Windows 7 adds loads of great shortcuts for switching between apps, moving windows around your screen, moving them to another monitor altogether, and much more. Here’s a quick-reference master list of the best new Windows 7 shortcuts.
The full list of keyboard shortcuts includes:
- Win+Home: Clear all but the active window.
- Win+Space: All windows become transparent so you can see through to the desktop.
- Win+Up arrow: Maximize the active window.
- Shift+Win+Up arrow: Maximize the active window vertically.
- Win+Down arrow: Minimize the window/Restore the window if it’s maximized.
- Win+Left/Right arrows: Dock the window to each side of the monitor.
- Shift+Win+Left/Right arrows: Move the window to the monitor on the left or right.
You can also interact with windows by dragging them with the mouse:
- Drag window to the top: Maximize
- Drag window left/right: Dock the window to fill half of the screen.
- Shake window back/forth: Minimize everything but the current window.
- Double-Click Top Window Border (edge)
Taskbar Shortcuts
In Windows 7, using the Windows key along with the numbers 1-9 will let you interact with the applications pinned to the taskbar in those positions – for example, the Windows key + 4 combination would launch Outlook in this example, or Win+Alt+4 can be used to get quick access to the Outlook Jump List from the keyboard.
You can use any of these shortcut combinations to launch the applications in their respective position on the taskbar, or more:
- Win+number (1-9): Starts the application pinned to the taskbar in that position, or switches to that program.
- Shift+Win+number (1-9): Starts a new instance of the application pinned to the taskbar in that position.
- Ctrl+Win+number (1-9): Cycles through open windows for the application pinned to the taskbar in that position.
- Alt+Win+number (1-9): Opens the Jump List for the application pinned to the taskbar.
- Win+T: Focus and scroll through items on the taskbar.
- Win+B: Focuses the System Tray icons
In addition, you can interact with the taskbar using your mouse and a modifier key:
- Shift+Click on a taskbar button: Open a program or quickly open another instance of a program.
- Ctrl+Shift+Click on a taskbar button: Open a program as an administrator.
- Shift+Right-click on a taskbar button: Show the window menu for the program (like XP does).
- Shift+Right-click on a grouped taskbar button: Show the window menu for the group.
- Ctrl+Click on a grouped taskbar button: Cycle through the windows of the group.
More Useful Hotkeys You Should Know
The new hotkey goodness didn’t stop with the taskbar and moving windows around—one of the best new hotkeys in Windows 7 is the fact that you can create a new folder with a hotkey. Just open up any Windows Explorer window, hit the Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut key sequence, and you’ll be rewarded with a shiny “New Folder” ready for you to rename.
Here’s a few more interesting hotkeys for you:
- Ctrl+Shift+N: Creates a new folder in Windows Explorer.
- Alt+Up: Goes up a folder level in Windows Explorer.
- Alt+P: Toggles the preview pane in Windows Explorer.
- Shift+Right-Click on a file: Adds Copy as Path, which copies the path of a file to the clipboard.
- Shift+Right-Click on a file: Adds extra hidden items to the Send To menu.
- Shift+Right-Click on a folder: Adds Command Prompt Here, which lets you easily open a command prompt in that folder.
- Win+P: Adjust presentation settings for your display.
- Win+(+/-): Zoom in/out.
- Win+G: Cycle between the Windows Gadgets on your screen.
And some more Random Shortcuts.
- Win+L: Lock your workstation
- Win+D: Display the desktop
- Win+Spacebar: Preview desktop
- Win+M: Minimize all windows
- Win+Shift+M: Maximize all windows
- Win+E: Open Computer
- Win+F: Search
- Win+R: Run dialog
- Win+Home: Minimize all but active window
- Aero Shake: Just grab a window by the title bar and shake it back and forth a few times to minimize all the other windows on the desktop. Shake it again to bring the others back to their original position.
- You don’t have to right click on the taskbar to bring up the jumplist. just hold leftclick and move mouse up.
- If you’re in an Explorer window, press Alt to display the old-style menus.
- If you don’t actually want to use the gadgets, but want to take a peek at them, you can use Win+spacebar.
- Win+M minimizes all.
- Win+arrow combinations that allow minimizing/maximizing / docking / changing monitors.
- Alt+Up to parent directory since Backspace no longer accomplishes this.
- Win+P to change monitors is good as now I can give general suggestions to people trying to hook a laptop to a projector instead of the vendor specific Fn+F1-F12
- Ctrl+shift+E, in explorer it will expand out the folders view to show where you are.
atlast, Thanks To lifehacker and its members for making up this awesome list. 
Windows 7 already has a good batch of stylish themes and eye-pleasing wallpaper, and now Redmond has opened up its vaults and released new themes and wallpapers, some of them with sponsored partners.
