Disabling Services with the Services Utility

There are dozens of services in Windows 7, you can start disabling the services that are not needed for your computer usage and that are slowing down your computer boot process. To do this, you will use the Services utility that enables you to start, stop, and configure Windows 7 services.

Before you begin changing your service setup, set a system restore point � a configuration where you can easily restore your system. However, be careful when you restore from restore points. Any applications or files that were created after the system restore point will be deleted when reverting back to an earlier restore point.

The Services utility is included in all versions of Windows 7, but is hidden away. Disabling a service with the Services utility is easy. Just complete the following steps:

1. Click the Start button, type services.msc in the Search box, and press Enter. This will start the Services utility.

2. When the Services utility has loaded, you will see a list of all the services available on your computer and the ones that are started. Before you can disable a service from starting up, it is best to stop it first. Scroll through the list of services until you find the name of the one you want to disable. Right-click the service name and select Stop.

3. When the service is stopped, right-click the service again and select Properties. On the General tab, look for the Startup Type drop-down box. Click the arrow on the drop-down box and select Disabled.

4. Click OK. From now on, the system will not start the service during boot, which should speed up your system start.

Bare-Bones Service Configuration
To get the maximum performance out of your system, you have the option of disabling all the services on your computer that are not critical to the system. This will take away a lot of the nice features and conveniences of Windows, but you would have a much faster machine. The following is a list of all services that started by default in Windows 7 and can be safely disabled:

� Application Experience
� Application Information
� Background Intelligent Transfer
� Base Filtering Engine
� Bluetooth Support
� Desktop Window Manager Session Manager
� DHCP Client
� Diagnostic Policy
� Diagnostic System Host
� Distributed Link Tracking Client
� EAPHost
� Function Discover Provider Host
� Group Policy Client
� IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
� IP Helper (if you are not connected to an IPv6 network)
� Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service
� Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider
� Multimedia Class
� Network Connections
� Network List
� Network Location Awareness
� Offline Files
� Policy Agent
� Portable Device Enumerator
� Program Compatibility Assistant
� Routing and Remote Access
� Security Center
� Server
� SSDP Discovery
� Superfetch
� Tablet PC Input (if you do not have a Tablet PC)
� TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
� Terminal Services
� Themes
� WebClient
� Windows Audio
� Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
� Windows Defender
� Windows Error Reporting Service
� Windows Firewall
� Windows Management Instrumentation
� Windows Search
� Windows Time
� Windows Update
� WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery
� Workstation

Recommended Service Configuration
The barebones system service setup is great for optimal performance, but you are eliminating a lot of the cool new features that make Windows 7 cool and new. Check out my list of recommended services to disable:

� Bluetooth Support
� DHCP Client (assign yourself a static IP address)
� Diagnostic Policy
� Diagnostic System Host
� Distributed Link Tracking Client
� EAPHost
� Function Discovery Provider Host
� Group Policy Client
� IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
� IP Helper (if you are not on an IPv6 network)
� Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service
� Offline Files
� Policy Agent
� Routing and Remote Access
� SSDP Discovery
� Tablet PC Input
� WebClient
� Windows Search
� WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery

Disabling these least commonly used services provides a good balance between saving boot time while keeping the cool new Windows 7 features and application compatibility.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Common Windows Services in Use for Windows 7

ActiveX Installer: Provides UAC validations for Internet-based ActiveX installs. This only runs when needed.

Application Experience: Provides a compatibility cache for older applications that caches requests when they are run. This service can be disabled, but I recommend leaving it started for application compatibility with the new architecture of Windows 7.

Application Identity: Verifies the identity of an application. Used by AppLocker.

Application Information: Allows you to run applications with all administrative rights. Keeps this service running.

Application Layer Gateway: Provides support for additional protocols for the Internet Connection Sharing service. This service can be safely disabled.

Application Management: Used for software deployment and management through Group Policy. If you do not use Group Policy for software, you can safely disable this service.

Background Intelligent Transfer: Transfers data in the background when the connection is not in use. One use of this service is to download updates automatically in the background. This service is not system critical but can impair other services such as Windows Update if it is disabled. I would keep this service enabled.

Base Filtering Engine: Provides support for the firewall, IPsec, and filtering. I recommend keeping this service running.

BitLocker Drive Encryption Service: Provides critical support for BitLocker drive encryption. Only disable if you are not using BitLocker.

Block Level Backup Engine Service: Used by Windows Backup. Disabling would disable the backup and recovery operations of Windows Backup.

Bluetooth Support: Provides support for Bluetooth wireless devices. Disable this service if you do not use Bluetooth devices with your computer.

BranchCache: Provides a local cache of a remote file share in a branch office. Disable if you are a home user and have not configured BranchCache.

Certificate Propagation: Utilizes certificates from smart cards. Most users have no use for this service.

CNG Key Isolation: Isolates cryptographic operations to protect the cryptographic key. I recommend leaving this service as is because it runs only when needed.

COM+ Event System: Provides event notification to COM objects. Some applications depend on this service. I recommend experimenting with your applications to see whether you can disable it.

COM+ System Application: Used to configure and monitor COM object components. Leave as manual because it is started only when needed.

Computer Browser: Responsible for keeping the list of computers on your network and updating the list. If you have no need for this information, you can safely disable it if started.

Credential Manager: Provides secure storage and retrieval of passwords. This service only runs when needed and I would not disable it.

Cryptographic Services: The main provider of all encryption and encryption operations for all types of applications. It manages private keys, certificates, and other encryption operations. I recommend leaving this service running.

DCOM Server Process Launcher: Starts DCOM processes. Several other system-critical services use this service to start, so I do not recommend disabling.

Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager: This service is behind the Windows 7 �glass� look and enhanced desktop features. If your hardware does not support the new �glass� look, I suggest disabling this service.

DHCP Client: Provides automatic network address configuration. If you set a static IP address, gateway, and DNS servers, disable this service.

Diagnostic Policy: Provides automatic problem monitoring and troubleshooting of components. If this service is disabled, automatic diagnostics and searching for resolutions will be stopped. If you are an advanced user, you might be able to get away with disabling this service.

Diagnostic Service Host: Diagnostic Policy service helper service that is run only when necessary.

Diagnostic System Host: Diagnostic Policy service helper service that is run only when necessary.

Disk Defragmenter: The service behind the disk defragmenter. This service only runs when needed. Do not disable unless you have a SSD and want to ensure your drive won�t be defragged.

Distributed Link Tracking Client: Used with NTFS file links across networks. If you have no need for this service, and not many do, you can safely disable it.

Distributed Transaction Coordinator: Provides support for managing transactions generated by applications. Some applications use this service, but it is not running unless it is in use.

DNS Client: Provides the computer the ability to resolve a DNS address such as www.Tweaks.com to an IP address as needed by web browsers and other Internet tools. Unless your computer is not connected to the Internet or any other type of network, you should keep this service enabled.

Encrypting File System (EFS): Provides file system encryption support. If disabled, you will not be able to access any NTFS encrypted files.

Extensible Authentication Protocol: Provides authentication support to the Wired AutoConfig and WLAN AutoConfig services. Unless you use all manual network configurations, leave this service enabled.

Fax: Provides support to send and receive faxes. No need for faxes? Disable this service.

Function Discovery Provider Host: Hosts other services that search the network for other devices such as the Media Center Extender service. If you have no need for these services, disable it.

