Title Details

Chapter 1 Optimizing the Start Menu and Taskbar

Pin an Item to Your Start Menu 4

Remove an Item from Your Start Menu 5

Pin a Program to the Taskbar 6

Pin a Destination to a Taskbar Icon 8

Add the Run Command to the Start Menu 10

Configure the Start Menu Power Button 12

Display Your Recent Files on the Start Menu 14

Launch Control Panel Icons Faster by Using a Menu 16

Add the Administrative Tools to the Start Menu 18

Display More Programs on Your Start Menu 20

Display a Clock for Another Time Zone 22

Control the Notification Area Icons 24

Chapter 2 Configuring Windows 7 to Suit the Way You Work

Change Your User Account Picture 28

Scale the Screen to Make Text More Readable 30

Change Your Screen Orientation 32

Configure Windows 7 to Work with Multiple Monitors 34

Create a Custom Windows 7 Theme 36

Display a Favorite Photo on the Desktop 38

Activate the Guest User Account 40

Synchronize Your System Time 42

Disable the Windows Startup Sound 44

Reduce System Volume When Making a Phone Call 46

Configure a Device Using Device Stage 48

Chapter 3 Boosting Your Computer’s Security and Privacy

Protect Children by Activating Parental Controls 52

Control When a Person Can Use the Computer 54

Allow a Person to Use Only Specified Programs 56

Control Video Game Use 58

Switch to Advanced Sharing to Improve Security 60

Protect a File or Folder with Permissions 62

Add a Password to Your User Account 64

Configure User Account Control Settings 66

Require Ctrl+Alt+Delete Before Logging On 68

Lock Your Computer to Prevent Others from Using It 70

Automatically Lock Your Computer 72

Prevent Others from Starting Your Computer 74

Hide Recently Used Documents to Enhance Privacy 76

Prevent Malicious Code from Running 78

Safeguard Your Computer with a System Image Backup 80

Allow a Program Through Windows Firewall 82

Encrypt Confidential Files and Folders 84

Chapter 4 Getting More Out of Files and Folders

Turn On File Extensions 88

Specify a Different Program When Opening a File 90

Restore a Previous Version of a File 92

Protect a File by Making It Read-Only 94

Save Time by Saving and Reusing a Search 96

Select Files Using Check Boxes 98

Add a Folder to the Favorites List 100

Display All Folders in the Navigation Pane 102

Add Destinations to Your Send To Menu 104

Make Files Easier to Find by Adding Metadata 106

Remove Personal Metadata from a File 108

Assign a Different Letter to a Disk Drive 110

Hide Disk Drive Letters 112

Split a Hard Drive into Two Partitions 114

Chapter 5 Enriching Your Windows 7 Media Experience

Create Custom Names for Imported Images 120

Repair a Digital Photo 122

Open Your Images for Editing by Default 124

Compress Your Image Files 126

Customize a Media Folder by Applying a Template 128

Create an Automatic Playlist 130

Adjust Rip Settings 132

Customize the Data Displayed by Media Player 134

Share Your Media Library with Others 136

Customize the Media Player Navigation Pane 138

Add Sounds to Windows 7 Events 140

Chapter 6 Maximizing Windows 7 Performance

Start Faster by Logging On Automatically 144

Turn Off Graphics to Improve Performance 146

Automatically Move the Mouse to the Default Button 148

Boost Performance with a USB Flash Drive 150

Run a Program with Elevated Privileges 152

Search Files Faster by Adding a Folder to the Index 154

Use Metadata for More Powerful Searches 156

Run a Program in Compatibility Mode 158

Turn Off Confirmation for Deleted Files 160

Configure AutoPlay Actions 162

Update a Device Driver to Ensure Top Device Performance 164

Create a One-Click Restart Shortcut 168

Chapter 7 Tapping Into the Power of Internet Explorer

Automatically Switch to New Tabs 172

View Open Pages as Quick Tabs 174

Open Multiple Pages When You Start Internet Explorer 176

Disable an Internet Explorer Add-on 178

Subscribe to a Web Feed to See New Site Content 180

Set the Web Feed Refresh Frequency 182

Improve Searching by Adding More Search Engines 184

Save Web Sites Longer to Surf More Efficiently 186

Always Check for Newer Versions of Web Pages 188

View Pop-Ups from a Specific Web Site 190

Customize the Favorites Bar for Easier Surfing 192

Chapter 8 Making E-mail Easier

Leave Your Messages on the Server 196

Change Your Message Priority 197

E-mail Multiple People Using a Contact Category 198

Protect Your Contacts by Creating a Backup Copy 200

E-mail an Electronic Business Card 202

Change the Location of Your Message Store 204

Activate the Spell Checker to Eliminate Message Errors 206

Change How Often You Check for Messages 207

Create a Rule Quickly from a Message 208

Change Your Outgoing Mail Port to Ensure Messages Get Sent 210

Receive E-mail Notification for an Incoming Fax 212

Chapter 9 Enhancing Internet Security and Privacy

Add a Site to the Restricted Sites Zone 216

Delete Your Browsing History to Ensure Privacy 218

Guard Your Internet Passwords 220

Play Web Page Media Safely and Privately 222

Thwart E-mail Viruses by Reading Messages in Text 224

Thwart Web Bugs by Blocking Images in Messages 225

Set the Junk E-mail Level to High to Avoid Spam 226

Eliminate Spam by Using the Safe Senders List 228

Add a Person to Your Blocked Senders List 230

Block Messages from a Country to Reduce Spam 232

Automatically Move Phishing Messages to the Junk Mail Folder 234

Prevent Windows Live Mail from Sending a Read Receipt 236

Chapter 10 Maximizing Windows 7 Networking

View the Current Status of Your Network 240

Run the Network Diagnostics Tool to Repair Problems 242

Personalize Your Network Name and Icon 244

Display a Network Folder as a Disk Drive 246

Change the Homegroup Password 248

Switch to User Accounts for Custom Network Security 250

Share a Folder with Other Users on the Network 252

Protect Your Shared Files with Advanced File Permissions 254

Create a Computer-to-Computer Wireless Network 256

Manually Connect to a Hidden Wireless Network 258

Reorder Wireless Networks to Improve Connections 260

Work with Network Files Offline 262

Chapter 11 Getting More Out of Your Notebook PC

Set Battery Alarms to Avoid Running Out of Power 266

Create a Custom Power Plan to Improve Battery Life 268

Define Actions for Notebook Power Buttons 270

Configure Your Notebook to Allow Wake Timers 272

Set a Maximum Processor Speed 274

Adjust Settings for a Presentation 276

Set Your Default Location for GPS 278

Configure Touch Input in Windows 7 280

Use Flicks to Scroll Documents 282

Capture Part of the Screen with the Snipping Tool 284

Index 286