Windows 8 Start Screen showing Pinned Desktop Apps

There are some power users that would rather have the old Start Menu back and so far any hack that does this breaks access to the Start Screen as well as some other new features.  This is not ideal I feel as the Metro apps are really cool.  In fact I am using the Metro IE app to create this post.  Thankfully Microsoft gives us a full featured Desktop in Windows 8 and there is an old feature that will work nicely as a work around.  You can still add New Toolbars to the Taskbar.

I believe this feature is as old as the Taskbar itself but I could be wrong and I bet a lot of Windows 7 users do not even realize it is still there.  So let’s get started. Please note that this will not bring the old Start Menu back, just a Start Menu like solution. Also this will not make you lose access to the Start Screen and can work alongside it just fine.

First we need to do a few things to make this go smoothly.  First we need to make sure all hidden files are visible as we will be dealing with hidden folders.  This process is very easy now with the Ribbon interface in Windows 8.  Just open any Explorer window and then click on the View tab.  On the right side there will be a group called Show/Hide and above that there is a check box that says Hidden Items, make sure it is checked.

Hidden Items check box needs to be Checked

The second thing we need to do is copy some icons from one folder to another.  To do this open two Explorer windows and snap them side by side.  One Window needs to go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu and the other Window needs to go to C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsot\Windows\Start Menu

The two Start Menu shortcut locations snapped side by side

That Start Menu folder on the left is under the Default User and the one on the right is under ProgramData.  What you want to do is copy all shortcuts from the Programs folder from the Start Menu folder under Default User and past them into the Start Menu folder under ProgramData.

Most of the default shortcuts are under the Start Menu under ProgramData, however some programs will install shortcuts under the Default User Start Menu folder and you will want to copy those to the other folder as well.

Now lets create the Toolbar.  Right click on the Taskbar and select Toolbars and then New toolbar …

Click on New toolbar... to add the Start Menu toolbar.

This will bring up a file dialogue box.  Select that Start Menu folder under ProgramData C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Select the Start Menu folder under ProgramData

Now click Select Folder.  Ok your done now right, well yeah you can call it good but you have probably noticed that this Start Menu Toolbar is on the right side of the Taskbar against the System Tray.  To move it right-click on the Taskbar and select Lock the taskbar so it is unchecked.

Make sure Lock the taskbar is unchecked

Now you will see three lines of dots appear on either side of the Start Menu Toolbar, click and drag the one on the left all the way to the other side of the Taskbar to where the Start Button used to be.  You will see your Pinned Taskbar icons move to the right and the Toolbar stretch out.  Now click and drag on the three lines of dots on the right side of the Start Menu Toolbar and drag it to the left as far as it will move.  It should make the Toolbar small again and the Pinned icons will be just to the right of it.

Make sure to drag that set of three lines with the dots all the way to the left (both sides of the toolbar) for the best look

Now when you click the » to the right of Start Menu on the Toolbar will you get an old XP style fly out menu.

Start Menu Toolbar showing Menus in Windows 8

Is it the old Start Menu, no, am I going to write about a hack to get it back, no.  I love the new interface, Start Screen and all.  I do feel that this Start Menu Toolbar should be enough for any Power Users.  At first I found myself going to this a lot however with the Start Screen and other User Interface options in Windows that I will go more in-depth in another article, I am using this Toolbar less and less.

I will say that this Toolbar makes it easy to Pin apps to the Start Screen, just right-click on them and click Pin to Start.  I suggest doing this and using the Start Screen and other interfaces in Windows 8 more as you go forward using this new exciting operating system.  Check back here for more articles about using Windows 8.

It should be to no surprise to my usual readers that I fit in the category of a computer power user. I make Windows work for me no matter what version and feel right at home from Windows 3.0 to Windows 7. I even still remember many DOS commands of course being a Windows guy my favorite is still Win, but what about Windows 8.

I started using Windows 8 with the Developer Preview in September and have not since moved on to the Consumer Preview in February. The Developer Preview did knock me off of my game at first but I was quick to adapt and I liked it. The Consumer Preview makes me feel right at home, they did a great job at getting the keyboard and mouse interfaces smoothed out.

