Windows 7 surprising features

The expectations of users have increased with the release of Microsoft's new operating system. And when it actually launched, we realized Windows 7 is worth whereas Windows Vista was bloated and resource-hungry. After Vista, the world started expecting something better from Microsoft. Microsoft has officially released Windows 7. Windows 7 include many enhanced features such as much less boot up and shut down time. You can install Windows 7 in a machine that had Vista or XP. The old settings can be transferred in Windows 7. For someone used to Vista, Windows 7 looks like an upgrade with a few, but significant, bells and whistles. The Start menu has a similar look. The default theme looks like the Vista’s Aero. When you click on the Windows icon on the left, it pops up the Start window, which is again similar to that of Vista’s.

Taskbar

Windows 7 evolutionary taskbar is started with Windows 1.0. With regard to user experience it offers significant improvement in architectural design. To access the functionality of the new Windows 7 taskbar, the taskbar button provides the key. The most important thing is that it displays the icons which are not currently running. Windows 7 has made it easier for the user to get to the programs and destinations with less clicks and mouse movement. Sometimes we need to keep a lot of programs on the Quick launch to make top level room for the pinned items. And to make space for the other programs we require deleting the other valuable programs. While researching the user follows three basic steps which he need to repeat again and again. The user can get to work only after using the program UI. Therefore, for the user comfort Windows 7 provides the feature to jump directly to these features by skipping the unnecessary steps. Directly reaching the destination is now quite easier and accessible from the taskbar.

You get options to open a new tab or browse ‘In Private’ mode, when you right-click on an Internet Explorer icon, . Similarly, right-clicking on a Windows Media Player icon on the taskbar opens a list of frequently played tracks. You also have the option to ‘Resume previous list’ or to ‘Play all music’. Right-clicking on the Windows Explorer icon provide you with the option to open frequently opened programs. If you frequently work on Word, it is enough for you to right-click on the Windows Explorer icon and choose Word from the list of the commonly used programs.

You can also drag around the icons in the task bar according to your preference. Right-clicking on an empty part in the taskbar opens up the usual menu.

Gadgets

If you think that gadgets are occupying lot of space then Windows 7 has come up with a solution. It’s called Gadgets. You can select the gadgets you want from the Desktop Gadget Gallery. The default gadgets available include calendar, clock, CPU meter, currency conversion, feed headlines, slideshow, stocks, weather, Windows media, picture puzzle, etc. It also display the option to get more gadgets online.