Computrix.in: Top Ten Windows 7 tricks

1. Copy As Path

Many of us upload photos, videos and other files to the internet. This is particularly cumbersome since you will have to click on the browse button and then browse through the folders and files until we get what we wanted to upload.

There is a feature called Copy As Path in Windows 7 which enables user to copy the file location. So whenever there is a need to upload a file, you just need to paste the copied file location.

By using this we can save a lot of time. I do use this trick whenever I am uploading files to the internet.

2. Saving Registry Editing

Registry editing is a power user's delight. You need to know how to edit the Windows Registry before being called a power user. There are millions of tiny tweaks you can make in the Registry so that you can have different flavours of your favourite Windows OS.

There is a Favorites menu in the Registry Editor or regedit so as to enable users to store the key which they have changed. It can be deleted from the same menu too.

3. Power Efficiency Report of your laptop

Windows 7 includes a hidden tool to examine your laptop's energy and also make recommendations.

Logon as Administrator and run a Command Prompt. This can be done by typing in cmd in the Search box and pressing the Enter key.

At the command prompt, type the following line as it is :-

powercfg -energy -output \Reports\Report.html

After about a minute, the system will analyse and create a report and save it as Report.html in the folder named Reports.

4. Hidden International Themes and Wall papers

While you are installing Windows 7, the system will ask your language, location, currency etc.  Based on your inputs, the OS installs a set of Wallpapers and theme.  If you have given English (United States) as your input, the backgrounds and themes will include a United States section.

Microsoft has hidden a set of themes and backgrounds for other regions like Canada, Australia, South Africa and Britain.

This can be accessed by going to the following location :-

C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT

This can be done by pasting the link on the search box.

Now Windows will show you five subfolders namely MCT-CA, MCT-AU, MCT-ZA and MCT-GB.

CA stands for Canada, AU for Australia, ZA for South Africa and GB for Great Britain.

Browse to the folder you like and then click on folder named "Theme"

Within the Folder there will be a file named AU.Theme (If you go to MCT-CA, the file would be CA.Theme and like wise.

Double click the Theme file and activate the themes intended for that particular international region.

5. Access hidden Send To menu items

Normally when you want to move or send a particular file or folder, you will have to copy it and paste it in the intended location unless your intended location is your Documents, a USB drive etc.

To simplify this task, there are quite a number of options built in and hidden in the Send To menu.  To access them, you will have to press Shift key while right clicking the file or folder you want to move.

Now you have a whole lot of options to choose from.

6. Internet Search in Start Menu

Everyone of us is actually web-centric. We rely too much on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other Search engines.

So would it be nice to have an option to search the web in the Start Menu itself?

That is what we are going to do today. If you are having a Home edition of the Windows 7, you wont be able to do this trick. Assuming that you are having Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise Edition, let us make the Windows better.

Click on the Start button and enter "gpedit.msc" without quotes and press enter. This will bring up the Local Group Policy Editor for you.

Click on the User Configuration in the left panel and then on Administrative Templates.

From the Administrative Templates, click on the Start Menu and Taskbar .

Double click the entry named "Add Internet Search link to Start menu" and click on Enabled button and click Apply. Close the Policy Editor and you will have a Internet Search link in the Start menu.

7. Configure Windows 7 run only specified applications

It is actually possible in Windows 7 to allow running of specific applications. However, this is not certainly a foolproof method.

Open Local Group Policy Editor by typing in gpedit.msc in the search box.

Click on User Configuration and then click on Administrative Templates.

Now you will have click on System and browse to the item named Run only Specified Windows Applications.

Click on enable and then click on Show button besides the List of allowed applications.

You can now manually enter the filename and its extension in the value field and once you finish only those files which have been permitted will run.

However, if a person wants to run a certain program called abc.exe and he is aware that firefox.exe has been permitted to run, he can very well rename abc.exe into firefox.exe and run the program without any problem.

8. Edit Send To menu

I had earlier mentioned about increasing the options you get when you press Shift key and then select the Send To menu.

Now what if you have task in hand which requires you to choose multiple files from various files and folders and put it in a particular drive or folder? There is no option for that in the Send To menu by default.

But fortunately, it is possible to edit the Send To menu.

Enter "Shell:Sendto" without quotes in the search bar and press enter key.

Windows Explorer will open and will show you the option you currently have in your Send To menu.

Right click the Windows Explorer and click on New and then Shortcut.

Browse to the folder or drive you want to be in the Send To menu and click apply.

Now you will have the option to send any files to that particular folder/drive also in your Send To menu.

You can even put shortcut to programs like Word, Notepad etc in the Send To menu.

9. Customize Windows 7 Logon Screen.

Windows 7 has provided many controls to users to customise the appearance of the OS. The only sad point is about the logon screen with which the OS welcomes its users.

Though there is nothing bad with the picture, but we all get tired seeing the same picture everytime. It is indeed true that a majority of us might have already thought about changing the picture.

There are various softwares which allows you to do the job.

Logon Screen by DanielNET and

Windows 7 Logon Screen tweaker are the simplest and easiest softwares.

However, it is possible for users to change the logon screen manually by editing Registry. This functionality might have been left behind by the Microsoft to enable OEMs for further customisation.

So lets get started with the tweak.

Before editing you will have to select the image which is to be used as replacement. The image must be lesser than 256 KB and will be stretched. So if you have a bigger file, better edit it with Photoshop or other softwares. Free services are available online too for the same.

The image will have to be renamed as backgroundDefault.jpg. You will have to place this image to the following folder

Windows\System32\Oobe\info\backgrounds

If the folders are not present in your computer, create them.

Start the Windows Registry by entering regedit in the search bar.

Press F3 and search for OEMBackground

The key will be found at

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI

Double click it and change its value from 0 to 1.

Now you can create a new DWORD value called ButtonSet. You can configure the shadow by setting the value of the ButtonSet to 0 for Light Shadow, 1 for Dark Shadow and 2 for No Shadow.

10. How to view Different time zones

Windows by default displays the current date and time as per the input you gave it on installation.

Multiple time zones can be added along with the date in the Taskbar. So, next time you know when to call you friend who is abroad.

Click on the date in the Taskbar menu.