Transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 7

Transcription

1 John W. Jacobs Technology Center 450 Exton Square Parkway Exton, PA Facebook.com/ChesterCountyLibrary JTC Blog: Transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 7

2 Introduction In this hands-on Windows 7 workshop you will learn some of the differences between Windows XP and Windows 7. You will learn how to navigate around Windows 7. You will not only see, but be given the opportunity to experience the features of Windows 7. We will share some Tips & Tricks of Windows 7 and will have time for a question and answer period. So without further ado, let s take a look at Windows 7, but let s start from a common point of reference, Windows XP. First the bad news Applications that worked on Windows XP will not work in Windows 7. That is they will not work natively, Windows 7 does allow for Windows XP mode, however Microsoft is warning against using XP or XP Mode since support for both products ended on April 8, So unless you are disconnected from the network Microsoft is warning that your computer may be at risk. What this means to you is that you will need to upgrade your software to versions that are compatible with Windows 7. The Desktop or Windows User Interface Remember the Windows XP desktop (Microsoft calls this the Windows User Interface): Figure 1: Windows XP Desktop 1

3 The Windows 7 desktop does not look much different, but there are a number of changes: Figure 2: Windows 7 Desktop Notice that the first big difference occurs in the lower left corner of the desktop the bar is no longer there, replaced with a round button with the Windows logo. The good news is that it operates the same as Windows XP. Clicking the Windows logo will still draw up the same familiar interface, with a few key differences. Figure 3: Windows XP Figure 4: Windows 7 (Example only) 2

4 First, notice the difference towards the bottom of both popups on the right hand side. Windows XP has Log Off and Turn Off Computer and Windows 7 only has Shut Down. Clicking Shut down on Windows 7 will give you more options than Windows XP. You may switch users (Windows XP = Log Off), Log off the computer, Lock the computer, Restart the computer or Sleep (go into a low power mode that shuts off the disk drive and monitor but allows rapid wake up. Another key difference exists in Windows 7 at the bottom left hand side Search programs and files. In Windows 7, you can find more things in more places documents, messages, songs and find them faster. Click and type paint in the start menu search box. You ll instantly see a list of matches of your search terms. You can search by typing the name of the file, or based on its tags, file type, and in some cases even the file contents. To see even more matches, click See more results. Your search terms are highlighted to make it easier to scan the list. Windows 7 Task Bar If you are familiar with Vista, you ve probably seen the task bar. Windows 7 taskbar is greatly improved over its counterpart in Vista. First you can attach (or pin) programs to the task bar for easy quick launch. Second on a crowded desktop, you can preview individual windows from a group (i.e. multiple open 3

5 windows in Internet Explorer) and even close the windows from the thumbnails. Hover your mouse over the thumbnail and you will be shown the file in full size. Jump Lists Closely aligned with the task bar is the concept of a Jump List. A jump list is list of recently or frequently opened files, folders, tasks or websites. You can organize them by the program used to open them. Additionally, you can pin favorite items to a Jump List so you can get to items quickly. For example pinning Adobe Reader to the task bar creates a Jump List. Then drag a frequently used PDF file to the icon on the task bar creates a pinned file to the Jump List. Dragging the Reader icon toward the desktop gives you a list of recently opened files plus the file you pinned to the Jump List. Libraries A new concept was introduced with Windows 7 that gives you the ability to organize your files to better suit your own needs and desires. Libraries make it easier to find, work with, and organize files scattered across your PC or network. A library brings your stuff together in one place, no matter where it's actually stored. Windows 7 comes with libraries for documents, music, pictures, and videos. But you can personalize these, or create your own, with just a few clicks. There's more. You can also quickly sort and shuffle your libraries for example, documents by type, pictures by date taken, or music by genre. Gadgets Windows Desktop Gadgets contains miniapplications or Gadgets which offer information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. For example, you can use gadgets to display a picture slide show or view continuously updated headlines. Some of the gadgets that come with Windows 7 are Calendar, Clock, Weather, Feed Headlines, Slide Show, and Picture Puzzle. 4

6 Calculate More You are all familiar with the calculator in Windows, but the calculator has had some advancements with the introduction of Windows 7. For example, you can use Calculator to perform simple calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. But the calculator also offers the advanced capabilities of a programming, scientific, and statistical calculator. You can use the calculator to convert different units, for example degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius. Open the Calculator and click on View. From this dropdown you can choose any of the various types of calculator, standard, scientific, etc., and if you click on Unit Conversion you will see another window to the right of the calculator allowing you to do unit conversions. Improved WordPad WordPad with Windows 7 has undergone major revisions and you can now think of it as a Microsoft Word Lite. It has a ribbon interface like the Microsoft Office Suite which makes it that much easier to create well-formatted documents that when saved are easily opened in Microsoft Word and vice-versa! More formatting options, such as highlighting, bullets, line breaks, new colors, and the ability to insert a picture make WordPad a surprisingly powerful tool. 5

