The icons that reside in the Windows notification area (near the clock in the taskbar) convey much useful information at a glance. Is my network link live? How's my notebook's battery? Is there really yet another Windows update ready to be installed?
But one bit of information I often want to know is how much of my CPU is in use at any given time. Now the notification area gives me the lowdown on my processor as well. All I did was add a Task Manager shortcut to Windows' start-up folder and set the shortcut to open minimized.
Old-school taskbar customization
Windows gives you lots of options for altering the shortcuts on your Start menu (more on these below). Unfortunately, getting a CPU-usage indicator in the mix isn't one of the prefab customizations available. Instead, you have to do it yourself.
Add Task Manager's CPU graph to the taskbar's notification area.
(Credit: Microsoft)Start by right-clicking the Start button and choosing Open. Click or double-click the Programs folder and then the start-up folder. Right-click in the right pane and choose New > Shortcut. Type taskmgr in the location field and click Next. Give the shortcut a name, such as "Task Manager shortcut," and click Finish.
Now right-click the shortcut you just created, choose Minimized in the Run drop-down menu, and click OK. When you restart Windows, Task Manager's CPU graph will appear in the notification area. Hover the mouse over it to see the percentage of your CPU in use. Double-click it to open Task Manager.
Change your Start menu's behavior
I was surprised at how similar Windows 7's Start menu options are to its predecessors. To view your Start menu options, right-click the Start button and choose Properties. You can revert to the old-style Start menu by selecting Classic Start menu. If you're like me and prefer a combination of old and new, retain the default Start menu option and click Customize under the Start Menu tab.
By default, Windows shows Start menu items as links that you click to open. I like seeing Computer, Control Panel, Documents, and other system folders as menus, so I choose "Display as a menu."
This dialog also lets you change the e-mail program and Web browser shortcuts that appear on the Start menu, as well as the number of recent programs to show on the right side of the menu. To protect your privacy, return to the Start menu tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog and uncheck the options for storing and displaying recent files and programs.
Show Computer, Control Panel, Documents, and other Start menu folders as menus rather than links via the Customize Start Menu dialog.
(Credit: Microsoft)You can also customize the behavior of the icons in your notification area. Click the Notification Area tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog and choose the Customize button (make sure "Hide inactive icons" is checked). The default for most notification area icons is "Hide when inactive." To always hide or always show an icon, select it and choose Hide or Show on the drop-down menu that appears.
Windows 7's notification area adds an overflow pop-up window. To view its contents, click the up arrow to the left of the area. Click Customize to open the Notification Area Icons Control Panel applet. The options are renamed, but the actions are the same as in Vista: show, hide, or hide when inactive. (A couple of weeks ago, I described several more-useful new interface features in Windows 7.)
Automate your Start menu customizations
If you use Windows XP, the free Tweak UI utility (part of Microsoft's PowerToys suite) provides some one-click Start-menu customizations. Unfortunately, there's no PowerToys or Tweak UI equivalent for Vista and Windows 7.
Several freeware programs enhance your Start menu customization and management options. Start Menu Organizer from Winstep Software Technologies adds folders to the menu with links to system and Internet tools and lets you create your own custom Start menu folders.
Mithril Software's Start Menu Cleaner focuses on removing orphan menu entries and the useless items added by misbehaving program installers. Vista Start Menu from OrdinarySoft is particularly noteworthy for the many keyboard shortcuts the program adds to Vista's Start menu. However, CNET's reviewer was unable to get some of the utility's features to work, though it's unclear whether those functions are restricted to the paid version of the program.
PC problems can be real time sinks. That's why people are willing to pay for programs that them help find, fix, and prevent tech glitches. Smith Micro's $49.99 CheckIt Diagnostics claims to help you prevent hardware failures before they happen. The program's hardware tests put your system components through the wringer, but if it finds a problem, the solutions suggested by the utility can be severe.
For instance, when my 8-month-old laptop failed CheckIt's memory and video tests, the advice the program offered in the first case included reinstalling the CPU. For the second failed test, I was instructed to update the machine's video drivers and to avoid using third-party drivers.
