bios. Certain other hardware specifications might need to be in place; but no problem, the HAV will determine what is needed.

2. Windows 7 Compatibility Mode

Not to be confused with XPM above, you can try this built in "fix" if you have trouble running applications designed for the previous versions of Windows. Using the Compatibility Mode, you can configure an application to try to run in the version of Windows that it was written for. Check the option, and you will be able to select the versions of Windows to use to run the application.