Gearheads and greasemonkeys (the kind that aren’t into custom JavaScript/CSS tweaking) will probably dig the sponsored themes crafted by Ferrari, Ducati, Infiniti, and Porsche. Those looking to spruce up their desktop with frames from around the world can grab international themes from more countries than originally included in Windows 7′s Release Candidate packages.
The full-fledged themes are specific downloads for Windows 7 users, but anyone can grab the wallpapers from Windows 7′s Personalization Gallery for their system. Got another source for your newly-installed system’s theme? Tell us about it in the comments.
First Goto run and type Regedit and then Enter.
Then Goto the Key
Hkey_local_machine\software\Microsoft\windows\currentVersion\Authentication\logonUI\Background.
Its data, of Boolean type, defines whether or not this behavior is turned on, i.e. 1 for enabled, 0 for disabled. This value may not exist by default, depending on your system. If its not there. Just create it. And give the value 1.
Agin goto Run and type %windir%\system32\oobe\info\backgrounds then enter. If the folder is not there just create it as the path I have given.
The following files (sorted by width-to-height ratio) are supported in this folder:
- backgroundDefault.jpg
- background768x1280.jpg (0.6)
- background900x1440.jpg (0.625)
- background960x1280.jpg (0.75)
- background1024x1280.jpg (0.8)
- background1280x1024.jpg (1.25)
- background1024x768.jpg (1.33-)
- background1280x960.jpg (1.33-)
- background1600x1200.jpg (1.33-)
- background1440x900.jpg (1.6)
- background1920x1200.jpg (1.6)
- background1280x768.jpg (1.66-)
- background1360x768.jpg (1.770833-)
NOTE: Images must be less than 256kb in size.
So copy anyof your favorite wallpaper and put it this folder with name backgroundDefault.jpg
The backgroundDefault.jpg image is loaded and stretched-to-fit when a resolution/ratio-specific background cannot be found. The other resolution/ratio-specific files are self-explanatory. If the background cannot be loaded (e.g. image physically too large, incorrect ratio, etc.), the default SKU-based image is loaded from imagesres.dll. You’ll see a Windows Server-themed grayish background in there, too, suggesting this functionality is not specific to client SKUs.
Thanks to Expert Windows hacker Rafael Rivera for finding out and sharing this.
TGDaily is reporting that UK Windows 7 pre-orders for the giant e-tailer Amazon have set an all-time record, even beating out the seemingly insurmountable pre-orders sales that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows had.
The new operating system is also “significantly” outselling Windows Vista pre-orders, taking just 8 hours to surpass all Vista pre-orders during its run.
“The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone’s expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the biggest grossing pre-order product of all-time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong,” added Amazon UK’s managing director Brian McBride.
McBride did say however that Dan Brown’s recent novel, “The Lost Symbol,” had higher pre-order volume, but retails for much cheaper and therefore was behind in gross.
Windows 7 goes on sale tomorrow, and is expected to see large sales, especially considering the numbers Microsoft has given us in response to their promotions on the operating system.
Credit:afterdawn.com
Microsoft store will be opening on Oct 22. Earlier this year Microsoft announced it would open the company’s first retail store in the fall. October 22 is the Windows 7 day and Microsoft store will be coming with Win 7.
At 10 a.m. this Thursday, Microsoft hits Fashion Square mall in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Microsoft’s shop will sell the whole gamut of Microsoft products, from phones through to the software that has made the company the world’s most recognisable.
The store will also offer demonstrations and allow people to try out products, in much the same way as Apple stores do across the planet.
“We’ll open a couple of stores, try to improve, open a couple more stores,”
said Ballmer to Reuters.
“It’s very important for us to have a direct connection with the user.”
The minimum system Requirements for system to run Windows 7 are Given here:
- 1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
- 1GB of main memory
- 16GB of available disk space
- Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface)
- A DVD-R/W drive
But this is only the Minimum system Requirements. It does not assure you a smooth running system.
Now I’m gonna tell what you should need for running windows 7 according to my opinion.
First of all you need a processor with at least 2.0GHz. And yes it can be either 32/64 Bit.
Then I recommend at least 2GB ram. then only your system will run smoother. Of course windows 7 does not use Ram as much as Vista uses.
With 16 Gb harddisk if you are installing windows 7 i would say you better dont even try it. You should at least have a 40Gb harddisk.
Windows 7 has its looks. So you better have a graphics card of 128 MB.( I would say go for a 256 Mb card ).
If you have all these, Just dont wait for anything. Because, I used to be a linux fanboy. But I can say this Windows 7 is just awesome. I have been using it from the day Microsoft released their beta version. I’m not saying till now I haven’t experienced anything bad,because i experienced some bad. But still it worth using it.