I hadn't noticed any problem with the notebook's memory or display, so I thought these might be examples of the failures the utility nips in the bud. What stopped me in my tracks was the memory-failure advice, which entailed disabling external cache and changing a BIOS setting in addition to reinstalling the CPU, memory modules, and cooling fan. These actions seem a little extreme to perform on a relatively new system that hadn't exhibited any symptoms of trouble.
Smith Micro's CheckIt Diagnostics may suggest dire solutions to failed tests.
(Credit: Smith Micro)As for updating the video drivers, I'm disinclined to update a driver when the device in question is functioning normally. But at least the test results have made me more diligent in monitoring my PC's health. While CheckIt's test results may be difficult to interpret, the program provides a thorough view of your system components.
CheckIt's System Information screen gives you the lowdown on your memory, processor, BIOS, video, audio, storage devices, network adapters, printers, and software. An uninstaller is provided, but it doesn't offer the features of the free Revo Uninstaller is described in a post from last August.
The details of your system components are presented in a single, multitabbed CheckIt Diagnostics window.
(Credit: Smith Micro)Other CheckIt tools include a video calibrator, a ping and tracert automator, a benchmarker, and a stress test that combines various component tests. In addition to the memory and video tests, CheckIt tests your processor, audio, modems, graphics, and disks of every sort.
The scope of CheckIt's tools and tests is impressive, but Iolo's System Mechanic—which I reviewed along with Stardock's TweakVista in a post last May—remains my preferred all-in-one Windows utility, despite System Mechanic's annual fee.
Still, if you manage more than a handful PCs, especially machines that are getting long in the tooth, CheckIt Diagnostics can save you plenty of time, and possibly some money by helping you get a jump on component failures. Just be sure to take the program's advice with a grain of salt.
Do you need Windows 7? If you're happy with your current PC—whether it runs Vista, XP, or some other operating system—probably not. But if you're in the market for a new system, there's a lot to like about Windows 7, particularly in the look-and-feel department.
You can read all about Win7's new features on Microsoft's official Windows 7 site. But some of my favorites are the subtle interface tweaks that can be easy to miss.
Starting with the basics
I like to keep the Windows desktop free of icons, so the first change I make to any new Windows setup is to right-click the desktop, choose View, and uncheck Show Desktop Icons. Windows 7 gives me a reason to keep those icons in view. Move your mouse to the far right end of Windows 7's taskbar to "Peek" through all open windows to the desktop.
Windows 7 also lets you "Shake" a window to hide all other open windows and shake it again to get them back. Or "Snap" a window to the top, bottom, left, or right side of the screen to fill that portion of the screen, which is great for comparing files or folders.
The Notification area gets a facelift in Windows 7. To open the new-look Notification Area Icon Control Panel applet, right-click the Start button, choose Properties > Notification Area > Customize. The options to hide icons, always show them, or show only notifications are the same as in Vista, but the interface is slicked up a bit.
The Notification Area Icons options have a new look in Windows 7.
(Credit: Microsoft)A new icon in Windows 7's Notification area is the Action Center, which centralizes all pending system alerts. Hovering over the Action Center's flag icon displays the number of messages in the queue. The How-To Geek explains how to customize Action Center messages and also provides instructions for disabling the feature.
Jump to a recent file or open window
Previous versions of Windows have offered ways to return to files, folders, and applications that were opened recently. Two new methods in Windows 7 are Jump Lists, which appear when you right-click a taskbar icon, and Aero Peek, which previews files when you over their taskbar thumbnails.
A new look for some old favorites
I've been using Paint and WordPad for so long the programs—both of which have been baked into Windows for years—feel like old friends. I was delighted to see that the versions of these apps in Windows 7 sport ribbons similar to those in Office 2007 programs. Of course, not everyone likes the ribbon interface, but I think it's easier to access the items I use most.
Frankly, I'm just glad Microsoft hasn't remove these Windows stalwarts the way it jettisoned Windows Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, and other formerly-built-in components to create the separate Windows Live Essentials.
Getting a feel for the Windows 7 interface
Perhaps the most impressive interface tweak in Windows 7 is apparent only to touchscreen users. Any iPhone user will appreciate the ability to control screen elements by using your fingertips to drag and tap elements on the display. CNET Senior Associate Editor Seth Rosenblatt gives a video demo of Win7's touch features.
