Hidden secrets the average user doesn’t know about Windows 7

There are a variety of tips and system tweaks that can be applied to Windows 7 to offer better convenience and other useful features for the user. Tweaks range from easier access to files, the ability to incorporate an Internet search from the start menu and other option-settings for a quicker user-session.

Automatic Login

The user may set the ability for Windows 7 to login automatically to avoid the need to type a password in every time. This is a useful feature for those who get annoyed at the requirement for typing their password in each time to access the Windows desktop. To change the settings for automatic login, the user may:

  1. Click on the “Start” button to gain access to the Windows 7 Start Menu.
  2. Type “netplwiz” into the “Search” box and press the “Enter” key to access the “User Accounts” window.
  3. Under the tab “Users”, the person may uncheck the “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer” box to remove the requirement to input a password upon each login.

Re-install Quick Launch Bar feature

Windows 7 incorporates the Super Bar; however, there are users who might prefer the earlier Windows-version Quick Launch Bar instead. Once the user has set the option for the Quick Launch Bar, the user may drag-and-drop the application, or shortcut to the task bar so it may be launched when needed. In order to reset the Quick Launch Bar feature, the user must:

  1. Right-click on the Windows 7 SuperBar, and cursor down to the option “ToolBars” and click on it; afterwards the user must click on the “New ToolBar” option.
  2. The user will then be prompted to specify a folder; “%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch” should be input verbatim.
  3. Afterwards, the user may cursor to “Select Folder” and click on it.

A Quick Launch Bar will now be displayed on the Windows 7 SuperBar. However, further changes must be set to allow the use of the Quick Launch Bar feature.

  1. The user must then right-click on the Windows 7 SuperBar and look for the “Lock the Taskbar” setting. If the box is checked next to this option, it must be unchecked.
  2. Afterwards, the user may right-click on Quick Launch and look for the options “Show Text” and “Show Title”. If these are checked, they must also be unchecked to allow the user access to the Quick Launch Bar feature.

Ability to search the Internet from the Windows 7 Search Menu

To include the option for search results to not only include local files on the hard drive, or other media, the user may also set the option to incorporate an Internet search when utilizing the Windows 7 Search Menu. However, this feature is only capable when using Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate Editions. In order to incorporate this feature, the user must:

  1.  Type “GPEDIT.MSC” into the Windows 7 Search Menu and press the “Enter” key.
  2. Upon accessing the Group Policy Editor, the user must click on the “User Configuration” link, then “Administrative Templates”, “Start Menu” and “Taskbar”.
  3. Afterwards, the user must double-click on “Add Search Internet link to Start Menu”.
  4. The user will then be prompted by Windows 7 to ensure the selection; the person may click on the “Enabled” selection and then click on the “OK” button to save the selection and close the Group Policy Editor.

When the user types keywords into the Windows 7 Start Menu search box, an option for “Search the Internet” will be displayed. The user may select this link to search for the specific keywords entered in their default browser.

Author’s Bio: Myke Thomas is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. His blog Internetservice.net focuses on telecom bloggers and technology bloggers. You can follow him on Google+ and Twitter.

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