Function Discovery Resource Publication: Allows this computer and devices connected to it to be published over the network so that other computers on your LAN can share them.

Group Policy Client: Responsible for applying local and domain-based group policy settings and restrictions. This service cannot be disabled in Windows 7.

Health Key and Certificate Management: Manages the keys used by Network Access Protection. Disable this if your network is not using any sort of authentication-based access.

HomeGroup Listener: Provides basic HomeGroup client services.

HomeGroup Provider: Provides basic HomeGroup server services.

Human Interface Device Access: Supports Human Interface Devices (HID) expanded functionality such as additional buttons on a keyboard, remote controls, and more.

IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules: Manages the keys used by IP Security (IPsec) network access. Disable this if your network is not using any sort of authentication-based network access.

Interactive Services Detection: Provides notification and access to interactive dialog boxes. Do not disable this service.

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS): When started, this service allows you to share your Internet connection among other computers with Network Address Translation (NAT).

IP Helper: Provides IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) connectivity over an IPv4 network. Disable this service if you have no use for IPv6 network connections.

IPsec Policy: Agent Provides agent support for policy based IPSec policies
and remote firewall management.

KtmRM for Distributed Transaction Coordinator: This is a helper service that aids in the communication between the Distributed Transaction Coordinator and the Kernel Transaction Manager.

Link-Layer Topology Discover Mapper: Provides a generated network map of all computers and other connected devices.

Media Center Extender Service: Allows Media Center Extender hardware and software devices, such as an Xbox 360, to connect to your computer and share the Media Center features if installed. Disable this service if you have no use for this scenario.

Microsoft iSCSI Initiator: Manages connections to iSCSI-connected network devices.

Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider: Provides Shadow Copy file operations when needed by applications such as Explorer.

Multimedia Class Scheduler: Helps multimedia applications by prioritizing CPU loads of various system-wide processes and tasks.

Netlogon: Responsible for the connection between the domain controller and your computer if your computer is on a domain. Disable this service if your computer is not on a domain.

Network Access Protection Agent: Primary service for supporting the NAP (Network Access Protection) services.

Network Connections: Provides the user with the graphics interface to manage all network connections. If this service is disabled, Network & Sharing Center will not work. I recommend against disabling this service.

Network List Service: Manages a list of networks the computer has connected to and their individual settings and properties.

Network Location Awareness: Manages a list of networks the computer has connected to and their individual settings and properties.

Network Store Interface: Provides notification of network interface changes. This service is critical to network operation but can be disabled if you do not use a network.

Network TCP Port Sharing: Allows Windows to share TCP ports over the network. This service is disabled by default in Windows 7.

Offline Files: Provides file operations for the offline files feature of Windows Explorer. Feel free to disable this service if you do not use it.

Parental Controls: Provides parental rating controls on games, software, and other aspects of Windows 7. Disabling this will shut down any parental controls.

Peer Name Resolution Protocol: Allows your computer to resolve names using peer-topeer connections. This is required by applications such as Windows Collaboration.

Peer Networking Grouping: Provides peer-to-peer networking services. Depends on Peer Name Resolution Protocol Service.

Peer Networking Identity Manager: Provides peer-to-peer identification services for application and Windows peer-to-peer applications. This service also depends on the Peer Name Resolution Protocol.

Performance Counter DLL Host: Enables 64-bit processes to query performance counters from 32-bit DLLs.

Performance Logs & Alerts: Collects performance data for use in Windows Diagnostics and other troubleshooting utilities.

Plug and Play: Allows the computer to automatically detect and configure computer hardware. Several other services depend on this service to be running to operate.

PnP-X IP Bus Enumerator: Detects devices on the virtual network bus. It runs only when the service is needed.

PNRP Machine Name Publication: Broadcasts the computer name using the Peer Name Resolution Protocol.

Portable Device Enumerator: Provides support for portable storage devices, such as USB devices and MP3 players, to communicate with other Windows components such as Windows Media Player. You can safely disable this service if you do not use any such devices with WMP.

Power: Manages power policy and notification delivery. Do not disable.

Print Spooler: Allows you to save your print services to memory to allow for faster printing within your Windows applications. This service can be disabled but may impair printing in some situations.

Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support: Provides support in Control Panel to view and delete problem reports generated by the Diagnostic services.

Program Compatibility Assistant Service: Aids in application compatibility. When this service is disabled, you can no longer run applications properly in Compatibility mode. This service is not system critical.

Protected Storage: Provides secure storage support to protect data.

Quality Windows Audio Video Experience: Provides support for audio and video streaming over home networks with traffic prioritization. This service runs only when it is needed by an application.

Remote Access Auto Connection Manager: Automates the creation of connections when applications attempt to access remote computers.

Remote Access Connection Manager: Provides support for modem dial-up connections and VPN connections made through the Windows Networking features.

Remote Desktop Configuration: Provides all remote desktop services and session management activities.

Remote Desktop Services: Provides remote desktop services a way to connect to a remote computer and host incoming connections.

Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector: Provides the support for redirecting posts/drives/printers across RDP connections.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC): Responsible for communication between COM components. It is not system critical but is used by dozens of other Windows services. I do not recommend disabling this one.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator: A helper service for the Remote Procedure Call service that manages connections and the lookup of components in its database.

Remote Registry: Provides remote access to your computer�s registry when running. It is safe to disable this service.

Routing and Remote Access: Provides network traffic routing to incoming and outgoing traffic. This service is disabled by default.

RPC Endpoint Mapper: Resolves RPC interface identifiers to transport endpoints. If disabled any RPC services will fail. Do not disable.

Secondary Logon: Allows you to run applications using a different account. This is often used when it is necessary to start a program with an administrator account. I recommend leaving this service running.

Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol Service: Provides SSTP support to connect to remote computers over a VPN.

Security Accounts Manager: Acts as a database of account information that is used for authentication and validation. This is a system-critical service that should not be disabled.

Security Center: Monitors of all your security applications such as antivirus and malware protection. This service is also responsible for notification messages that can drive advanced Windows users crazy. Feel free to disable this service but you will not receive warnings if protection software such as Antivirus utilities and your firewall is turned off.

Server: Allows you to share files, printers, and other devices over your network. This is not a system-critical service but is often useful in a home network environment and in the enterprise.

Shell Hardware Detection: Provides notification for AutoPlay hardware events.

Smart Card: Keeps track of smart cards that your computer has used.

Smart Card Removal Policy: Provides the ability to monitor your smart card and lock your computer when your smart card is removed.

SNMP Trap: Processes messages received by the Simple Network Management Protocol.

Software Protection: Provides support for digital licenses for software that are downloaded.

SPP Notification Service: Provides software licensing activation and notification. SSDP Discovery Looks on your network using the SSDP protocol to detect other compatible networked devices such as game consoles and extender devices. This service can be disabled but will affect Media Center Extenders in addition to other PnP network devices.

Superfetch: Provides caching of application information to speed up application loading. This service can be disabled, but its benefits outweigh the initial performance decrease of loading the service.

System Event Notification: Monitors system events and reports back to other COM components.

Tablet PC Input: Provides software support for Tablet PC�s pen device and the use of ink in Windows applications. Disable this service if it is running and you do not have a Tablet PC.