But touch will be a novelty until significant numbers of PCs with touchscreens arrive. As Ina Fried explains in her Beyond Binary blog, consumers have balked at the added price of touch-enabled systems. However, as the price of touchscreens drops and software arrives that takes advantage of the feature, you may find yourself spending less time clutching your mouse.
Roughly speaking, powering a desktop PC with a 17-inch LCD 8 hours a day, 20 days a month costs about $35 a year. That's according to the energy-use calculator on Michael Bluejay's Saving Electricity site.
The same site indicates that computers and electronics represent less than 10 percent of the average energy bill in the U.S. That's about the same amount we spend to power our refrigerators and a third of what the typical home pays for heating.
But if you're looking to reduce your carbon footprint along with your electric bill, minimizing your computer's power consumption can make a difference. Here are four steps you can take to use less power.
Adjust Windows' power plans
You probably set your PC to go into standby, sleep, or hibernate mode after a period of inactivity (please tell me you don't still use a screensaver). In March 2008, I described how to customize Vista's power plans and XP's power schemes. Greg Schultz of Tech Republic examines the new feature in Windows 7's PowerCfg command-line utility that analyzes your current power plan and spots problem areas.
Turn your PC and monitor off completely
It's true that Windows' various power-down states save almost as much energy as pulling the plug entirely, but that little trickle of electricity drain adds up quickly. According to Penn Computing's estimate of PC power use, the machines are draining a watt or more of power when they're off and plugged in.
Many organizations with huge PC networks have been paying attention to these numbers and have invested in sophisticated power-management systems for all their office equipment. Networked PCs may need to be activated remotely to apply patches and perform other maintenance tasks. But for most home computers, there's no need for them to be left in standby, or even to be plugged in when they're not in use.
Take the hardware approach to power conservation
TrickleStar sells products designed to turn off your PC's peripherals when you turn the machine itself off. This might be a great way to save energy, but according to Gizmos for Geeks' review, it could take as long as 12 years for the device to pay for itself in lower energy bills.
Hang on to your old machine a while longer
As Netbooks become more popular, I can't help but think we've entered the age of the disposable computer. And that's not good. It takes a lot of energy to build and deliver a new PC. And while Windows 7 has convinced a great number of people that the time is right for a new system, that old one has to end up somewhere--perhaps in an unregulated landfill in Asia.
It's true that dumping your CRT in favor of an LCD will reduce your monthly electric bill, but be sure to dispose of your old equipment responsibly. Last March, I discussed the pros and cons of recycling vs. donating your old PC.
Tools help you save energy around the house
Since your computers and other electronics equipment represent less than a tenth of your overall energy consumption, you might be wondering how you can minimize the other 90 percent. The Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Change site lists energy-saving tips for home owners, travelers, office workers, and schools. The site also features a Household Emissions Calculator.
Enter information from your gas, electric, and other utility bills to find your estimated annual CO2 consumption. Then find out how much CO2 you can conserve by driving less, washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot, and taking other energy-saving measures.
With or without the money savings, using less has got to be good.
The consensus of experts is that Windows 7 is the best operating system Microsoft has ever released. I managed to perform a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate on an XP PC with no problems whatsoever, but not all Windows 7 upgrades go so smoothly.
In fact, I was getting ready to install Windows 7 Home Premium on a blank partition of my Sony Vaio laptop so I could dual-boot Vista and Win7 but was scared off by a handful of reports of serious upgrade problems. Call me chicken, but I count on my notebook PC and don't want to risk breaking it. (And besides, I don't dislike Vista near as much as many other people do.)
Some veteran PC users postpone upgrading to a new Windows version until the first service pack is released. Unfortunately, service packs often cause problems of their own. Back in 2008, glitches with Vista SP1 caused Microsoft to offer free support, as Suzanne Tindal reported. Microsoft provides the System Update Readiness Tool designed to resolve update problems for Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7.
You can minimize the chances that you'll encounter upgrade woes by doing two things beforehand: back up your data and save the Windows 7 drivers for your hardware to a removable medium. This applies whether you're doing an in-place upgrade (which preserves your data and settings) or a clean install (which wipes out the current Windows installation).
