Windows 7 has some stock of interesting games built in the system. The major part was already present in the Windows Vista: Mahjong Titans, Purple Place, Hearts or Chess Titans. The classic Solitaire, FreeCell and Minesweeper are kept from the older versions of Windows. The exception is the Inkball game, which existed on the Windows Vista and was not taken over by the Windows 7, for some unknown reasons.

The Internet Games of Windows 7

There are also Internet games available on the Windows 7. You will find Backgammon, Internet Spades and Internet Checkers. They all got improved compared to the older versions, which can be notice in the way they look and the way it feels playing them. They offer the possibility to compete with other players online. You get to play with people with the same skills as you, no matter where in the world. Once a player gets off the game, the computer automatically continues the games just from the point where the player left it off. You have the choice of the design for background and cards and keep an evidence of your results.

All these games were designed to help enjoying the spare time. If you look for more diversity, then try the MSN Games website from Microsoft. There you can play free if you click on the panel on the right in the Games folder.

The games provided by Windows 7 aren’t the only options you have in terms of computer games. You can buy many other games which are compatible with your operating system. In order to choose the games best suited to your computer performances, just check them by clicking on the second tab in the panel on the right, in the Games folder. There you will see the computer’s performance rating and you will know what games can run on your PC.

When compared to the Windows Vista, the new Windows 7 is just bliss. It got a lot of good reviews.

Compared to the Vista, Windows 7 is much more compatible, which, of course, makes it preferred to the previous operating system. The differences between Windows 7 and the Vista aren’t as noticeable as they were between Vista and XP. This is why adaptability to the new version was easier. Most of the programs are compatible to Windows 7, but there are still some issues to be solved and can’t be avoided.

Windows 7 Driver Compatibility

The most encountered issue related to windows 7 is the driver compatibility because the low-level code they have in the system. Whenever changing the operating system, the drivers which are already installed will look to work with those operating system parts which they were set for, but no longer exist. And they will fail to function. Starting from this malfunctioning, more parts of the computer will malfunction and new drivers require to be installed.

Drivers which previously worked on the Windows Vista operating system will function very well with the new Windows 7. Problems occur when passing from XP to the Windows 7 and it is going to be needed a whole new set of drivers to match the new operating system, from the programs running on your computer to the devices connected to your PC.

However, this is not a problem since every vendor provides drivers compatible to any operating system and they all can be found on the vendors’ websites. For instance, if you are using a video card from Nvidia, you will download the video drivers from the Nvidia website. The same happens if you have a HP printer; go to the HP website and download the driver compatible with the Windows 7. From this point on, drivers compatibility with the Windows 7 won’t be a problem any more.

It was to be expected for a while now and it finally happened this month. Windows 7 overtook Windows Vista in market share. It only took ten months after it was officially launched, for it to go past Vista. Right now, the market share of Windows 7 is 15.83%, while that of Vista is at 14.34%. This doesn’t compare with the 61.87% share of XP, but that market share is slowly declining and Windows 7 is going up.

1. Using PC Safeguard
PC Safeguard is a new software that comes with Windows 7, which allows you to revert to  preset configurations each time someone else uses your computer. This way your Windows 7 installation will not be compromised by your guests. This way, whoever uses your computer can’t mess it up, by changing settings. This will only apply to other users on your computer, such as Guest. You will have no problems changing settings. Create a new account from User Accounts, in the Control Panel, and activate the PC Safeguard on it.

2. Calibrating your screen
One new feature of Windows 7 is the ability to calibrate your display, by pressing the Window button and typing the letters DCCW. You can select the right brightness for your screen, so you can watch photos or read text without any issues.

3. Restrict what others can do on your PC with AppLocker
If your computer is also used by other people from time to time, you might want to restrict what they can do when they’re not supervized. Using the AppLocker tool you can block them from starting Scripts, Windows installation software, Executables and more.

To get started, press the Win key and type Gpedit.msc. Next, go to Computer Navigation / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Application Control Policies / AppLocker. Now, use the right click to access one of the available options (Script, Installers or Executables) and make a new rule.

4. Burn Images on DVD’s
You might remember from previous Windows versions, that you didn’t have the option to burn images on CD’s or DVD’s. This changed with Windows 7 and you can easily burn them by double clicking on an ISO file and choosing to burn it on a DVD.

5. Show Removable Drives That Are Empty
Since empty drives aren’t shown by default in Windows 7, visit Tools / Folder Options / View and uncheck the "Hide empty drives in the computer folder" option.

6. Dock windows to the right or left part of the screen
The Windows + Left (or) Right key will dock the currently selected window to the left or right part of the screen. It will also make it occupy exactly half of the screen. It’s a quick way to display two documents on a screen, each occupying half of it.