Task Scheduler: Allows you to schedule processes to run at specified intervals. Windows 7 uses this service for all background maintenance, which will stop if this service is disabled. I do not recommend disabling this service.

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper: Provides NetBIOS protocol support over a TCP/IP connection. This is primarily used for machine name resolutions over a LAN.

Telephony: Provides support for applications to interact with the modem.

Themes: Provides support for visual styles that enable the nonclassic Windows look. Disabling this service will result in the entire interface reverting to the classic Windows look.

Thread Ordering Server: Provides thread management and prioritization for Windows applications and components. Disabling this service may break applications and will also disable the Windows Audio service.

TPM Base Services: Provides access to the Trusted Platform Module used to store encryption keys and other important authentication information. It is run only when needed and is not available on computers that do not have a TPM chip.

UPnP Device Host: Provides the ability to host UPnP devices on your computer for use on your local network. This service is required for Windows Media Player library sharing. User Profile Service This is a system-critical service that loads your user profile when you sign on.

Virtual Disk: Responsible for managing your drives and file systems. Do not disable this service; it is required for many operating system requests. In addition, it does not run when it is not needed.

Volume Shadow Copy: Provides support for Shadow Copy hard drive data used by backup applications.

WebClient: Provides support for the WebDAV protocol for accessing remote servers over the Internet through Explorer. If you have no need for this protocol, this service can be safely disabled.

Windows Audio: Provides audio to Windows 7. I do not recommend disabling this unless you do not like audio. But who doesn�t like audio?

Windows Audio Endpoint Builder: A helper service for Windows Audio that manages various audio-related hardware in your computer.

Windows Backup: Part of the backup application in Windows 7 that allows you to easily back up your documents and other important data.

Windows Biometric Service: Provides applications the ability to capture, compare, manipulate, and store biometric data.

Windows CardSpace Manages digital identities.

Windows Color System Allows other applications to configure your monitor color settings in Windows 7.

Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar: Part of the Windows Connect Now feature that lets you automate the addition of other computers on your wireless network by saving the configuration of one machine to a USB flash drive and then using it to set up new PCs. Windows Defender The spyware protection application in Windows 7. If you have a different anti-spyware utility that you use, feel free to disable this service.

Windows Driver Foundation � Usermode Driver Framework: Supports drivers in User mode. Do not disable.

Windows Error Reporting: When things go bad, this service lets you check with Microsoft to see whether it has a solution for you and to notify Microsoft of what is happening to your computer. Don�t feel like notifying Microsoft about your error messages? This service can be safely disabled.

Window Event Collector: Provides the ability to subscribe to remote event sources to monitor activity and store data.

Windows Event Log: This is the primary source of all local event management and collection. This service can be stopped but is used by a lot of the performance enhancements in Windows 7. Stopping it would result in a negative performance benefit.

Windows Firewall: Provides network security by blocking inbound and outbound network access based on the firewall rules applied. Unless you have a third-party firewall application that you use, do not disable this service; the benefits outweigh any performance decrease.

Windows Font Cache Service: Optimizes applications by caching commonly used font data.

Windows Image Acquisition (WIA): Provides an interface used by applications to work with various types of scanners and cameras. This service is run only when needed.

Windows Installer: Allows applications packaged into MSI files to be installed and uninstalled from your computer. Do not disable this service unless you do not want any software to be installed, uninstalled, or modified.

Windows Management Instrumentation: Provides an interface for scripts and other applications to control various components of Windows 7. Disabling this service will result in the Internet Connection Sharing, IP Helper, and Security Center services stopping, too. If you do not use these services, feel free to safely disable it.

Windows Media Center Receiver Service: Provides the Media Center application with TV and radio reception.

Windows Media Center Scheduler Service: Provides the Media Center application with notification of when to start and stop recording an application.

Windows Media Player Network Sharing: Provides the ability to share your music collection with other computers running Windows Media Player. This service requires the UPnP Device Host service to be running to function.

Windows Modules Installer: Allows Windows components and security updates to be installed and uninstalled.

Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache: Similar to the .NET Optimization service in that it is designed to increase the performance of Windows Presentation Foundation applications.

Windows Remote Management (WS-Management): Provides support for the WS-Management protocol to remotely manage your computer.

Windows Search Provides the ability to index various files on your computer.
This service can be disabled, but it will slow down any searches in your computer because the entire drive must be searched every time instead of just the index.

Windows Time: Responsible for syncing the time on your computer. It can be safely disabled.

Windows Update: Provides the ability to detect and download new updates for your copy of Windows 7. Disabling this service will stop both automatic updates and the ability to manually update Windows. Because security patches and automatic updates have been so critical to Windows in the past, I suggest keeping this service started.

WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery: Provides both an API for applications to make HTTP connections and to auto-detect connection settings. This service is not system critical and can safely be disabled if you do not use the auto-detect connection feature in Internet Explorer and none of your applications use its� API.

Wired AutoConfig: Manages your wired NIC connections, including support for 802.1X authentication. The Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7 may malfunction if this service is disabled.

WLAN AutoConfig: Manages your wireless network connections and settings. The Networking Center in Windows 7 may malfunction if this service is disabled.

WMI Performance Adapter: A helper service for the Windows Management Instrumentation service that runs only when requested.

Workstation: Provides support for creating network connections using the SMB network protocol (a.k.a. Lanman). Disabling this service disables Windows File Sharing.

WWAN AutoConfig: Manages mobile broadband such as GSM and CDM connections.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Commonly Used Windows Fonts for Windows 7

Segoe: The variations of this font can be found in elements of the Windows interface.

Calibri: Common font used in Office 2007 applications and documents.

Verdana: This font is often used on web pages and applications.

Arial: Another common web page font, and used in applications.

Trebuchet: Common application font and used in some web pages back in XP days. Some older applications may still require it.

Tahoma: Common Windows font that you may want to hold on to for application and web page compatibility.

Times New Roman: The default font for web pages and word processing applications such as Microsoft Word.

MS Sans Serif: Default font for Visual Studio applications that is now required for a lot of legacy and newer applications.

For more resources, look into graphic arts classes through online universities.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Which Unneeded Hardware Devices Should I Disable in Windows 7?

Each user uses (or doesn�t use) devices differently depending on the system setup. = Nonetheless, some classes of devices are more commonly disabled than others. Knowing which ones will help you make your decision as to which devices you should disable. The following classes of devices are frequently disabled: People who have completed computer repair training may need these tips as they are working.

� Network adapters: Especially on notebook computers, there is often more than one network device. Disabling the network devices that you do not use will definitely save you some booting time.

� FireWire: If you have 1394 connections, otherwise known as FireWire, you might consider disabling them. Unless you are using your FireWire port to connect your digital video recorder to your computer, or have other external FireWire device, you have no need to have this device enabled.

� Biometrics: Some of the latest computer hardware includes biometric sensor equipment such as a fingerprint scanner. If you do not use these security features, you can save time by disabling theses devices, too.

� Modems: Do you have a broadband connection? If so, consider disabling your modem. If you rarely use it, why not disable it? If you ever need to use it again, just re-enable it.

� TPM security chips: Does your computer have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)? These chips are typically used as a secure place to store an encryption key that would be used for something such as hard drive encryption. If you are not using any of these advanced security features of Windows 7, disable these devices, too.