That's the theory, anyway. There's no guarantee that the official Windows 7 drivers will work without a hitch on your system. Paul Mah of the IT Business Edge reports success rolling back to the Vista driver for a device that balked under Windows 7.
Some Vista users fall into an infinite loop when attempting to install the Windows 7 upgrade. Microsoft provides a Fix-it for the problem on its Support site. Seth Rosenblatt describes in the CNET Download Blog two Win7 upgrade gotchas to avoid.
Microsoft's guide to upgrading to Windows 7 relies on the Easy Transfer wizard, but ZDNet UK's Adrian Bridgwater points out the risks of trusting your data and software settings to an automated process that can be "easy" to derail. (The wizard doesn't bring over the applications themselves, which have to be reinstalled separately.)
I may eventually upgrade my Vista notebook to Windows 7—probably long before Win7 SP1—but only after the early adopters have cleared a path.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday, October 9, that the H1N1 virus was widespread in 37 states. Fortunately, vaccines are on their way, and seasonal flu shots are currently available (the map on the Flu.gov site helps you find a vaccination center near you).
The best way to avoid bringing the flu bug home with you from the office is to stay out of the office. If you have the flu, do yourself and your coworkers a favor: stay home and rest! Not sure if you have the flu? Check the CDC site for a list and description of the symptoms of both H1N1 and seasonal flu. You'll also find information on the CDC site for taking care of people with the flu, prevention for people at high risk, and travel updates.
One of the best ways to track the flu's spread is via Google Flu Trends, an interactive map that indicates the frequency of flu-related search terms in various countries.
The Google Flu Trends map tracks flu-related searches by country.
(Credit: Google)Additional information on flu trends is available for the U.S. and several other countries. For the U.S., you can compare yearly flu trends and view data for each state.
For several countries, Google provides more annual and regional flu data.
(Credit: Google)
Link to your office PC for free
In many work situations, there's no substitute for being face to face. But every year it gets easier to get your office work done from outside the office. One way to do so is via Windows' Remote Desktop Connection component, which lets you link to a PC that's on an office network, but only if the machine's running XP Professional or Vista/Windows 7 Professional, Business, or Ultimate.
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It has become conventional wisdom in the PC industry that periodically reinstalling Windows can restore an old PC's youthful vigor. Unfortunately, the process has become a challenge—and a real time-sink, to boot. Better to create a disc image of your hard drive when everything's working well and restore that image when things turn sour.
Recently, my nearly new laptop PC froze in the middle of Windows loading. After a forced shutdown, Vista repaired itself and reverted to a saved restore point. Things were back to normal in no time, but the event reminded me that I hadn't yet created a disc image of the hard drive's active partition.
Doing so doesn't cost home users anything other than the price of a few blank DVDs or some other removable medium. Paramount Software's Macrium Reflect disk-imaging software is free for personal use, though businesses, schools, and charities are asked to pay $39.99 for the full version (30-day trial available).
After you install the program, you're prompted to create a backup, including an XML Backup Definition File to facilitate restoring the backup from your desktop. You can also create a rescue CD (or DVD) that uses either Linux or the BartPE boot routines. Linux is the default selection and the one recommended for all but Windows XP and Server 2003 systems.
Macrium Reflect prompts you to create a disc backup after it installs.
(Credit: Paramount Software)Backing up 68GB of data on a 222GB hard-drive partition took about 45 minutes and four DVDs. Even if restoring the partition required twice that amount of time, the process is still faster than reinstalling Windows, downloading and installing the gigabytes of Windows updates, reinstalling your applications, and restoring your data files and settings.
Backing up a 66GB drive partition to four DVDs took Macrium Reflect less than 45 minutes.
(Credit: Paramount Software)Once I had created the Linux boot disc, I was ready for nearly any Windows emergency. Now I have to lug around five DVDs, but that's a small price to pay for the added peace of mind.
Of course, there are times when reinstalling Windows is your only recourse—such as when you have to repair a PC that has no backups. You'll find step-by-step instructions for reinstalling XP and older versions of Windows in Lincoln Spector's "How to Reinstall Windows XP." Microsoft's Windows Help and How-to site describes how to use Vista's Startup Repair feature. A separate article on the site explains your Vista installation and reinstallation options.
