How to use the Windows 7 taskbar

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

You won’t see too many headlines about it, but one of the big changes between Windows Vista and Windows 7 is the taskbar.

Above, I’ve taken a grab of the three different ways it’s looked over the last eight years – from Windows XP at the top through Vista in the middle and Windows 7 at the bottom.

Compared to Vista, at first glance it may seem like Microsoft has simply made the quick launch icons larger, as you might expect with an OS that’s designed to be touch-friendly. In fact, the changes go a little deeper, and although in some ways they’re better they’re also, in other ways, a little worse. (more…)

10 tips for Windows 7 beta testers

Friday, January 9th, 2009

Microsoft is releasing Windows 7 to 2.5 million beta testers today. Here are ten tips for those who are preparing to take the plunge:

1. Back-up your system

Whilst we’ve been mightily impressed with the stability of Windows 7 ever since the pre-beta launch, this remains a work in progress. If you’re even considering installing Windows 7 on a mission-critical system, make sure you take a full back-up first, so that you’ve got a fall back if it all goes horribly wonky.

2. Take note of your settings and software keys               

If you’re making a fresh install of Windows 7, rather than upgrading a previous OS, make a note of all your crucial settings  - such as your wireless network key and Outlook configuration –  so that you can get online immediately. Also make sure you can lay your hands on keys for any essential software that you’ll need to re-install in Windows 7.

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Requesters need to learn their place

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Generally speaking, one of the things I like about Windows is the fact that you can do everything with the keyboard. Don’t get me wrong – when it comes to drawing pictures and such, give me a mouse any day. But when all I want to do is launch a program or select a menu item, I find hitting a few keys a far simpler and more efficient way of doing so. (This, in fact, is one of my major gripes with Mac OS X – but that’s a rant for another day.)

What I don’t like is what happens when some requester leaps up while I’m typing and steals focus from the window I was typing into. (more…)