� Multimedia devices: Your computer has lots of multimedia devices. Take a look at the �Sound, video, and game controllers� section in Device Manager. You will find a lot of device drivers that are loaded during your boot. Some are used by all users, but you will find a few that you do not use. For example, I do not use my game port or my MIDI device, so I disabled both of them.

� PCMCIA cards: If you are a laptop user, consider disabling your PCMCIA card controller located under �PCMCIA adapters.� The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slot is a special expansion slot that is rarely used today on laptops except for wireless and wired network cards and card reader attachments for compact flash and other solid-state memory cards. Most laptops now have builtin network adapters, and some even have built-in wireless adapters. If you do not use your PCMCIA adapter, it is yet another device you can safely disable.

Do not disable any hardware devices located under the Disk Drives, Computer, Display Adapters, IDE Disk Controllers, and the System sections (except for the system speaker). These hardware devices are critical to the operation of your system.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Benchmarking Windows 7 with PCMark Vantage

PCMark Vantage Basic Edition, from Futuremark Corporation, is one of the most popular benchmarking programs for power users. PCMark Vantage has a cool online component that allows you to view your benchmark data and compare it to other users� computers. Additionally, the application generates an overall score that can be used to compare your system to other systems. The comprehensive score that is assigned to your system is the result of numerous test results testing various parts of your computer.

You can download a copy of PCMark Vantage from www.futuremark.com/download/.

The user interface of PCMark Vantage is very simple and easy to use. Simply click the Run PCMark button to start the tests. The free version includes only basic tests that simulate various computer usages to come up with your overall score. The basic system tests include the following:

� PCMark Memories 1: This test includes two simultaneous tasks that test CPU image manipulation and the performance of your HDD importing pictures into the Windows Photo Gallery.

� PCMark Memories 2: This test converts VC-1 HD video to a portable video player format WMV9 and uses two processor cores if available.

� PCMark TV and Movies 1: Two simultaneous tasks run that convert HD DVD video to VC-1 HD video while playing a HD video with SD commentary picture-in-picture.

� PCMark TV and Movies 2: The HDD is tested with Windows Media Center while playing HD DVD.

� PCMark Gaming 1: GPU gaming performance is tested by utilizing vertex shader operations provided by DirectX while data is loaded form the HDD and decompressed in memory.

� PCMark Gaming 2: The CPU is stressed testing artificial intelligence algorithms while the HDD is simultaneously tested.

� PCMark Music 1: Web page rendering is tested while an audio file is converted from MP3 to WMA and music is added to the Windows Media Player library all at the same time.

� PCMark Music 2: Pure CPU test that converts a WAV file to WMA format.

� PCMark Communications 1: AES data encryption is tested while data compression and Windows Mail is tested simultaneously.

� PCMark Communications 2: Three simultaneous tasks run including Web page rendering with multiple tabs in IE8, data encryption and HDD tests with Windows Defender.

� PCMark Productivity 1: Text editing is tested.

� PCMark Productivity 2: Contacts are searched, e-mail messages are searched by keyword, multiple web pages are rendered, and application loading is tested all at the same time.

After you click the Run PCMark button, the system tests will begin.

After the benchmark tests have been completed, you will be shown your system�s overall score. To view the detailed scores of the different tests, you have to register on Futuremark�s web site via the link on your results window. You can find out what hardware really performs and what hardware you should avoid. Overall, the PCMark Vantage web site adds a great amount of value to the application.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Configuring Task Manager to Display CPU Utilization

When Windows Task Manager is started, a small histogram is displayed in the system tray that shows the CPU utilization. This little feature can be very useful if you always like to keep an eye on your CPU utilization but do not want Task Manager on top of all your windows. With a little bit of work, it is possible to start up the Windows Task Manager automatically on every start and run it minimized and hidden from the taskbar except for the system tray:

1. Click the Start button, navigate to All Programs, and locate the Startup listing.

2. Right-click Startup and select Open. A new window opens with the contents of your personal startup folder. Any shortcuts that you place in this folder will be automatically loaded when Windows starts.

3. When the Startup folder is opened, right-click in the open white space, select New, and then navigate to Shortcut.

4. When the new shortcut wizard loads, type taskmgr.exe in the text box asking for the location of the file, and then click Next.

5. Type a name for the shortcut and click Finish.

6. Now you are shown the startup folder again and a new icon for Task Manager. To start Task Manager minimized, right-click the new icon and select Properties.

7. Change the Run type where it says Normal Window to Minimized, and then click OK.

8. Now the shortcut is all set up. However, there is one last change to make, and you will need to open up Task Manager to make it. After Windows Task Manager is open, click the Options menu bar item and select Hide When Minimized so that when the program starts, only the CPU histogram will be shown and the program will not appear on the taskbar.

Your system is now configured to start the CPU meter on every boot in the system tray. Should you change your mind at a later time and no longer want the Task Manager CPU meter to show up, simply delete the shortcut from the Startup folder.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Using Event Viewer on Windows 7

Event Viewer in Windows 7 is a centralized source for reading all the system�s various log files. When a component such as the Windows Firewall service has an error, notification, or a warning, it can be viewed in Event Viewer. When a third-party application causes your computer to crash, the details of the event can also be found in Event Viewer. Even when any user logs on to your computer, the details of the event can be found in Event Viewer. As you can see, Event Viewer is the ultimate source to find out what is happening and what has happened to your computer.

How can Event Viewer help with increasing the performance of your computer? Event Viewer enables you to identify hardware and software failures that you may not even know have been occurring. If you want to increase the performance of your computer, you need to fix any problems first. Skipping ahead without fixing the problems first is similar to tweaking your car engine for speed but not fixing the flat tires. Even if you increase the performance of other components of your computer, any errors or failures can offset any improvements in speed.

Using Event Viewer is very easy but requires an account with administrative privileges to run. To start Event Viewer, click the Start button, type Eventvwr.msc in the Search box, and then press Enter.

After Event Viewer shows up on-screen, you will see the Overview and Summary screen. The Summary of Administrative Events section provides an aggregated view of all your events. This groups them together from all your system logs and also gives you time-period stats on the different types of events. Expand the different event types, such as Critical, Error, and Warning, to see a more detailed aggregated view of all events that match that event type. You can also double-click the event types and events to view more details. Doing so will create a custom view for you automatically. I will get into those in more detail shortly. First, let�s lay the groundwork for using Event Viewer.


Reading Logs and Events
The various system logs are organized in two grouping folders:

� Windows Logs: Windows Logs enable you to find events covering
Windows core applications, security, setup, and the system.

� Application and Services Logs: You can find events such as hardware and specific software applications under Applications and Service Logs.

When you expand the top-level grouping folders and select a sub-event topic, you are presented with a list of all the events sorted by date by default. Simply select an event to view the details.

Reading the event log is very easy to do. After an event is selected, you will see details of the event in the bottom pane. The most important pieces of information for each event are the source, ID, and Description. If you do not see the description of the event on your screen, expand the Details pane up to review the description. Alternatively, you can double-click the event to bring up the Details pane in a new window.

If you have identified any events that signaled an error or warning, it is a good idea to research the event to find out whether it is important to fix. The most popular way to investigate an event is to do a search on either Google, Yahoo!, or Bing with the event ID. With the new version of Event Viewer in Windows 7, you can also click the More Information link on the General tab of an event. This will show you whether Microsoft has any information on the specific event.


