Obscure Win7 tools can save you time and trouble

Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 225 • 2009-12-17 • Circulation: over 400,000

Table of contents

Top Story: Obscure Win7 tools can save you time and trouble
Known Issues: Inexpensive alternatives to a secure flash drive
Wacky Web Week: Apple partners with … Tom Cruise?
Bonus: How to make Windows 7 uniquely yours
LangaList Plus: New virtual-PC software outshines Microsoft’s
Best Software: Do you really need a quad-core processor?
Patch Watch: XP users will soon need SP3, but be wary of IE 8

Top Story

Obscure Win7 tools can save you time and trouble

By Michael Lasky

Some of Windows 7′s best new features aren’t so easy to find.

These include a problem recorder to aid tech support, a list of the programs affected by a System Restore, more precise power adjustments for notebooks and netbooks, and keyboard shortcuts that open system resources.

Somehow, the new tools have been lost in all the Windows 7 hype. That’s a shame, because they can increase your productivity tremendously. Unfortunately, finding them is often like hunting for snipes. Here’s a quick review of my favorite, little-known Win7 features.

Win7′s troubleshooter is a boon to tech support

One of Win7′s handiest new tools is the Problem Steps Recorder, a sort of help-desk aphrodisiac. When something goes haywire with your PC, tech-support staff will usually ask you to reproduce the specific sequence of actions that led to the problem. But trying to explain what happened — and when it happened — can be difficult.

Problem Steps Recorder to the rescue! To launch the utility, press the Windows key, type psr, and press Enter. Click Start Recorder and redo the steps that led to the problem. PSR records every mouse click and key press. It also creates screen shots and zips the lot into an MHTML file you can send as an e-mail attachment to tech support. (See Figure 1.)

Windows 7 problem steps recorder

Figure 1. Windows 7′s Problem Steps Recorder allows support staff to review the actions causing a PC glitch.

After the techs open the MHTML file, they can determine exactly what’s going on with your system.

Preview the changes before restoring your PC

The venerable System Restore app gets a welcome makeover in Win7. The XP and Vista versions of System Restore let you pick a restore point but give no indication of the apps, drivers, and settings that would be affected by the restoration’s changes. By contrast, Windows 7′s System Restore adds a new index reader that lets you see exactly what will be changed if you revert to a specific restore point.

To use this feature, press the Windows key, type system restore, and press Enter. When the applet opens, select a restore point and click Scan for affected programs. A list of the files that will be deleted, added, or changed by the action will be displayed for you to review before committing to that particular restore point. (See Figure 2; note that in this example, the restore point would affect no files or programs.)

System restore changes preview

Figure 2. Prior to applying a restore point, preview the changes that System Restore will make to files and programs.

Monitor the power used by a notebook or netbook

Windows 7′s Powercfg utility gives you insight into what’s sucking up the battery power of your notebook or netbook. Powercfg also lets you adjust your power settings and extend the machine’s battery life.

To start your new power-efficiency calculator, press the Windows key, type cmd, right-click cmd.exe, and click Run as administrator. Type powercfg -energy at the command line. Powercfg scans your system and saves its findings in the System32 folder by default as an HTML file named Energy-Report.html. To open the file, press the Windows key, type energy-report.html, and click or double-click the resulting file.

Using Powercfg and deciphering its test results can be tricky. For information on Powercfg’s reports, a How-To Geek article goes into more detail.

Fast access to Win7 resources via the keyboard

Some of Win7′s best timesavers are staring you right in the face on your keyboard, particularly via the previously underutilized Windows key. You probably already know that pressing the Windows key (Win) opens the Start menu. But now, holding the Win key in combination with other keys does a lot more.

Win7′s Windows-key combinations speed up opening system tools, navigating between files and apps, and performing other common tasks. (Note that many of these shortcuts work in XP and Vista as well.)

Win+Pause: Displays the System Control Panel applet.
Win+D: Shows the desktop.
Win+Spacebar: Shows the desktop without minimizing open windows (Aero Peek).
Win+E: Opens Windows Explorer with Computer selected.
Win+F: Opens a Search window for finding files or folders.
Win+Ctrl+F: Opens a Search window for finding computers on a network.
Win+G: Cycles through Gadgets (if any are installed).
Win+L: Locks your computer or switches users.
Win+M: Minimizes all windows.
Win+Shift+M: Restores minimized windows.
Win+P: Chooses a presentation display mode.
Win+R: Opens the Run dialog box.
Win+T: Cycles through and previews programs on the taskbar.
Win+U: Opens the Ease of Access Center (Utility Manager in XP).
Win+X: Opens the Windows Mobility Center (which isn’t installed by default on desktop PCs).
Win+(numbers 1 to 5): Starts the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the program is already running, it switches to that program.
Win+Shift+(numbers 1 to 5): Starts a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Win+Ctrl+(numbers 1 to 5): Switches to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Win+Alt+(numbers 1 to 5): Opens the Jump List of recently accessed items for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Win+Tab: Cycles through open programs by using Aero Flip 3-D. (You must have Aero working; Win7 Home Basic and Starter don’t use Aero.)
Win+Ctrl+Tab and then Left or Right Arrow: Opens Aero Flip 3-D to cycle through open programs.
Win+Ctrl+B: Switches to the program that displayed a message in the notification area.
Ctrl+click: Pressing Ctrl while clicking a taskbar icon will scroll through multiple windows of that icon’s application.
Win+Up Arrow: Maximizes the window.
Win+Left Arrow: Docks the active window to the left half of the screen.
Win+Right Arrow: Docks the active window to the right half of the screen.
Win+Down Arrow: Minimizes the window.
Win+Shift+Up Arrow: Stretches the window to the top and bottom of the screen.
Win+Shift+Left or Right Arrow: Moves the window from one monitor to another.
Win+Home: Minimizes all but the active window.

