Windows7How

Windows 7 screen adjustment, backup and restore, system repair disc

November 29, 2009

Since Part 1 we have seen several useful new tools in Windows 7. It does seem odd how little these are being talked about even in the Microsoft commercials and advertisements. I would have expected to see features like the Action Center or the new Credentials Manager highlighted as new additions to the Windows family. However, the new operating system (OS) does have plenty of other attributes which make it an appealing upgrade. Here in Part III, though, we will not be reading about those. This is the final set of new tools which make Windows 7 easier to use.

Looking at a monitor all day long can really strain your eyes, even if it is a quality screen. Windows 7 has some tools which can help you actually tune your display. First is the ability to work on the text aspect. Simply go to the Control Panel and launch ClearType Text Tuner. It will show you a virtual version of your monitor(s) and you select to tune it by clicking ‘Next’. A set of text samples are displayed and you pick the one which is clearest – simple. After only 4 pages, you are done. Now that the text is clear, color calibration can be done. It is complex, but it can help you if you are very picky about the colors on your screen. Simply go to the Control Panel and choose Display Color Calibration. With this applet you are able to adjust color, brightness, gamma, and color rendition to your liking. You can finally find peace for those sore eyes.

One I have seen, but not enough of, is the improved backup abilities in Windows 7. With the new Backup and Restore applet in the Control Panel, you can customize your backup operations to your wildest safety scenario. It is much better than anything Microsoft has offered yet. So, go and explore it – at least for your own security. This is a rather intuitive feature, but Microsoft has several help sites for you to use.

Something probably mostly for administrators, the PowerShell version 2 is a powerful command-line shell from which scripts can be created and implemented. Actually, there is much more to it than that, so only look into this one if you are familiar with ‘cmdlets’ and their use. Otherwise, trouble could result. Just know that the new shell is much more than just the cmd.exe command-line interpreter; it is the first time PowerShell has been included in a released client OS.

A way-too-long-in-coming tool is the System Repair Disc with an easy to use user interface. It is a wizard which allows you to very quickly create a System Repair Disc for your system. It even allows you to repair your OS, restore your OS, diagnostics, and startup repair. This will be incredibly useful if you use your system a great deal – meaning that you install and uninstall several applications in the life of your system. If anything causes your Windows 7 OS to fail, this disc is likely able to help you repair it. Make sure you take advantage of this tool. Being safe is so much better than paying thousands out of your bank account for a drive recovery tech or having to do the recovery yourself.

These tools – from all three Parts – are important in the evolution of the Windows OS. Windows 7 is really a step up from all previous versions, yet it really seems like this is what we should have seen in Windows Vista in the first place. Even so, Windows 7 is a very powerful operating system and will go a long way towards making everyone’s work – or home -  life a little easier.

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Tags: Action Center, adjust brightness, adjust screen color, adjust text size, backup, cleartype, control panel, Credentials Manager, PowerShell, restore, startup, system repair, text tuner, win 7, windows 7