Creating Custom Views
Using Event Viewer can be overwhelming because of the massive amount of data to which you have access. Custom Views is Microsoft�s answer to data overload. Instead of looking through multiple log files, you can create a custom view in which you specify parameters for specific types of events. You can use the view to find all events that you specified no matter what log they are in. You first encountered a custom view on the Event Logs Summary screen. All the information in the Summary of administrative events section is populated by a custom view.

Creating your own custom view is easier than manually navigating through all the different log sources, and custom views are more flexible than the Event Logs Summary screen. Follow these steps to create your own custom view:

1. With Event Viewer open, right click on Custom Views and select Create Custom View.

2. The Create Custom View window loads, showing all the parameters of the view. You will see two tabs: Filter and XML. You will use the Filter tab because it automatically produces the XML for you.

3. Select the Time Period for your view. I like to use Last 7 Days for this option.

4. Check the boxes for the Event Levels you want to view, such as Critical, Error, and Warning.

5. Expand the Event Logs drop-down box and then select the log sources that you want to search in.

6. You have the option to set a specific object to view events for, such as a specific application or device. Alternatively, you can just leave this setting as .

7. To find all the events with a certain ID, enter in the Event ID. You can also exclude a specific event from the view by adding a minus sign in front of the ID (for example, �2030).

8. The last few settings are used less frequently. Here you can also specify the Task Category, Keywords for the event, and a specific computer user the event occurred with.

9. After finalizing the settings, click OK.

10. The Save Filter to Custom View screen will pop up. Type a Name and click OK.

After your new custom view has been generated, you can open it by expanding Custom Views and selecting it from the list.



Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Using the Windows 7 Reliability Monitor

As with the Performance Monitor, the Reliability Monitor is a system monitoring tool that is designed to help you diagnose problems and improve the performance of your computer. To start it just click the Start menu, type in view reliability, and hit Enter. The Reliability Monitor is especially geared to helping you solve various types of system failures that can lead to poor performance in all areas. It works by tracking all the software installs, uninstalls, application failures, hardware failures, Windows failures, and general miscellaneous failures to compile a System Stability Chart and System Stability Report.

Any of the icons on the System Stability Chart can be selected to move the scope of the System Stability Report to a specific time period. This is very useful because it allows you to see what happened the same day or just before some kind of failure occurred. Depending on this information, you will have a clue as to what may have been the cause of the failure.


Reading the System Stability Report
Every day your computer is given a System Stability Index rating based on the system activities of the day. The score is out of a possible 10 points. Depending on what has happened in the past, this score goes up or down. For example, if you have a Windows failure, your score goes down. As days pass, if you do not have any more failures, your score gradually goes back up again. However, if another failure occurs, it drops even more.

I recently had an issue with installing new video drivers for my laptop. I was trying to get the Aero Glass look in Windows 7 to work and was installing some drivers that were not exactly made for my laptop model. After I installed the new drivers, I had to reboot and was welcomed by the blue screen error. I rebooted again and the same thing happened. These system failures killed my System Stability Index. Before I had these problems I had a rating of 9.44; after my driver fiasco, I had an index of 4.711. As you can see, your reliability rating can drop very quickly if you have multiple major errors, such as a blue screen.

When you notice that your System Stability Index goes down, you are going to want to know why, so that you can fix the problem and get the performance of your system back in line. The System Stability Report is perfect for understanding exactly what happened.

With your mouse, select a time period on the System Stability Chart in which your score dropped significantly. Depending on presence of the information, warning, or error icons in the grid for the specific day, you will know what sections of the report you should expand to see the details of what happened. The red error icon in the Application Failures grid item on the selected day tells you to expand the Application Failures section of the report to see the details. After expanding the section, you will see which application failed and how it failed. Similarly, if this were a hardware failure, you would see the component type, device name, and why it failed. If it were a Windows or miscellaneous failure, you would see the failure type and details of what happened. As you can see, reading the System Stability Report is a quick and easy way to see what exactly is going on.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Using Third-Party Windows Media Center Add-ons on Windows 7

There are many very useful and cool third-party add-ons for Windows Media Center that really help you get even more out of it. As Windows Media Center is becoming increasingly popular, even more add-ons are being developed and released. The following is a list of some of the best add-ons available now for Windows 7 Media Center:

� mcePhone for Skype (www.scendix.com/mcephone): mcePhone is a great add-on for Windows Media Center that allows you to make and receive phone calls using your Skype account through Windows Media Center. This can be very useful and cool because you can use Skype through the Windows Media Center interface while sitting on your couch.

� mceWeather (www.scendix.com/mceweather): This is a useful add-on that allows you to get the latest weather forecasts and conditions for your area without leaving Windows Media Center.

� Big Screen Headlines RSS Reader (www.mobilewares.net/mce/bshhtm.htm): Are you a big RSS feed user? This add-on installs an RSS reader that allows you to read your favorite feed easily through Windows Media Center.

� MCEBrowser (www.anpark.com/MCEBrowser_Screenshots.aspx): Remember Microsoft�s WebTV? Make your own WebTV and browse the Web on your television with this add-on and Windows Media Center.

Most of the Windows Media Center 2005 add-ons also seem to work well in Windows 7 Media Center. Visit www.benshouse.net/add-ons.php for even more Media Center add-ons that will work in Windows 7 Media Center.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Configuring Media Center to Look for Recorded Shows on a Network Share on Windows 7

Personal network attached storage devices are becoming more and more common in the home environment. I recently purchased a 1TB NAS (Network Attached Storage) that I use to back up all my personal documents as well as store recorded TV shows. I have my Media Center recording shows all the time, so the hard drive on my desktop fills up very quickly. For the shows that I want to keep, I move the file from my record folder to a special folder on my NAS that I have configured Windows Media Center to watch and play files from. This is possible with a few setting changes within Media Center.

Follow these steps to configure Windows Media Center to watch for recorded shows in locations other than the main record folder:

1. Click on the Start Button, type in Media Center, and hit Enter to start up Media Center.

2. After it has started navigate to Tasks with arrow keys and then select Settings and hit Enter.

3. Click on Media Libraries.

4. Select the Recorded TV media library and click Next.

5. Select Add folders to the library and click Next.

6. Select Let me manually add a shared folder and click Next.

7. Type in the shared folder path such as \\Server123\SharedFolder and also a username and password that has access to the shared folder. Click Next when ready to connect to the share.

8. Click Yes, use these locations on the confirmation screen and then click Finish.

After you have added the new network share to your library you can click the green button in the top right of the Media Center window to return to the main menu. You are now able to watch recorded shows that are stored on another computer.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Creating Shortcuts for Windows Media Center on Windows 7

Windows already includes shortcuts to start Windows Media Center in the Start menu. Next, you�ll create advanced shortcuts that will allow you to jump directly to different sections of Media Center. For example, how to make a shortcut that, when clicked, will open Windows Media Center and go directly to the TV Guide. It is also possible to go directly to other sections, such as Live TV, Recorded TV, Pictures, Music, and even Sports Scores.

This is all possible with a special /homepage command-line argument that the Windows Media Center executable uses. First, right-click your desktop and select New and then Shortcut. Next, enter the location as shown in the following options, depending on what you want to happen. Press Next, name the shortcut, and you are finished.

