Windows 7 sports a seriously spiffy new calculator. The number-cruncher includes Programmer, Statistic, and Scientific modes, and comes with handy templates for figuring stuff like mortgage payments and gas mileage. To take the new for a test drive in Vista, just extract the .zip file and run calc.exe--you have nothing to install.

Window Tricks

Windows 7 makes window management much easier than any previous version of the OS has, starting with docking: Just drag a window to the left or right side of the screen to "dock" it there at half the screen width--a terrific option in these days of wide-screen monitors. (You can drag the window away again to restore it to its former size.) brings this desirable capability to both Vista and XP. It even maximizes windows dragged to the top of the screen, just as Windows 7 does.

The upcoming OS also promises to give users the shakes: When you click and "shake" any open window, all other windows automatically minimize. Shake the lone window again, and the rest pop back open. lets Vista and XP users get their shake on, too, though the implementation isn't quite as smooth.

Finally, you can try , which mimics Windows 7's new "show desktop" feature: Mouse over an icon in the system tray, and all your open windows immediately turn transparent. Aero Peek doesn't give you that transparency, and you have to click to activate it, but it does leave behind "ghost" images of where your windows were. (A second click restores them.) Personally, I'm just as happy with pressing Windows-D, which minimizes and restores all open windows in much the same way, but if you want a more Windows 7-esque experience, Aero Peek is your answer.