If your PC shipped without a Windows installation disc—and chances are increasingly likely it didn't include one—your only option is reinstalling your OS from the recovery partition on the hard drive. The steps vary depending on the PC vendor, so check the company's site for the instructions for your system.
With or without a Windows installation CD, restoring a known-good disk image is faster, simpler, and at least as effective as starting from scratch.
CNET has been the premier technology-news site since there have been technology-news sites. It's great to be even a small part of it. But lately I've been spending more and more of my time on one-person tech sites run by people who are among the sharpest on the Web.
The sites themselves couldn't be more different, and one specializes on Windows XP, so it's anything but a "news" site, but each one offers something of value that you won't find anywhere else.
Before I describe these tech sole proprietorships, let me plug two of my favorite CNET reporters. Elinor Mills' InSecurity Complex blog keeps me up-to-date on the latest in tech security. And I get a fresh perspective on Microsoft and its products, among other interesting tech topics, in Ina Fried's Beyond Binary blog.
The guy with his finger on the technology pulse
I get winded just reading about all the events and product announcements Harry McCracken writes about on his Technologizer site. The former PC World editor-in-chief covers topics so diverse that about the only thing they have in common is that they're all so interesting. Harry cuts through the hype and gives you the low-down quickly and simply.
By the way, Harry will be tweeting during Chris Anderson's videocast about disruptive technology on Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. Pacific time. I'll be working, but I hope to catch at least a couple of his tweets during my afternoon break.
The first word on computer security
Bruce Schneier writes about more than just security on his Schneier on Security blog, which is a good thing because you really have to read about the discovery of giant squid and the nonrandomness of coin-flipping to get a break from all the bad news. And unfortunately, there's no shortage of bad news when it comes to computer security.
Granted, many of Schneier's stories don't affect everyday PC users directly, but scan Schneier's blog whenever you need a reminder of why we need to take security so seriously.
Nobody knows more about PC annoyances than the Bassmaster
There's a lot to enjoy about computers, but for every source of PC joy there are 10 sources of PC aggravation. And when your tech hardware and software starts getting on your nerves, head over to the newsletter archive on Steve Bass's TechBite site for solutions with a touch of wry.
Along with great Windows troubleshooting tips, you'll find money-saving tricks and freeware recommendations. But my favorites are Steve's Time Wasters: deceptively difficult puzzles and games, optical illusions, stunts gone askew, and other Web wonders. The Internet the way it was and the way it should be!
A site for the operating system that wouldn't die
You have to hand it to Windows XP. The software has been around since wireless networks were young and cell phones had only 15 buttons. The fact is, XP continues to be the most widely used operating system in the world. And when your XP machine starts acting up, make Kelly Theriot's Kelly's Korner one of your first stops.
Troubleshooting's topic number one on this site, but you'll also find plenty of XP interface tweaks and links to other resources, particularly Microsoft Knowledge Base articles. This site is never going to win any design awards—some of its pages are text links in long, unbroken tables—but if it can go wrong in XP, it's probably described on Kelly's site.
Sometimes you just have to laugh
More malware, more defective hardware, more privacy breaches. Reading the daily technology news makes it easy to lose your sense of humor. Sure, you can browse over to The Onion or another humor site, but you get a whole different sensibility—or nonsensibility—from Dan Tynan and his cronies JR Raphael and "Dr. Smartass" on the ESarcasm site.
I'd like to report that I found some redeeming value on this site, but I'm still looking. (You'll find Dan's more serious take on matters technological on his Tynan on Tech blog.) If you're at all inclined to take technology—or yourself—seriously, avoid this site like the H1N1 virus!
My previous post described how to add information to and otherwise customize Windows' Welcome screen. But maybe you just want to get your PC going without having to log into an account. You can bypass Windows' log-on screen by changing settings in the Windows Registry, as described in a tutorial on the Computer Performance site, but I find it much simpler to use a free Windows-tweaking utility to do the same thing.
The program I used to customize the Windows Welcome screen—TweakNow PowerPack 2009—is the same tool I used to disable the log-on screen on my Vista laptop. Click Windows Secret in the utility's left pane and choose User Accounts. Click "Enable auto log-on," select the account you want to log into automatically, enter the account's password and domain name (if necessary), and click Save. The next time you start the PC, Windows will start and open that account automatically.