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to TV Guide
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:videoguide.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Live TV
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:videofullscreen.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Recorded TV
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:videorecordedprograms.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Music
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:audio.home.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Photos
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:photos.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Radio
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:radio.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Movies
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:movies.library
.browsepage.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Slideshow
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage:Slideshow.xml

Start Windows Media Center and Go Directly to Sports Scores
%SystemRoot%\ehome\ehshell.exe /homepage: SportsScoresPage.xml

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

So, you have an edition of Windows 7 with Media Center but no TV tuner card installed? You are missing out on the main Media Center experience. With the help of this section and an inexpensive TV tuner card, I show you how to turn your PC into a fully functional DVR that will give any TiVo set top box big competition.

Before you can get started, there are some minimum system requirements that I must go over so that you will be able to watch TV on your computer. Your computer must have a video card with at least 128MB of RAM. To support the best appearance your video card must also support the Aero Glass effect.

The most important aspect of adding a tuner to your PC is picking one that is compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. Several tuner cards are on the market, but not all are compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. One way to find a tuner that Microsoft has certified compatible is to use the Windows Logo product search page located at http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Default.aspx?m=7 and search for compatible products. Just select either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows you are running, set the Category to TV Tuner Cards and the Additional Qualifications box to MediaCenter, and click the Start button on the web page. You will be shown a list of all the cards Microsoft has certified.

As you can see, there are both internal PCI cards and external USB devices that can be added to your computer. The following are a few more models that are known to work well on Windows 7:

� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-1250
� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-2250
� External USB: Diamond ATI TV Wonder HD 750 (TVW750USB)

Installing the TV tuner is also very easy, especially if you purchased an external USB tuner. Simply plug it in and install the drivers that came with the device. If you purchased an internal PCI or PCI-E card, just turn off your computer, unplug the power, open the case, and pop in the card in an open PCI or PCI-E slot. Make sure to install the drivers after you power your PC back on although in some cases Windows 7 will automatically install the drivers as it did with my PCI-E TV tuner card.

After installing your TV tuner card, you are ready to get started configuring it in Windows Media Center. Make sure you have your antenna or cable feed connected to the card. Follow these steps to get your Windows Media Center up and running:

1. Click the Start button, type Media Center in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. If you are prompted with a setup wizard, just select the Express option. You are going to configure your card a different way. After you are on the main Media Center screen use the arrow keys to navigate down to the Tasks section. Then navigate to Settings and press Enter.

3. On the Setting screen, select TV and press Enter.

4. Select Set Up TV Signal and press Enter. At this point, you will get a Tuner Not Found error if your TV tuner hardware is not installed properly. If this happens, make sure that you have the latest drivers for Windows 7 installed.

5. Confirm your region by selecting Yes, use this region to configure TV services and click Next.

6. Type in your ZIP code and click Next.

7. Click I agree on the Program Guide Terms of Service screen and then click Next.

8. If applicable, click I agree on the Microsoft PlayReady PC runtime EULA and then click Next. Microsoft PlayReady will be automatically downloaded and installed.

9. After the TV Signal detection has completed you will be presented with what Windows Media Center found. On my PC it said it detected Digital Cable (ClearQAM) and Analog Cable. If your results are correct click Yes, configure TV with these results. Otherwise click No, let me configure my TV signal manually and specify your setup. When ready click Next.

10. You will now be guided through setting up each of your sources where you pick the provider so Windows Media Center knows what program guide to provide you with. Click through the guide for each source and select your TV signal provider. When completed, click Next on the TV Signal Configuration confirmation screen.

11. Microsoft PlayReady updates will be downloaded along with the TV program guide. Then the TV channel scan will start automatically. This step will take several minutes. Once completed click Next on the results screen.

12. The TV signal should now be configured. Click Finish to exit and start using your new DVR.

Your Windows Media Center is now set up. You can begin to watch TV and set up shows to record in the guide. Now you are ready to further customize your Windows Media Center.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Removing Items from the Context Menu in Windows 7

Over time, your context menus can become cluttered with program entries from old programs that you may not use anymore. You might experience programs that take over all your context menus. Compression apps such as WinZip, WinRaR, or Picozip always end up adding program entries to all the context menus. I have Picozip installed on my computer and every time I right-click any file or folder, I see five entries from Picozip giving me different compression options. This can be a convenient feature, but if you don�t compress and extract zip files very often; you might not need the added convenience. Instead, you could remove these entries from your context menu, which will give your system a cleaner interface as well as a small performance boost if you have a lot of extra entries in your context menu.

Removing these programs from your context menus can be a little tricky because they can be spread in different places in the registry. The only way to remove these types of entries is to edit the registry directly. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, type regedit in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. When the Registry Editor appears, expand the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder. You will now see a list of every file type that is set up on your computer.

3. If the entry that you want to remove from the context menu appears in all context menus, such as the preceding WinZip example, you will have to expand the * folder. Otherwise, expand the folder with the file extension you want to modify.

4. After expanding the correct folder, expand the ShellEx and ContextMenuHandlers folders. Your registry path should be HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers.

5. Look through the list until you find the entry that you want to remove. Right-click the entry and select Delete. You will find that identifying some of the programs is easy. For example, WinRaR is labeled WinRaR. However, you may run into some items that are listed using their application/class ID or a vague name. If so, do a registry search of the class ID (Ctrl+F), which is formatted as {XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}, to find other references that will give you clues to what the ID belongs to. If that does not work, try doing a search on Google to see whether that turns up anything.

6. After you are finished removing all the entries from your context menus, just close Registry Editor and you are finished. Your changes will be in effect immediately.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

So, you have an edition of Windows 7 with Media Center but no TV tuner card installed? You are missing out on the main Media Center experience. With the help of this section and an inexpensive TV tuner card, I show you how to turn your PC into a fully functional DVR that will give any TiVo set top box big competition.

Before you can get started, there are some minimum system requirements that I must go over so that you will be able to watch TV on your computer. Your computer must have a video card with at least 128MB of RAM. To support the best appearance your video card must also support the Aero Glass effect.

The most important aspect of adding a tuner to your PC is picking one that is compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. Several tuner cards are on the market, but not all are compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. One way to find a tuner that Microsoft has certified compatible is to use the Windows Logo product search page located at http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Default.aspx?m=7 and search for compatible products. Just select either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows you are running, set the Category to TV Tuner Cards and the Additional Qualifications box to MediaCenter, and click the Start button on the web page. You will be shown a list of all the cards Microsoft has certified.

As you can see, there are both internal PCI cards and external USB devices that can be added to your computer. The following are a few more models that are known to work well on Windows 7:

� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-1250
� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-2250
� External USB: Diamond ATI TV Wonder HD 750 (TVW750USB)

Installing the TV tuner is also very easy, especially if you purchased an external USB tuner. Simply plug it in and install the drivers that came with the device. If you purchased an internal PCI or PCI-E card, just turn off your computer, unplug the power, open the case, and pop in the card in an open PCI or PCI-E slot. Make sure to install the drivers after you power your PC back on although in some cases Windows 7 will automatically install the drivers as it did with my PCI-E TV tuner card.

After installing your TV tuner card, you are ready to get started configuring it in Windows Media Center. Make sure you have your antenna or cable feed connected to the card. Follow these steps to get your Windows Media Center up and running:

1. Click the Start button, type Media Center in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. If you are prompted with a setup wizard, just select the Express option. You are going to configure your card a different way. After you are on the main Media Center screen use the arrow keys to navigate down to the Tasks section. Then navigate to Settings and press Enter.

