A few of these options require third-party software, but they're all freebies and all easy to use. Most of the tweaks, however, can be accomplished with a few simple clicks. So get ready to make a good OS even better by adding some personal customization touches.
Windows 7 has a lovely blue log-on screen, but it gets a little boring after awhile. Wouldn't it be nice if you could customize it the way you can Windows' desktop wallpaper? You can, without visiting the . All you need is the , a free utility that lets you turn any image into your log-on screen background.
Run the program, click Change Logon Screen, and then navigate to the folder containing the image you want. If it's too large (Windows limits image size to 245KB), Logon Changer will offer to copy and resize it. Once the new background is in place, you can preview it at full-screen size by clicking Test. If you want the old wallpaper back, click Revert to Default Logon Screen.
Remember , the old Microsoft utility that let you fine-tune the Windows interface? The , its unofficial successor for Windows 7, goes so far as to bill itself as a "Tweak UI utility."
Like TweakUI, UWT provides a king's ransom in customization controls, from changing what appears in the Start menu to optimizing performance by disabling various Windows features (like Aero and Tablet PC). Tired of Windows' automatically rebooting after an unattended system update? You can turn off that option and countless others. UWT even lets you wrangle Internet Explorer 8: no more warnings when you're about to close multiple tabs, for example.
Granted, you can reach many of the same settings by delving into the Control Panel, Registry, and other areas. But Ultimate Windows Tweaker puts every imaginable option (and some you never imagined) under one convenient roof. It's a must-have tool for any serious Windows tweaker.
If you use Windows Media Center, you've probably wished for a way to bypass the startup animation and go straight to live TV. Or to start playing your music favorites immediately. Fortunately, by flipping a few hidden "switches," you can configure WMC to start exactly the way you want.
Click Start, All Programs, find and right-click the Windows Media Center icon, and then choose Properties. Place your cursor at the end of the Target field, where you'll see this line: %windir%\ehome\ehshell.exe. Now it's time to tack on one or more of the following switches:
/nostartupanimation disables the startup animation so you get into WMC a few seconds faster.
/playallmusic immediately plays your music library.
/playfavmusic immediately plays your music favorites.
/playslideshow immediately plays a slideshow of all your photos.
/playslideshowwithmusic immediately plays a slideshow with music.
"/mcesuperbar://tv?live=true" goes directly to live TV (assuming you have a tuner).
Getting back to our initial example, suppose that you want to bypass the startup animation and go straight to live TV. Here's the how the Target field should read (make sure to leave a space before each switch):
%windir%\ehome\ehshell.exe /nostartupanimation "/mcesuperbar://tv?live=true"
By default, the files you download land in the Downloads folder. So why doesn't Windows make that folder easier to find? Here's how to add it to the Start menu:
1. Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Customize button.
3. Scroll down until you find the entry for 'Downloads'. Then enable either Display as a link or Display as a menu. The former will open your Downloads folder in a new window; the latter will display the contents as a fly-out menu.
4. Click OK, OK, and you're done.
Now, click Start and examine the options in the right-hand column: You'll see Downloads ready and waiting.
If you're running Windows on a netbook or on an older PC, you no doubt want to keep it lean and fit. Like Vista, Windows 7 makes it easy to turn off unwanted features that might slow down the OS. Unlike Vista, Windows 7 also lets you disable high-profile apps such as Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Center, and Windows Search.
To make changes, click Start, type Features, and then click Turn Windows features on or off. Wait a few seconds for the menu to appear; when it does, clear the checkbox for any feature you want to disable. (Netbook users, for example, might want to send Windows DVD Maker packing, and there's no sense keeping Tablet PC Components around if you're not using a tablet or other touchscreen PC. Click OK when you're done, and wait (a minute or several) while Windows reconfigures itself.
One of the great things about Windows Vista is the way that search capabilities permeate the OS. From the Start menu to Windows Explorer to the Control Panel, search is everywhere. The same is true of Windows 7, of course, but in addition you can install so-called "search connectors" that let you search various Web sites directly from Windows Explorer.
If you've ever added search engines to Internet Explorer 7 or 8, you've encountered a similar idea. In Windows 7, click the type of search you want--Amazon, eBay, Flickr, or whatever--and then okay the addition in a few confirmation dialog boxes. When you're done, you'll see the new option in the Favorites section of Windows Explorer. Start typing in the search field and watch as results appear dynamically (that is, as you type).
You can find a bunch of these connectors over at , where you'll also find instructions for creating connectors of your own (to reach them, scroll down to the section titled 'Create Your Own Standard Basic Search Provider'). So if you're handy with the copy/paste commands, you can make a connector for just about any site--say, PC World.
Copy the XML code into Notepad, replace the bolded bits with the appropriate info (for instance, Sevenforums becomes PC World, and the URLs become pcworld.com); then save the file with an OSDX extension. When you double-click the new file, it will install itself in Explorer's navigation pane.
Jump Lists function like a souped-up Recent Documents menu, providing quick access to application-specific documents and/or options. For example, right-clicking the Internet Explorer taskbar icon reveals a list of frequently visited Web sites and available tasks (such as New Tab and InPrivate). Once you get started using Jump Lists, you'll wonder how you ever got along without them.
Want to change the number of items that appear in your Jump Lists? It's 10 by default, but that may be too many or too few for your liking. Fortunately, modifying the number is a snap:
1. Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Customize button.
3. Just below the options window, you'll see 'Number of recent programs to display in Jump Lists'. Use the arrows to adjust the setting, or just type the number you want into the box. (Zero is an option!)
4. Click OK, OK, and you're done.
Microsoft promised to make Windows 7 less annoying than Vista, starting with issuing fewer User Account Control warnings and pop-up system messages. Windows 7's new Action Center rides herd on the latter and lets you specify which messages you want to see. Here's how to tweak the settings:
1. Click Start, type Action, and click Action Center.
2. Click Change Action Center settings.
3. Clear the checkbox next to one or more of the security or maintenance options.
4. Click OK and you're done.
Bear in mind that the purpose of these system messages is to keep your PC running safely and smoothly. If you disable them, you may miss an important warning.
Widescreen monitors are great for watching movies and for organizing windows, but a lot of time the space goes to waste. So why not free up some vertical space by moving the Windows Taskbar to the side of the screen? Windows 7 makes this option particularly attractive option because it adopts label-free icons. Windows veterans may hate this at first, but it's a nice way to gain extra screen estate in your Web browser, word processor, and other apps.
1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar, and clear the checkmark next to Lock the Taskbar.
2. Left-click and hold an empty area of the Taskbar, and then drag it to the left side of the screen. Once you get close, you'll see it lock in, at which point you can release the mouse button.
That's all there is to it! Give it a try for a few days, and if you don't like it, you can always drag the Taskbar back to the bottom of the screen.