Set Windows to start logged into a specific account—without having to enter a password—via this setting in TweakNow PowerPack 2009.
(Credit: TweakNow)TweakNow PowerPack 2009 works with XP, Vista, and Windows 7, but I tested it only with Vista. I didn't need to download the program to my XP test machine because that system already has Tweak UI, Microsoft's free XP-reconfiguration utility that lacks a Vista version.
To set XP to start a specific account without requiring a log-on, open Tweak UI and click Logon > Autologon in the left pane, check "Log on automatically at system startup" in the right window, enter the account's user name and domain (if necessary), and click the Set Password button.
The free Tweak UI utility makes it easy to start Windows without having to log into an account.
(Credit: Microsoft)In the Set Autologon Password dialog box, enter the account's password in each of the two text boxes and click OK.
Add the account's password twice and click OK to start Windows without having to log in.
(Credit: Microsoft)
Why bypassing the Windows log-on is dangerous
Setting Windows to open an administrator account automatically is risky, period. Even starting a standard account without requiring a password is dangerous, though less so. There are many very good reasons why Windows accounts are password-protected, and far fewer good reasons for doing without passwords.
That's why I recommend against allowing automatic log-ons in general. But far be it from me to tell you how to use your PC, so if you want to save a few seconds each time you start your system—and you're not worried about somebody doing serious mischief after gaining easy access to your account—it's okay by me.
Creating a custom Windows log-on screen has never been faster or simpler. Two free utilities let you do more than replace the boring Windows default start background with a picture of your pet hamsters, though you can do that, too.
Add system info to Windows' start-up sequence
In a post earlier this month, I described the beta version of the free TweakNow PowerPack 2009 utility that makes it easy to view system information, maintain Windows, and customize the OS' interface. As that post stated, I encountered a couple of rough edges in the beta version I looked at, but that's to be expected in a beta.
One TweakNow feature I took advantage of right away was the program's ability to add a "legal disclaimer" screen to Windows start-up. One practical application of this feature is to add information about the system to the screen's text box, which can make life a lot easier for you or for whoever has to maintain the machine.
Suppose you need to find out what type of memory your PC uses, what type of processor it runs, its current version of Windows, or even the toll-free support number of its vendor. It's not always easy to find all this information, which resides in various locations on your system. Utilities such as TweakNow can help you collect this type of data, but you'll still find yourself clicking around their various nooks and crannies to unearth what you need.
You could create an image containing this information and make it your Windows Desktop, but adding system information to a screen that appears early in the Windows start-up sequence not only saves you time rummaging around Windows settings, it also lets you get the info off a machine without having to fully load Windows. This is a capability a lot of IT staffers will likely appreciate, but anyone who maintains multiple PCs could find it a time-saver.
The system information I needed was available in various other TweakNow screens, but it was much easier for me to copy the main System Information screen, paste the data into the text box in the TweakNow Legal Notice dialog (click Windows Secret > User Accounts > Miscellaneous), and edit it there. I added the toll-free support number of the PC's vendor, just in case.
Add system information to the Windows log-on screen via the free TweakNow PowerPack 2009 utility.
(Credit: TweakNow)
Place text in a custom welcome-screen image
If you're one of the many people who simply want Windows to load quickly, you won't be happy having to click through yet another screen before you can start your workday. Stardocks offers two free programs that let you create your own welcome screen, complete with any text you want ready access to.
LogonStudio Vista and LogonStudio XP can replace the default welcome/log-on screen with a more visually exciting image from a free online library, or you can create your own welcome image.
Stardock's LogonStudio Vista makes replacing the default Windows welcome screen as easy as 1-2-3.
(Credit: Stardock)To test the program, I opened an image in Paint, added a text box containing information about the system, and then loaded the image using LogonStudio's Create and Upload options.
Place a text box holding system information into your custom welcome screen via Stardocks' free LogonStudio utility.
(Credit: Dennis O'Reilly)Frankly, I was more pleased with the presentation of the information in TweakNow's "Legal Disclaimer" screen than in LogonStudio's custom welcome screen. But if you want to avoid an extra start-up click and don't mind taking the time to create a custom welcome screen, it doesn't get much easier than using LogonStudio.