3. On the Setting screen, select TV and press Enter.

4. Select Set Up TV Signal and press Enter. At this point, you will get a Tuner Not Found error if your TV tuner hardware is not installed properly. If this happens, make sure that you have the latest drivers for Windows 7 installed.

5. Confirm your region by selecting Yes, use this region to configure TV services and click Next.

6. Type in your ZIP code and click Next.

7. Click I agree on the Program Guide Terms of Service screen and then click Next.

8. If applicable, click I agree on the Microsoft PlayReady PC runtime EULA and then click Next. Microsoft PlayReady will be automatically downloaded and installed.

9. After the TV Signal detection has completed you will be presented with what Windows Media Center found. On my PC it said it detected Digital Cable (ClearQAM) and Analog Cable. If your results are correct click Yes, configure TV with these results. Otherwise click No, let me configure my TV signal manually and specify your setup. When ready click Next.

10. You will now be guided through setting up each of your sources where you pick the provider so Windows Media Center knows what program guide to provide you with. Click through the guide for each source and select your TV signal provider. When completed, click Next on the TV Signal Configuration confirmation screen.

11. Microsoft PlayReady updates will be downloaded along with the TV program guide. Then the TV channel scan will start automatically. This step will take several minutes. Once completed click Next on the results screen.

12. The TV signal should now be configured. Click Finish to exit and start using your new DVR.

Your Windows Media Center is now set up. You can begin to watch TV and set up shows to record in the guide. Now you are ready to further customize your Windows Media Center.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

So, you have an edition of Windows 7 with Media Center but no TV tuner card installed? You are missing out on the main Media Center experience. With the help of this section and an inexpensive TV tuner card, I show you how to turn your PC into a fully functional DVR that will give any TiVo set top box big competition.

Before you can get started, there are some minimum system requirements that I must go over so that you will be able to watch TV on your computer. Your computer must have a video card with at least 128MB of RAM. To support the best appearance your video card must also support the Aero Glass effect.

The most important aspect of adding a tuner to your PC is picking one that is compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. Several tuner cards are on the market, but not all are compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. One way to find a tuner that Microsoft has certified compatible is to use the Windows Logo product search page located at http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Default.aspx?m=7 and search for compatible products. Just select either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows you are running, set the Category to TV Tuner Cards and the Additional Qualifications box to MediaCenter, and click the Start button on the web page. You will be shown a list of all the cards Microsoft has certified.

As you can see, there are both internal PCI cards and external USB devices that can be added to your computer. The following are a few more models that are known to work well on Windows 7:

� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-1250
� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-2250
� External USB: Diamond ATI TV Wonder HD 750 (TVW750USB)

Installing the TV tuner is also very easy, especially if you purchased an external USB tuner. Simply plug it in and install the drivers that came with the device. If you purchased an internal PCI or PCI-E card, just turn off your computer, unplug the power, open the case, and pop in the card in an open PCI or PCI-E slot. Make sure to install the drivers after you power your PC back on although in some cases Windows 7 will automatically install the drivers as it did with my PCI-E TV tuner card.

After installing your TV tuner card, you are ready to get started configuring it in Windows Media Center. Make sure you have your antenna or cable feed connected to the card. Follow these steps to get your Windows Media Center up and running:

1. Click the Start button, type Media Center in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. If you are prompted with a setup wizard, just select the Express option. You are going to configure your card a different way. After you are on the main Media Center screen use the arrow keys to navigate down to the Tasks section. Then navigate to Settings and press Enter.

3. On the Setting screen, select TV and press Enter.

4. Select Set Up TV Signal and press Enter. At this point, you will get a Tuner Not Found error if your TV tuner hardware is not installed properly. If this happens, make sure that you have the latest drivers for Windows 7 installed.

5. Confirm your region by selecting Yes, use this region to configure TV services and click Next.

6. Type in your ZIP code and click Next.

7. Click I agree on the Program Guide Terms of Service screen and then click Next.

8. If applicable, click I agree on the Microsoft PlayReady PC runtime EULA and then click Next. Microsoft PlayReady will be automatically downloaded and installed.

9. After the TV Signal detection has completed you will be presented with what Windows Media Center found. On my PC it said it detected Digital Cable (ClearQAM) and Analog Cable. If your results are correct click Yes, configure TV with these results. Otherwise click No, let me configure my TV signal manually and specify your setup. When ready click Next.

10. You will now be guided through setting up each of your sources where you pick the provider so Windows Media Center knows what program guide to provide you with. Click through the guide for each source and select your TV signal provider. When completed, click Next on the TV Signal Configuration confirmation screen.

11. Microsoft PlayReady updates will be downloaded along with the TV program guide. Then the TV channel scan will start automatically. This step will take several minutes. Once completed click Next on the results screen.

12. The TV signal should now be configured. Click Finish to exit and start using your new DVR.

Your Windows Media Center is now set up. You can begin to watch TV and set up shows to record in the guide. Now you are ready to further customize your Windows Media Center.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Tweaking Windows 7 Search

One of the most useful new features in Windows 7 is the Search box that is in every Explorer window and many other applications. This Search box enables you to sort through your files like never before. Looking for all text files in a folder? Just type *.txt into the Search box and press Enter. Almost instantly you will begin to see a list of all text files in the current directory you are viewing.

Looking for all Word documents that refer to a specific company or person? Just go to your Documents folder and search for the name and press Enter. Windows Search can also look at the filenames, but it will also search the contents of your files. This is possible because Windows Search has built-in readers for many of the most popular file types.

As you can see, Windows Search is a comprehensive search solution compared to the prior search options in Windows. With the addition of this new search system comes the ability to customize searches even more than ever before. Various search settings are hidden deep in various windows and will help you customize the way searching works for you.


Adjusting Scope
Every time you perform a search, the results are based on the scope, the folders, and types of files in which the search software looks. Depending on the scope settings you have enabled, the results of your search can be drastically different. These next two settings will help you fine-tune what and how the search software searches, and then you will fine-tune the indexing service to index the files you want to be indexed for speedy searches.


Customizing What and How to Search
You can find all the �where to look� settings for Windows Search on the Folder and Search Options window in Windows Explorer. Follow these steps to customize where Windows Search looks:

1. Open Windows Explorer to a folder you want to modify the search settings for, click Organize, and select Folder and Search Options.

2. Click the Search tab.

3. On the Search tab, you will see three separate sections. First, let�s work with the What to search section. Here you can specify whether you would like the search software to use the indexing service�s data or all data, on-the-fly. By default, Windows Search will search both filenames and contents of indexed files but just filenames of files not in the index. This works well for most users, but if you don�t care about file contents or don�t want to use the indexer at all, experiment with the other options.

4. Configure how searches are performed in the How to search section. Here you can choose from four different settings: the ability to search subfolders, report results with partial matches, turn on natural language searches, and disable searching from the index. The two settings here that you really want to pay attention to are the subfolder search and natural language search options. These features are usually the two that I tweak the most. First, to speed up searches, I uncheck searching subfolders. I also turn on the natural language search option so that I can perform easier searches. For example, if I want to find e-mails from a person, I normally have to type Kind:email from:person in the Search box. When I turn on natural language search, however, I can type email from person instead and get the same results.

