Windows7How

Windows 7 Tweaks – Quick Launch, Taskbar, Aero Snap & Control Panel

November 14, 2009

With previous versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems (OS), there were always several – possibly hundreds – of tweaks which made the OS perform better and easier to use for the end-user. If you are an administrator, you probably already know plenty of these and use them regularly with Windows XP and/or Windows Vista. Just like all of the other Microsoft releases, Windows 7 will be more comfortable for a user if they tailor it for their purposes. Here will be presented a few tweaks which may actually help you enjoy Windows 7.

One area of importance is the Taskbar; with Windows 7, the Quick Launch section is gone, nowhere to be seen anymore. If you like getting to your applications quickly and easily – especially without going to the Start menu – you will miss the Quick Launch feature. Well, with Windows 7, you can bring it back by following a simple step-by-step process here. Once you have the Quick Launch Bar back, you will feel like you never left Windows XP or Vista.

The new Taskbar in Windows 7 has other new features which are very useful. If you have installed the OS or have read about the new Taskbar features, you may not want to go back to the Windows Vista/XP. However, being comfortable with your OS is very important. It may be better for your purpose to change the Taskbar back to the precious feature set. If so, that is possible in Windows 7. This is how it is done:

• Right-click the Start button and select ‘Properties’
• Click the ‘Taskbar’ tab
• Check the box which reads “Use small icons” and click ‘Apply’

Next, if you are looking to get away from the way that the Windows 7 Taskbar combines icons when several instances of an application are open, you can do that. Follow the instructions above, and on the ‘Taskbar’ tab click on the drop-down list under ‘Taskbar Buttons’ and choose “Combine When Taskbar is Full.” This section also allows you to change the location of the Taskbar – Top, Bottom, Left, or Right. Of course, it is here that some new features in Windows 7 also appear; the ‘Desktop Preview’ option allow you to move your mouse cursor to the far right end (Taskbar in default position – bottom) of the Taskbar to minimize all running applications. You can also customize your System Tray icons here – which ones to display or hide, how they alert you, etc. The functionality here allows the user to set up the Taskbar to behave almost exactly as Vista and XP.

Another new feature of Windows 7 is an Aero-related feature called, oddly enough, Aero Snap. This allows you to grab a window with your mouse cursor and drag it to the left side of the screen and instantly have the window resize to fill half of the screen. If you drag that window to the upper corner of the screen, it will maximize and go to full-screen mode. This could obviously be a major annoyance to people used to Windows XP or even Vista. The good news is that this too can be turned off.

• Go to Control Panel
• Click ‘Ease of Access Center’
• Click ‘Make the Mouse Easier to Use’
• Un-check the ‘Prevent Windows From Being Automatically Arranged When Moved To The Edge Of The Screen’ box
• Then, simply click ‘OK’

There you go; it is gone and no more annoying behavior.

Speaking of the Control Panel, how about it working just like it did back in Windows XP? If you want to do this, simply open the Control Panel and select All Control Panel Items at the very bottom right. Next, to make these icons fit in the window all together, right-click in any empty space in the Control Panel window and select View > Small Icons. That will get most of them inside the space of that default-sized window. It is not a perfect clone of the Windows XP version, but it is much closer and will seem more familiar – a good thing.

There are some tweaks in Windows 7 which will go back to the ‘good old days’ of Windows XP, if you will. So, the new OS from Microsoft can at least feel familiar like what may be their best previous OS to be released. At least your life with Windows 7 will be a bit easier…

Filed under: Windows 7 Tweaks

Tags: aero snap, control panel, properties, quick launch, small icons, system tray, taskbar, tweaks, vista, windows 7, xp