7. Automatically change wallpapers
Doing this will allow you to change wallpapers on your PC automatically, in a slideshow. Simply right click on your desktop, choose Personalize / Desktop Background, and while you click on images hold CTRL to select more than one. Next, pick at which time interval should they be changed.

8. Make The Taskbar Smaller
If you want a somewhat smaller taskbar, you can partially reduce it in size by decreasing the size of the icons. To make them smaller, right click with your mouse on Start, choose Properties, then Taskbar and select the "Use small icons" setting.

9. Combine Multiple Taskbar Icons
The space on your taskbar tends to get used fairly quickly when you open multiple applications. In order to combine them, right click on Start, select Properties / Taskbar and select the "Combine when taskbar is full" setting.

10. Getting the Quick Launch toolbar back
This is one part of Windows 7 that I didn’t like, the disappearance of the quick launch bar. To get it back, right click on your taskbar, select Toolbar / New Toolbar and type “%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch” in the folder box. Next, click Select Folder. If you want it to look like in Vista, right click on the taskbar, uncheck the "Lock the taskbar" option, right click on the divider, uncheck the "Show Title" and "Show Text" options. Next, right click again on the taskbar and check the Show small icons option. That’s it.

11. Previewing Photos
If you’re using Windows Explorer and you want to open the preview area, simply press Alt+P and it should appear on the right side.

12. Desktop Magnifier
Activating the Desktop Magnifier is done with the Windows Key and the Plus key (if you want to zoom in) or the Minus key (if you want to zoom out). You can magnify any part of the desktop and you can also configure the Magnifier to follow the mouse pointer or the keyboard focus.

13. Minimize Everything Except The Current Window
A nice little trick that can be helpful is minimizing all the windows, except the one you are currently using. This is done with the combination Windows key + Home key.

14. TroubleShooting the Power Management
A new feature of Windows 7 is the ability to inform you in detail, how much power you are using. It can tell you this information for each device or application you’re using. To access this information, you need to press the Windows key. After this, you should type POWERCFG -ENERGY -OUTPUT <path\filename>, which will make the file called energy-report.html, in the folder of your choosing. This file will be created after 60 seconds, which it uses to observe the PC and create the report based on those observations.

15. Adding Videos In Your Start Menu
If you’re using videos on a regular basis and you want to be able to open them faster, you can add them to the Start Menu by right clicking on Start, going to Properties / Start Menu / Customize and selecting the Display as a link option for Videos.

16. Moving Windows From One Monitor To Another
For those of you blessed with at least two monitors, moving windows from one to the other has never been so easy as it is in Windows 7. All you have to do is press this combination of keys: Windows + Shift + Right or Left (depending on the monitor where you want it moved).

17. Customize the Power Button
You have the option to replace the standard Shut Down button with another one. This is nice if you rarely shut down your PC, restarting it instead. Right click on Start, click on Properties and choose what you want the Power Boot Action to do.

18. Adding New Fonts
In Windows 7 all you have to do if you want to add a new font is to double click on it after you downloaded it, and you’ll see the install button.

19. Stretching Windows Vertically
You can quickly stretch your current active window vertically by using the Windows + Shift + Up combination. In order to restore them, use the Down instead of the Up key.

20. Opening Windows Explorer
A quick shortcut for Windows Explorer is Windows + E.

21. Turning Off System Notifications
If you want to stop system notifications from annoying you, you can do it by doing a double click on Notification Area Icons, while you’re in the Control Panel. You can then choose to change the icons and notifications for the Network, Windows Explorer, Action Center, Volume, Windows Updates and the Media Center Tray Applet.

22. Turning Off Security Messages
Visit Control Panel / System and Security / Action Center / Change Action Center Settings, if you want to change the notifications received from Internet Security Settings, Windows Update, Network Firewall, User Account Control, Spyware, Windows Backup, Virus Protection, Check for updates and Windows Troubleshooting.

23. Opening A Program As An Administrator
If you want to open a program as an admin, use the Ctrl + Shift combination while you’re opening the program.

24. Same Program Windows Switching
When you have multiple instances of a program open, holding Ctrl while you click on the icon will allow you to cycle through them.

25. Auto Arranging Desktop Icons
Instead of doing a Right click and selecting Auto arrange, you press on F5 for a little bit and you will see that they auto arrange themselves.

26. Encrypting Removable USB Drives
Encrypting an USB drive is as easy as right clicking on it and selecting "Turn on Bitlocker".

27. Turning Off The Smart Window Arrangement
A new feature in Windows 7 is the way it arranges windows intelligently. If you want to turn it off, push the Windows key, type regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop and set the WindowArrangementActive option to 0. Next, reboot, and it will be off.