7 Screen Manipulation Shake If you ve ever needed to cut through a cluttered desktop and shift the focus to a single window, SHAKE (a new feature of the Aero Interface) allows you to do just that. Just click the top of a window pane, hold the left mouse button down, and give your mouse a shake. Every open window except the one being shaken by your mouse instantly disappears. Shake the window again and your windows are back. Snap Ever wanted to compare two windows side by side? Dragging and resizing the windows can be a real pain, but with the SNAP feature of Windows 7, comparing two windows is truly a snap. Click your mouse into the top pane of the first window you want to compare and hold the left mouse button down. Drag the window to the right side of the screen until the mouse pointer touches the edge of the screen and release the mouse button. Repeat this for the second window, but drag the window to the left side of the screen. Voila! You now have a side-by-side comparison with each windows taking up exactly half of the screen. You can also accomplish the same result by clicking in the top of each window, holding down the Windows Key and pressing the right or left arrow. This works well if you have multiple monitors. SNAP can also be used to expand a window to full screen by dragging the window to the top of the screen. You can also snap a window to the height of a screen by dragging the top edge of a window to the top of the screen this function leaves the window width alone, but increases the height of the windows to full screen. Clear Screen or Show Desktop Windows 7 gives you the ability to minimize all windows on your desktop with a single click. Move your mouse to the far right hand lower corner of the screen. You will be shown the desktop with each window currently active outlined. Click the lower right hand corner and all the current windows are minimized. Click again and the windows are returned. Cycle through Screens With the screen cleared, there are three ways to see what windows are displayed on your screen. The first way is to hover you mouse over each icon in the task bar. Multiple windows associated with each icon are displayed as a thumbnail above the icon. The other way is to use the Alt-Tab much like in Windows XP. The third way uses a feature of the Aero interface in combination with the Windows Key on your keyboard. Snipping Tool Problem Steps Recorder Having a problem with your computer? Windows 7 comes to the rescue with a built-in diagnostic tool titled Problem Steps Recorder. Click on the Start Icon, and type Problem Steps Recorder in the search bar. Click on Record Steps to Reproduce a Problem the following dialog will display: 6

8 Click Start Record and repeat the steps that brought you to the problem encountered. When finished, click Stop Record and save the file to a location that can be easily found. The extension will be a.zip file and you can name it something that will help identify the file, for example Microsoft Word Error when opening a picture. Send the file to your favorite support person and they can see exactly what steps you took to get to the error and help you solve the issue. Parental Controls In Windows 7 you can set limits on your kids' computer use and help them be safer online without constantly peeking over their shoulders by limiting how much computer time children have, which programs and games they can use, and when. With the Parental Controls in Windows Media Center, you can also block access to objectionable TV shows and movies. To help keep your children safer online, download Windows Live Family Safety. This free program helps you manage which websites your children see and who they can talk to online. It also provides helpful, easy-to-read reports of their online activity. Once you've turned on Parental Controls for your child's standard user account, you can adjust the following individual settings that you want to control: Time limits. You can set time limits to control when children are allowed to use the computer. Time limits prevent children from logging on during specific hours. You can set different logon hours for every day of the week. They'll be automatically logged off when their allotted time ends. Games. You can control access to games or specific programs, Choose an age-rating level for games, Choose the types of content you want to block Decide whether you want to allow or block unrated or specific games You can block specific programs to prevent children from running programs that you don't want them to run. Note: Parental controls do not work for PCs that are connected to domains, i.e. work computers. Windows Live Essentials Windows Live Essentials is a set of desktop applications that simplify activities that you perform frequently on the desktop; for example touching up photos with Photo Gallery or creating personal movies with Movie Maker. Windows Live Essentials (more commonly known as Windows Essentials 2012), includes the following for Windows 7: Application Movie Maker Description Easier way to create awesome personal movies: Cut, rotate, add effects Text outline Add video track for audio Add music and narration 7

9 Advanced stability control Photo Gallery OneDrive (cloud storage) Mail Writer Family Safety Makes your photos look great: Photo fuse Panoramic pictures Retouch Auto collage Versatile personal cloud storage: Keep personal stuff in one trusted place Access from anywhere Share privately with people you choose Create together without compromise using Office Enables customers to manage multiple accounts, calendars, contacts and newsgroups all in one place. Allows customers to work online or off. Adds photos, videos, maps and more to blogs, and publishes to popular blogs easily. Customers can access their published blogs and drafts from any PC anywhere. Integrated with Photo Gallery and new templates. Helps parents control content their children access online and manage their and IM contacts. Provides search safety. Manages a child s local activities on the PC and online activity in one location. 8

10 For more information on Windows 7 and any other topic related to technology, please visit our blog: 9