For more productivity-enhancing keyboard shortcuts, see WS senior editor Ian “Gizmo” Richards’ Dec. 3 Best Software column (paid content).

WS contributing editor Michael Lasky is a freelance writer based in Oakland, California, who has 20 years of computer-magazine experience, most recently as senior editor at PC World.

Known Issues

Inexpensive alternatives to a secure flash drive

By Dennis O’Reilly

You don’t need to spend $100 or more to ensure your safety while computing on the road.

The do-it-yourself approach to creating a secure flash drive for use on someone else’s PC can be just as effective — and much less expensive.

Scott Dunn’s Dec. 10 Top Story review of the IronKey secure flash drive touched on some less-costly options for safe computing outside the home or office. Trevor Valentine was one of several readers who expanded on the low-cost ways to achieve the same goal:

“For another alternative, I recommend the duo of TrueCrypt [more info] and PortableApps.com [more info]. TrueCrypt is a disk-encryption program that allows you several options, including encrypting your USB key or hard drive. PortableApps.com takes free, open-source software and configures it to run entirely from a USB device so that no traces are left behind on the desktop you’re using. Still not as secure as using a service like IronKey, but far more affordable since both are free!”

Scott described PortableApps and other programs that run off flash drives in the Oct. 18, 2007, Top Story. You’ll find additional detailed information about the benefits of portable software in Ian “Gizmo” Richards’ Best Software columns of June 18 and July 2 (paid content).

Some extended warranties are better than others

Scott Dunn’s Dec. 3 Insider Tricks column, “Beware of tech vendors’ dirty tricks” (paid content), discussed the pros and cons — mostly cons — of the extended warranties offered by vendors. Bob Primak points out a noteworthy exception to this general rule:

“The one exception to not getting an extended warranty is if — like me — you shop at a computer store whose service department you especially like. By buying, say, the Micro Center Extended Warranty, you are no longer dealing with the manufacturer, even during the initial warranty period.

“Instead, you get the services from the Micro Center Service Department. This is certainly not what I would do at Best Buy, but I trust the Micro Center and have dealt with their service department at my local store for years. I therefore would get their extended warranty — as I have done on my laptop and three external hard drives — just to be dealing with a service department I can talk to face to face.”

Finding a local PC repair operation you can trust is as valuable as discovering an honest and knowledgeable car mechanic in your neighborhood. Maybe this is a case of “think locally, act locally.”

Implied-warranty laws are consumer safety net

Depending on where you live, local laws may supersede the limited warranties offered by the product manufacturers themselves, as Marilyn Burgess explains:

“The state of Maine has an implied warranty that takes precedence over the manufacturer’s warranty. It states that an article sold in the state must be usable for the purpose intended for the length of time most such articles or appliances are useful, unless it has been damaged by the purchaser.

“The general length of time is four years for most articles. The seller must make the arrangements for the buyer with the manufacturer for repair or replacement without cost to the buyer. I have found most sellers willingly comply once the buyer asks, but they won’t tell you about the law.

“I don’t know if other states have such a law, but it’s always worth asking or reviewing consumer law online. I’m always surprised at how few people are aware of the law. Maine discourages the sale of inferior products in this way, and it covers everything but cars, which are covered under a different law.”

We also heard from subscribers in Australia and other places that protect consumers with similar implied warranties. Perhaps your local politicians could be persuaded to enact such legislation.

In the U.S., the Consumer Action Website provides a list of state, county, and city government consumer-protection offices. The information includes street and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and links to the organizations’ Web sites.

Readers Trevor, Bob, and Marilyn will each receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of their choice for sending tips we printed. Send us your tips via the Windows Secrets contact page.

The Known Issues column brings you readers’ comments on our recent articles. Dennis O’Reilly is technical editor of WindowsSecrets.com.

Wacky Web Week

Apple partners with … Tom Cruise?

By Stephanie Small

You’ve seen them a million times: those annoying-yet-witty “I’m a Mac — I’m a PC” commercials where Apple points out the PC’s many flaws and tries to convince consumers that Macs are so superior. Sure, the commercials get the point across, but isn’t there a way to make them a little more obnoxious?

