New Features of Windows 7


No matter which Windows edition you choose, or have chosen, it will contain a redesigned look and functionality. The taskbar, Start menu, and the new desktop feature, called Windows Sidebar, will likely be the first noticeable changes you will discover in Windows 7.

Figure 1 shows examples of the new taskbar, Start menu, and Windows Sidebar.




1) Redesigned Start menu
2) Taskbar with the new Vista shiny black colour scheme
3) New Windows Sidebar feature
4) Start button

Taskbar

Long-time Windows users may remember the radical change in the look and feel of Windows between Windows 95/98 and XP. Microsoft has again changed the scheme in Windows 7. Gone is the default blue-and-green colour scheme XP user know so well. In Windows 7, Microsoft has chosen a fading black colour scheme. Although this tones down the look and brightness of Windows, the black scheme projects a sleek interface.

Another major change to the taskbar is the Start button. The usual button containing the word start has been replaced with a Windows logo, which you can see in Figure 1.

If your system is capable of running the new Aero interface, Windows 7 offers the use of live thumbnails, which give you a preview of the open document or application, simply by hovering your mouse over an application in the taskbar (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Example of the taskbar live thumbnails.



The time is still displayed by default on the taskbar in the lower-right corner of the screen. After clicking on the time to bring up the calendar and clock (see Figure 3), you will see that Microsoft has restored the clock and calendar.

Figure 3: Calendar and clock in Windows 7.



Start Menu

As you can see from the example in Figure 1, the Start menu now contains a Search box for the new Instant Search feature. Instant Search lets you to quickly find files, programs, email messages, web favourites and history, and more.

If you are an admirer of the Run prompt from previous versions of Windows, you may be disappointed because it is not included on the Start menu by default. You can, however, use the Search box to run commands like you would with the Run applet found in other versions of Windows. Nevertheless, the Run prompt can be accessed in the Accessories section of the Start menu and can also be added back onto the Start menu if you choose.

Another notable change you will find out after seeing the Start menu is that the word My has been dropped from the names of common items and directories. For example, "My Computer" is now simply "Computer" and "My Network Places" is just "Network." In addition, the My Documents folder is now named after the Windows user.

You will also likely notice the Turn Off Computer and Log Off buttons have been removed and replaced with other options. The first button on the left, indicated by the power symbol, will put the PC into Sleep mode. Similar to Stand By mode in previous versions of Windows, Sleep mode powers down most of the PC and puts the session into memory so you can resume right where you left off.

The button with the lock will, of course, lock your PC. This option is best used when you want to secure your PC when leaving for short durations. To resume use of the PC, you must press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and enter the Windows account password.

Finally, the other shutdown options are accessible when hovering over the arrow on the right. Figure 4 shows an example.

Figure 4: New location for the power options in Windows 7.



1) Enable Sleep mode.
2) Lock your PC.
3) Click here for power options.

Along with the Sleep and Lock options, this menu also offers the following: Switch User, Log Off, Restart, and Shut Down. These are straightforward, with the exception of Switch User. The Switch User option keeps the current Windows account active when opening another user account, whereas Log Off doesn't. When you switch from one user account to another, you will be prompted for a username and password on each. This is useful if several users require access to the same computer quickly, such as in a business environment.

After you click on All Programs, you will notice a big difference. Rather than the menus branching (opening in fly-out menus), they stay contained in the Start menu.

In addition, it now takes a click rather than just a hover to open the Start menu sections. The scrollbar can be used to browse through the items.

Desktop

Other than the slightly larger default icon size, not much has changed with the actual desktop.

If you are used to having the main icons (such as My Computer and My Network Places) on your desktop, you can easily add them. Remember that these items have been renamed, with the My dropped from the name.

Windows Sidebar

Windows Sidebar is a time- and space-saving program that can be displayed on the side of your screen, as shown earlier in Figure 1. Windows Sidebar includes your desired gadgets that display and give accessibility to certain things. Examples of gadgets include personalized slideshows of your photos, news and weather feeds, quick access to contacts and notes, and much more.