Windows 7 News: Software, Virus Protection

According to Microsoft, all Windows 7 (actually any Windows user) users are recommended to install antivirus software to protect themselves against viruses and other malicious software online. When it comes to choosing the right software Microsoft only advice their users to pick one of the major antivirus companies listed on their “windows 7 consumer security software providers” page. An important notice on this page is that you should always make sure that you don’t already have an antivirus product installed before you install a new one.
Ironicly, this isn’t listed …

Virtual world at Technet has posted another series of Windows 7 shortcuts.These shortcut tips are in continuation of our previous topic Windows 7 shortcut tips part 1.
5. Help the Help Desk Help You.
Solving problems unique to a machine can be an arduous task for both the end-user and the help desk. That’s why Windows 7 introduces the Problem Steps Recorder, a screen-capture tool that allows the end-user to record the problems they’re having step-by-step. It’s as simple as hitting “record” then adding in comments as needed. A HTML-based file …

Virtual World at technet is posting a series of shortcut tips and tricks giving details about their features and their usage
Here is the part 1 of the shortcut tips and tricks
1. Managing Your Windows.
Windows 7 simplifies document and program management by allowing you to “dock” a window or manipulate its size with one mouse manoeuvre or a simple keystroke. To dock your window on one half of the screen, drag it to the left or right and it will change its size to fit that half of the screen. To …

Tip 19: Lock Down Unauthorized Applications with the Built-In AppLocker Tool
Whether you’re dealing with users in your work environment or kids at home, being able to control what applications a user can use can prevent a lot of hassle and headaches. Windows 7 includes a new tool, called AppLocker, that lets you do just this by creating a policy to specify exactly what applications a user is allowed to run.
To access this feature, click start and enter Gpedit.msc. Then navigate to Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings …

Tip 18: Perform Multithreaded File Copies with Robocopy in Windows 7
Windows included the popular Robocopy utility, which offers powerful file copy capabilities in a command line interface. Robocopy is included in Windows 7 and features a new multi-threaded copy option. To perform a multi-threaded copy, you use the new /MT[:n] switch, where n indicates the number of threads to be used. By default, n is 8 when you use the /MT option, and can be any value from 1 to 128.
Note that the multi-threaded option is not compatible with the …

Tip 17: Set Different Default Printers for Different Locations
If you use your system in multiple locations (for example, using your laptop at work and at home) you can set a different default printer for each location. You can default to the networked color laser printer when you’re in the New York office, the scanner/copier/laser printer when you’re in the Seattle office, and your personal printer when at home.
Simply click on the Start Menu and type “printers” in the search field, and choose “Devices and Printers.” Click on one of …

Tip 16: Troubleshoot Power Management Settings in Windows 7
Windows Vista includes a command line tool, Powercfg.Exe, that you can use to configure power management settings. Windows 7 introduces a new switch, /energy, to provide a comprehensive report of those settings. It also offers diagnostics that can indicate which applications or devices might be causing power management issues (such as a USB driver not entering suspend) and what power management settings you can configure differently for better results. At an elevated command prompt, simply enter: POWERCFG –ENERGY –OUTPUT <path\filename>
The …

Tip 15: Use a USB Key to Install Windows 7—Even on a Netbook
Putting the Windows 7 installation on a USB thumb drive has a few advantages—a small USB key is much more convenient for carrying around than a DVD, the OS will actually install much faster, and you can use a USB key to install Windows 7 on systems that do not have a DVD drive, such as a netbook. In fact, you can even install Windows 7 on netbooks that have fairly modest hardware. Dennis Chung, an IT Pro …

Tip 14: New Ways to Maintain your PC and Solve Common Problems on Windows
Windows 7 offers new ways to manage your system and troubleshoot common problems. Two key components are the new Action Center and the new Windows Troubleshooting Platform.
Action Center You can easily check the status of your PC by going to the new Action Center (Control Panel | System and Security | Action Center). Here you can check the status of your antivirus software, set up a backup schedule, check for updates, and view solutions …

Tip 13: Use Windows PowerShell 2.0 to Get Reliability Data from Remote PCs
Windows Vista introduced Reliability Monitor, which accessed system stability data from the Reliability Analysis Component (RAC) database in a graphical manner. This tool allows IT professionals to view the system stability trend and associated events that may have affected that stability. In Windows 7, RAC database is accessible via WMI, enabling IT pros to view and use this data more flexibly.
Windows 7 includes Windows PowerShell 2.0, which provides remote scripting capabilities, including access to WMI. Combining these technologies, …