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Topic: Windows

Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

Summary: Are you a Windows 7 power user? Do you want to be?I've scoured my archive of tips, shortcuts, and secrets to find some of the hidden gems even some Windows experts don't know about. These aren't esoteric tweaks - they're honest-to-goodness productivity boosters that will save you time and keystrokes.

Ed Bott

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Are you a Windows 7 power user? Do you want to be? I've scoured my archive of tips, shortcuts, and secrets to find the hidden gems even some Windows experts don't know about. These aren't esoteric tweaks - they're honest-to-goodness productivity boosters that will save you time and keystrokes.

Let's get started ...

Quick! What time is it in Abu Dhabi right now? How about London, Moscow, or Beijing? Even if you could memorize the time zones, good luck keeping up with the changes in Daylight Saving Time.

Normally, that doesn't matter, but if you have friends, family, or co-workers in a distant time zone, knowing the exact time can help you coordinate times for phone calls or online conferences.

For a foolproof solution, make this small tweak to the Windows 7 clock. Click the time at the right side of the taskbar and then click Change Date And Time Settings. On the Additional Clocks tab, you can define one or two extra clocks, each with a time zone and a custom label of your choosing.

After you get things set up, click the time to see your custom clocks. The big one is local time, and the ones next to it are your custom additions.  

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Topics: Windows, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Software

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  • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

    Thank you!
    Skippy99
    Reply Vote

    • Yes, Ed! Thank You!

      @Skippy99
      kd5auq
      Reply Vote

  • Drop the Start Navigation click!

    If there's one annoying system sound I hate it's the "click" everytime a mouse button is clicked.<br><br>To change this, go to Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Change system sounds. Navigate to "Windows Explorer:Start Navigation" in the "Program Events" treeview. Change the "Sounds" drop-down value to "(None)".


    Voila - no more annoying click.

    As for the the "Copy as path" trick, I prefer "CopyPath" from http://www.autodebug.com/download.php. Once installed, the option is always available on a right-click without having to remember to press the Shift key.
    bwsd
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd: Personally I always switch off all system sounds. They're all very annoying. I've always done this.

      Does no one switch Control Panel to Classic View any more? I guess it's useful for non-techie types but I know what all the control panel applets do and navigating through that annoying category list to find them gets on my nerves.

      I tend to just right click on the Explorer address bar and copy to get the full path. It's easier to remember.
      bradavon
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

        @bradavon Why would anyone switch Control Panel to Classic View when you have the search box in the upper right corner of it's Window?
        Mostly, i don't even open the Control Panel - i use the Search Box of the Start Menu to search for the Control Panel Function i need.
        cgdams
        Reply Vote

      • search versus browse

        @cgdams ... I don't see why anyone would use 'search' panels in Windows (any version) if they don't have to ... firstly to use search you have to know what you're searching for by name, and secondly it means taking your hand off the mouse. It's far faster and easier to go click click click scroll scroll scroll ... do it all with one hand on the mouse while I sip my mug o'coffee with the other ... I hate having to put my hands on the keyboard just to navigate and select functions. That's totally counter-intuitive to the whole mouse-centric iconic windowing desktop environment that I've been using for at least 2 decades now. I hate having my view of the system and programs restricted by arbitrary limitations ... I always want to see what's there, and will always prefer browse versus search.
        Trial Software
        Reply Vote

      • You miss the point

        @bradavon

        Copying the path from the Windows Explorer address bar gives you the path for the folder, not for the file itself. So if you're uploading a file to a web site you still have to browse through the folder's contents and find the file you want to upload. That is potentially confusing if it's an image with a name like DSC110038. Using the Copy As Path command gives you the full path to the FILE ITSELF, which saves you that browsing and eliminates the possibility that you will upload the wrong file.

        As for Control Panel, you do know that individual tasks are indexed so that you can find a specific tab or command. The index even uses keywords that are not part of the command. So if you search for "bigger" you get options like "Make it easier to read what's on your screen" in the Display Control Panel.
        Ed Bott
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

        @bradavon Yes, I too turn the system sounds off. They are annoying and it does consume some CPU cycles which every serious software programmer wont' allow to happen.
        pavan.gayakwad
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd I love CopyPath in XP but cannot get it functional in Win7. Is there a trick or a special Win7 version?
      royherman
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

        @royherman
        gogetemph
        Reply Vote

    • Thanks for that one.

      @bwsd Thanks for the link to autodebug's Copy Path utility. That's going to make uploading photos & stuff much simpler.
      kidtree
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd
      A slighly quicker way to get to the Sound menu, if you have the speaker icon in the taskbar notification area, just right click on the speaker and select "Sounds".
      rob07601
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

        @rob07601 <br><br>Wow! Thanks for that tip. I'm no power user but this is exactly what I needed because my default sound settings change when I unplug the headphones (earbuds, really). Now I can reset them in less than ten seconds!
        ukali700@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd: THANKS a ton for the CopyPath link!
      Excellent utility.
      lopressure@...
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd I couldn't download it.. had 0x80070005 error and never could find fix for Windows 7 64.. wasted a lot of time
      You Are So Wrong
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

        @You Are So Wrong <br><br>You need to use a command prompt with administrator rights to register the dll.
        Zeiss2020
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd For XP Users, there is an app found at: http://www.copyfilepath.com/ which will install the CopyFilePath capability into XP's right-click menu.
      JonathanPDX
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd
      Thanks for the link to copy path, BUT do you / or any else know a method to replace backslashes (\) with ordinary slash (/). This because I very much use this for opening a page in browser (localhost), and here i HAVE TO use norm. slash !?
      Thanks in behalf
      Ole (DK)
      glofp
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd
      Thanks for the link to copy path, BUT do you / or any else know a method to replace backslashes (\) with ordinary slash (/). This because I very much use this for opening a page in browser (localhost), and here i HAVE TO use norm. slash !?
      Thanks in behalf
      Ole (DK)
      glofp
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Ten tricks every Windows 7 power user should know

      @bwsd
      Thanks for the link to copy path, BUT do you / or any else know a method to replace backslashes (\) with ordinary slash (/). This because I very much use this for opening a page in browser (localhost), and here i HAVE TO use norm. slash !?
      Thanks in behalf
      Ole (DK)
      glofp
      Reply Vote
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