5. The final section � When searching non-indexed locations � specifies what to do with compressed files and system folders that are not indexed or when index search is turned off. I leave these blank to speed up searches, but I strongly suggest that you do not turn on the compressed file option; it will cause your searches to take forever and make your hard drive go crazy with activity.

6. When you are finished tweaking the search options, press OK to save your changes. You might have to reboot for all settings to start working.


Customizing the Indexing Service
The indexing service runs in the background and reads and indexes your files when your computer is idle to speed up searches. This works by reading all the files and storing search keywords and other information in a single database that can be easily read instead of having to read all the file information again every time you perform a search.

In Windows 7, the scope of the indexing service is limited to the user folders by default. If you use search a lot, you might want to tweak the folders and types of files that are indexed. The following steps will help you customize which folders are indexed as well as the file types so that you can control what is indexed and what is not:

1. Click the Start button, type Performance Information in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. After Performance Information and Tools loads, click Adjust Indexing Options on the left menu. When Indexing Options loads, you will see all the locations the indexing service is currently monitoring.

3. Now you should see the Indexing Options window. First, tweak where the indexer looks. Click Modify and then Show All Locations on the Indexed Locations window. Next, navigate through the list of your drives and folders, and simply check the boxes for the folders you want to be indexed. When you are finished, press OK and the indexer goes to work indexing the new locations.

4. Modify the file types that the indexer indexes. This can be done back on the Indexing Options window. This time, click the Advanced button and then click the File Types tab.

5. Scroll through the list of file extensions and select the file type that you would like to modify. Then, check the box and pick how the file should be indexed in the following section. If your file type is not listed, type the file extension in the box at the bottom of the window , and press Add, to add a new extension.

6. When you are finished, press OK and then Close to exit the indexing options.

Because the indexing service runs only when the computer is idle, it may take up to a few hours before your new files, folders, and file types are added to the index and show up in the search results.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Changing the Look of Windows 7 Via WindowBlinds

Before visual styles were a part of Windows, only one way existed to change the way Windows looked: via the WindowBlinds program from Stardock (www.WindowBlinds.net). WindowBlinds is a classic Windows customization program. When it first came out, it transformed the boring gray interface of Windows into an attractive and colorful experience. Now that Windows 7 includes its own skinning engine, products that have their own skinning engines, such as WindowBlinds, seem less necessary. So, why am I even mentioning this application? Because the Microsoft engine will only run skins digitally signed from Microsoft unless you use a utility to get around the limitation. Additionally, the quality of visual styles available for WindowBlinds typically is better than the hacked visual styles available.

Using WindowBlinds is much easier than using hacked visual styles. Just follow these steps to get started using WindowBlinds on your PC:

1. Visit www.WindowBlinds.net and download a copy of WindowBlinds. Install it. Make sure that you reboot after you install WindowBlinds.

2. After a reboot, click the Start menu, type windowblinds, and press Enter to start WindowBlinds.

3. After the WindowBlinds Configuration screen has loaded, you will see a list of all skins installed on your computer at the bottom of the screen. Scroll the list horizontally and click a skin that you want to preview.

4. When you have the skin selected you want to use, it is also possible to customize the colors of the skin. Click Colours on the bottom of the screen and then adjust the color tint of the skin.

5. When you are ready to apply your customized skin, click Apply Changes on the top-left of the window and you will see your user interface transformed.

You can always change your skin back to the default Windows 7 look if you do not like any of the skins offered by WindowBlinds by selecting the Windows Aero skin from the horizontal list when you open WindowBlinds. If you want more skins, the next section is for you!

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Removing the Shortcut Arrow from Icons on the Desktop

One thing that I always hate about Windows is the shortcut arrow. Sure, it is good to be able to tell if a shortcut is actually a shortcut, but I think that I know that the applications that I put on my desktop are already shortcuts. Also, the shortcut indicator that Windows uses does not look appealing, in my opinion. With a simple registry hack, it is possible to replace that shortcut icon overlay with any icon. This allows you to create your own icon using any popular icon editor and use it as an overlay on any shortcut.

I created a green arrow that I like to use as my shortcut icon overlay. You can grab it from the Windows 7 Tweaks web site at Tweaks.com/books/ win7tweaks. Use the following steps to change the icon shortcut overlay:

1. Click the Start button, type regedit in the Search box, and then press Enter to start Registry Editor.

2. After Registry Editor has started, navigate through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.

3. Right-click the Explorer folder, expand New, and select Key. Type Shell Icons as the name of the new key.

4. Right-click the new Shell Icons key, expand New, and select String Value. Type 29 as the name of the new String value.

5. Right-click the new string you just created and select Modify. Set the value to the icon path, a comma and the icon index number that starts at 0. For example, I use C:\icons\myshortcut.ico,0. The icon index number specifies which icon you want to use in the file. (Some files can contain multiple icons, such as the shell32.dll file.) Press OK when you are finished.

6. Log off and back on, and you should see your new shortcut overlay.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Removing All Icons from the Desktop in Windows 7

No matter how hard I try, I always end up with a lot of junk on my desktop. There is never an end to the war I fight with my desktop to keep it clutter-free � this is evident from the programs I download, documents that I am too lazy to save elsewhere, and new program links that seem to pop up from nowhere. I like to see my desktop wallpaper and not have my view of the wallpaper blocked by useless icons. One cool way to win the never-ending desktop war is to disable the desktop�s ability to show the icons and instead pin the most common desktop icons � such as the Recycle Bin and other shortcuts � to the taskbar. Disabling the icons on the desktop is actually a very simple task. Most people never know about this feature because it was placed where you would never expect it in previous versions of Windows. In Windows 7, just right-click your desktop, expand View, and then select Show Desktop Icons. Almost instantly, the icons disappear. Don�t worry because the icons and folders on your desktop were not deleted. If you ever want to turn the icons back on, just repeat the preceding steps again. This is a very simple way to clean up the desktop quickly. It�s sort of like sweeping dirt under a rug. The desktop clutter is still there, but you can�t see it.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Enabling Windows 7 Num Lock by Default

If you have a password that has both numbers and letters and you frequently use the number pad to enter part of your password, this hack is for you. I cannot count the number of times that I started to type my password and was then presented with a logon error telling me that my password was incorrect. I would sit there staring at the screen for a second before I realized that Num Lock on my keyboard was not on.

This is a great hack for every desktop computer with a full-size keyboard and a separate number pad. Turning on Num Lock by default on a laptop is not a good idea because most laptops do not usually have a separate number pad. Enabling this feature on a laptop will result in almost half your keyboard functioning as the number pad, and you would be much better off using the numbers instead of the letters. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start menu, type regedit, and press Enter.

2. When the Registry Editor loads, navigate through HKEY_USERS, .DEFAULT, Control Panel, and Keyboard.

3. Locate the InitialKeyboardIndicators entry, right-click it, and select Modify. To enable Num Lock, enter 2 into the box. If you want to disable it, enter 80000000 into the box with the Base set to Hexadecimal (80000000 is the hexadecimal equivalent of 2147483648 which is the system default value).

4. Then click OK to save the changes. That�s it!

If you are on a laptop and you attempted to enable Num Lock � even though I told you not to � and need to fix your system, repeat the preceding directions but replace the value of InitialKeyboardIndicators with 80000000 to disable the feature.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010