Introduce Tom Cruise to the mix and you get just that! Watch as Tom recites some of his best-known lines to enhance Apple’s marketing scheme and get everyone to buy a Mac. It’ll give you something to chuckle about the next time you walk past — not into — an Apple store! Play the video

Bonus

How to make Windows 7 uniquely yours

This month’s free bonus for all Windows Secrets subscribers is a two-chapter excerpt from Microsoft Windows 7 Your Way: Speed Up and Customize Windows by Michael Miller. The book provides valuable information on how to make Windows 7 work for your personal desktop needs.

The printed volume won’t be in stores until Dec. 28, but all subscribers can receive our exclusive excerpt of two full chapters through Jan. 6. Simply visit your preferences page, save any changes, and a download link will appear. Thanks! — Brian Livingston, editorial director

All subscribers: Set your preferences and download your bonus
Info on the printed book: United States / Canada / Elsewhere

LangaList Plus

New virtual-PC software outshines Microsoft’s

By Fred Langa

Version 7 of Microsoft’s Virtual PC virtualization software is OK, but the program is much-more limited than competing third-party apps are.

Alternative virtualization programs offer more power and flexibility than Microsoft’s — and they’re just as free as Virtual PC!

Your virtual-PC options just got broader

Reader George Waller isn’t at all happy with the latest virtual-machine offering from Microsoft:

“I use Virtual PC 2007 on Windows XP for a variety of training and simulation purposes. I have virtual machines emulating all Windows OSes from Windows 3.1 through Windows Server 2008 and hosting various other servers, such as SQL Server and Exchange Server.
“Naturally, OSes before Windows 2000 don’t get a lot of use, except to remind me how far Microsoft has come. However, I do have one legacy application that will run on Win98 SE but not on later OSes.
“I wasn’t surprised to learn that a new version of Microsoft Virtual PC has been released to support Windows 7, and it includes a number of features — such as USB support — that promise to be very useful. However, I was surprised to learn that the only supported guest OSes are Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
“Is Microsoft just trying a heavy-handed approach to force a migration to the newer OSes, or have they again managed to step on their own crank and provided yet another reason for not upgrading from Windows XP? Meanwhile, I’ll be researching the capabilities of VMware.”

(More info on Virtual PC is available from Microsoft’s download page and the company’s list of supported OSes.)

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Best Software

Do you really need a quad-core processor?

By Ian “Gizmo” Richards

Today’s PC-purchaser can choose to buy up to a quad-core processor, and soon this choice will extend to eight or more cores.

These multicore processors seem to offer the potential for greatly improved performance, but you may not get the speed you expect.

The multicore-processor revolution is here

Until about five years ago, each new generation of microprocessors offered increased power through faster clock speeds. However, when processor speeds moved into the 3GHz region, the heat generated by these fast single-processor chips became a serious barrier to further speed improvements.

Chip manufacturers responded by producing CPU chips comprised of multiple processing units (cores), each of which runs at a slower speed. In lieu of a single processor running at 3.3GHz, for example, these new chips might have two cores running at 1.6GHz — with significantly less heat output than that of a single, faster processor.

CPU vendors boasted that this approach would allow them to produce future processors with ever-larger numbers of cores. Intel, for instance, talked of processor designs with 64 or more cores.

This change in CPU design may create a certain amount of confusion. For example, clock speed used to be a reasonable performance indicator: a 3GHz CPU could reasonably be assumed to be faster than a 2.5GHz unit. But with multicore chips, clock speed is now only one of several factors that determine actual processor performance.

The limits of parallel processing

The idea that two processing cores are twice as powerful as a single core lacks validity for processing tasks that are strongly sequential in nature. Unfortunately, that describes most computer processing.

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Patch Watch

XP users will soon need SP3, but be wary of IE 8

By Susan Bradley

If you use XP and haven’t yet installed Service Pack 3, you’ll have to do so before next July if you wish to continue receiving security updates.

Even though XP SP3 looks like a must-do, you may want to wait a while before upgrading your XP machines from Internet Explorer 7 to IE 8.

End-of-year cleanup for Windows XP and IE

At the end of each year, I take a little time to make sure my company’s computers are thoroughly patched. I also review whether the PCs may need service packs or more memory. I update their security software and perform other general maintenance.

This year, I’ll be installing Service Pack 3 on all my XP machines — after I do a full backup, that is. PCMag.com’s Security Watch blog and other tech-news sources report that support for XP SP2 will end in July 2010. After that date, Microsoft will provide security updates only for XP systems with SP3 installed.

If you’re running the even-older Windows 2000, meanwhile, the clock is ticking — very loudly, in fact. For more on Microsoft’s calendar of obsolescence, see Stuart Johnston’s Nov. 13, 2008, Top Story, “How to maintain XP after Microsoft ends support.”

I’m still waffling on updating all my XP systems to Internet Explorer 8. (I have IE 8 on some XP machines but not others.) So far, my best experiences with IE 8 have been on Windows 7 PCs. If you’re also on the fence about IE 8 and wish to prevent the IE 8 option from showing up on your XP machines as a recommended “patch” in Windows Update, see Scott Dunn’s Aug. 14, 2008, Top Story for instructions on how to do this.

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