Windows 7 Tips & Tricks:
While Win 7 has been around for awhile now, some are just adopting it, and many have yet to explore all that it has to offer.

Troubleshoot Problems in Windows 7:
If some part of Windows 7 is behaving strangely or responding slowly etc…, and you don’t know why, then here is a quick way to ask the computer: hey can you tell me what is going on?

Follow this procedure to access some helpful wizards:
Click Control Panel >
Under the System and Security heading > Click Find and fix problems (or ‘Troubleshooting’)
These are simple wizards that will resolve common problems with your hardware, network and simply the appearance of things. It will also help you in checking your settings and cleaning up your system, as well as many other tasks.

The Windows Firewall:
Firewalls are not a silver bullet that will shield you from all threats, but firewalls certainly help keep your system more secure. It’s important to remember that the firewall will not detect or block specific threats the way an antivirus program does, nor will it stop you from clicking on a link in a phishing scam email message or from executing a file infected with a worm.

The firewall simply restricts the flow of traffic into (and sometimes out of) your computer to provide a line of defense against programs or individuals that might try to connect to your computer without your approval. There are many software firewalls on the market and some are free but Microsoft has one built in for you within Windows XP through Windows 7, so be sure it is running and enabled for optimal protection.

More Windows 7 Tips & Tricks:

Open A New Instance: To open a new instance of a program you have open, simple click Shift and the program’s icon at the same time.

Right Click The Taskbar: Lots of little tweaks here. For instance, to choose smaller icons, right click the taskbar, select properties, and choose “enable small buttons.”

Windows “Snap” Feature: To arrange two windows side-by-side, simple drag their respective borders to the far edges of your screen until they snap into two equal windows. Another way is Win + Left, and Win + Right.

Troubleshoot problems: If Windows is behaving badly, and you’re not sure why, click Control Panel – Find and fix problems (or ‘Troubleshooting’) to access the new troubleshooting packs. These are simple wizards that can help solve common problems, check your settings, clean up your system and more.

Calibrate Your Display: To adjust basic color settings, contrast, brightness, gamma, balance, and the like, type dccw in the Start Menu search box to launch the Display Color Calibrator.

Windows Calculator: Did you know that the tired old windows calculator now has grown-up features like programming, statistics and numerous other options such as unit conversions and calculations for vehicle mileage, mortgage rates and more! Check it out.

Right click on everything! There are lots of hidden goodies just below Win 7’s slick surface.

Win 7 System Restore:
System Restore is not a file backup tool – it’s a system backup tool, and, as Tech Radar suggests, there’s a critical difference.

System Restore’s job is to look out for Windows files; the programs that you install; registry settings that get changed; and other behind-the-scenes elements – not your documents. The advantage of this is that in the event of a disaster, you can get your system up and running without needing to worry about anything you created post-Restore Point being wiped away. The downside is that there’s not much that it can do if your problem is a deleted file or corrupted photograph.

Windows 7 does add one useful feature, however. Along with system data, Restore Points track any changes to files and folders, enabling you to go back to previous versions.

Tech Radar has a good and more complete overview of this important feature.

Windows Help & How To Guide:
If you really want the whole scoop, here an online, in-depth look at all that’s new and different in Windows 7! There’s as much as you want to know. Clickhere