28. Making A System Repair Disc
Pressing Windows and typing "system repair disc" will allow you to make a bootable System Repair Disc, with a few system tools included.

29. Hard-Link Migration Store
If you have a new computer, this tool will let you migrate user accounts, settings and files from your old PC.

30. Open A Folder In A New Process
The way Windows 7 works, it will open in a single process all the folders, so resources are saved. However, if one folder crashes, they all do. To bypass this issue, right click on the drive while holding down Shift and select Open in New Process.

31. Problem Step Recorder To Create Tutorials
The Problem Step Recorder can be used to make a tutorial with step by step instructions. You can start it by pressing Windows and typing PSR.exe. Next, click Record and it will save every move you make in a HTML file.

32. Using Mouse Gestures
Gestures are now available for mouse users in Windows 7. If you want to access the jump list, instead of right clicking an icon from the Taskbar, hold the left click button and drag it upwards. An Internet Explorer gesture is click on the address bar and dragging it down, which will open its browsing history. Do you know any other gestures in Windows 7?

33. Turning Off The Recent Search Queries Display
Something that I dislike in Windows 7 is that it shows the recent search queries. To disable this, type gpedit.msc after you press Windows. Next you go to User Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Explorer and you do a double click on the option called "Turn off display of recent search entries".

34. Remove The Sidebar
Even though the sidebar isn’t part of Windows 7 anymore, it still loads when the computer starts, so you consume RAM with it, even though you don’t use it. To take back that little bit of RAM, press Windows, type MSCONFIG.exe, clickon the Startup tab and finally, clear the Sidebar box.

35. Locking the screen
Since Windows 7 doesn’t come with a Lock Screen button where it was previously placed (in the Start Menu), you can access it by using the Windows + L shortcut key.

36. Enabling The Run Command In The Start Menu
If you used Windows XP before and you want the old Run Command button back, you can get it back in Windows 7. Simply right click in Start Menu on an empty area, select Properties / Start Menu / Customize, and then check Run Command. That’s it.

On October 22^nd, Microsoft organized a big party to celebrate the birthday of the new Windows 7 OS.

Unfortunately the users all over the globe have a big problem: the 7’s default UAC (User Account Control) settings, because they offer no protection.

Vista’s UAC was so annoying that most of us used to turn it off and this led to the current situation: today we have a considerably low number of warnings in the new 7.

Tests have shown that 8 out of 10 malware ashamed the Windows 7 UAC settings. The only safe option is to turn the settings on high otherwise… take care what waves you’re surfing!

With Windows 7 the customization is so easy than even my kid sister can do it without damaging anything. these are the steps you need to follow: enter the gallery, download your favorite theme and install it by double clicking the .themepack.

The new collection comprises themes for all kind of tastes starting with Ferrari, Porsche and Infiniti, going through Gears of War, and ending with Zune.

Happy Personalization!

There’s no hurry on installing this OS and the product keys will still be available but starting next week the download links will no longer be available.

That being said you should know that the full version of Windows 7 will show its face on October 22^nd so it’s entirely up to you if you want to install the RC or wait for the real deal.

If you want to go with the RC you must know that the expiration date on it says June 1st, 2010. This means 10 months of use free of charge. On the downside, starting on March 1^st, the RC version will automatically shut down every two hours.

There are various ways to do that but the easiest one is to download the desired installer file on another PC and copy it to your machine after installing Windows 7 E.

Let’s take it step by step. For example, your PC is running Windows XP operating system but you want to upgrade it to the new 7 OS. Once the upgrade is finished all you need to do is to go online (using another PC) and download a Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari or Opera installer. Copy this file into your unit and install it.

If your loyalty lies with Microsoft you can always order an Internet Explorer 8 CD together with your Windows 7 E OS. It will cost you only 3,90 € or £3.44.

According to Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc Windows 7 will be shipped to manufacturers on the second half of July. Apparently the team is still working at some finishing touches and once they will be ready the OS will be available to manufacturers. Even so, the work won’t stop here because Windows 7 will stay under the hammer until October 22^nd when it will be officially introduced to the general public.

Until that day comes we can try the new 7600 build but remember… this is not the final RTM.

- 6/1 – 6/19 BUILDING RTM ESCROW;

- 6/22 – 7/10 search for candidates to the final release;

- 7/10 WINDOWS 7 RTM FINAL BUILD TARGET;

- 7/13 the day when the final RTM will be officially released.

According to BestBuy, the final details on pricing and upgrade coupons are ready and now we’re only waiting for the official press release. Only a couple of weeks are keeping us apart from the new OS .

Stay tuned for more information!