As time goes on I do believe that touch will be the primary interface for computers. I used to work for a major electronics retailer in there tech support department. One of my responsibilities was setting up new computers for customers and these new All-in-ones are really popular. They all, but a few models, come with touch screens. I will say that using the Start Menu with a touch screen in Windows 7 is a pain. It takes a lot of practice and every touch screen computer is different in calibration I noticed. Most of my other techs would just pull out a mouse and keyboard instead of fiddling with it.

I was also a long time Windows Mobile user and both of those phones were touch screens. Even here trying to use your finger to touch a menu item was at times difficult. Now Windows Mobile 6.5 was a great improvement over Windows Mobile 6.1 or 6.0 or 5.0 which I had used at some point. When my Windows Mobile 6.5 device was giving me some issues recently I really took a good look at Smartphones and was not impressed. Yeah there was iPhone which does feel like playing whack an app, Android is the new Windows Mobile with a lot of the modding community heading that way. Blackberry feels stuck in a time warp, Nokia was non-existent in the American market (which I was upset, they are back now, yes!), and Palm had an interesting operating system but there devices were just horrible. The Chicklet style keyboard was too small and the raised plastic around the keyboard made me want to take a file to it. So I stuck with my Windows Mobile device and thought about going back to a regular cell phone or at least a feature phone. Then my roommate got a Windows Phone.

I used Windows Phone 7 for ten minuets and I knew this was love at first touch. It was to fluid and fast and really reminded me of my Wife’s Zune HD. I really actually like the Windows Phone interface better than the Zune HD in fact. I was done and knew that was my next phone. And after getting one and using the apps on it, I was sold. I just love how easy to used it is. It is many levels above and iPhone and worlds better than Android.

Now what does this have to do with Windows 8, well the Developer Preview was devoid of a lot of apps and the Metro interface felt unfinished because is was. The Consumer Preview however has some App Previews and the App Store is now up and running. With the apps and the revised Metro interface I felt right at home like I am using my Phone. I can already tell and will go all in and say that Windows 8 will be every bit as great as Windows Phone. It makes my day-to-day general computing stuff easy and enjoyable. And when I get into my power user mode I still have the Desktop. I can still pin apps to the Task Bar and I can pin Desktop apps to the Start Screen. If I really want I can add a new toolbar to the Task Bar and point it at the Start Menu folder under ProgramData (I will explain this in a post later) Windows 8 for me is really the best of both worlds. It is slick, fast, fluid, and dare I say enjoyable.

So what am I using now. Well on my Desktop I still just have Windows Vista and Windows 7 as sadly I have run out of room on the desktop and am planning a complete storage upgrade on my work horse. I also plan on making a Windows Home Server so my data is more central and my desktop can have a break. On my laptop I am running Windows 7 and Windows 8 and I find myself spending more and more time in Windows 8.

Now as I conclude this rant of a post I will be covering a lot of Windows 8 material, but I will also still be covering Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and even on occasion Windows 2000 or earlier. As for the question yes, I think it will work just fine and I am excited.

Windows XP came out in late 2001 and was soon coming pre-installed on new computers.  2001 is 11 years ago and a lot of computer manufactures do not really support hardware older than about five or six years old.  Windows XP had a good run on new computers from about 2001 to 2007 and then even a little longer on Netbooks and Nettops till about 2009.  During this time a lot of computer manufactures also stopped providing the recovery discs with the new computers so that the customer had to create the discs themselves, indeed this is how it is today with the exception of Samsung computers.  So If you need recovery discs what are you to do.

Simple, you can buy a copy of Windows XP and install it. You may have to install drivers but you can usually download those from the manufactures website or visit your local computer repair shop and have them do it.  There are a few websites that still sell Windows XP.  I would suggest using Amazon as it is a trusted online retailer so you can be sure not to be scammed.

There were a few main versions of Windows XP and I will give you the links for all the major versions so you can get the one that fits you. Also you may only need the Upgrade Version and not the Full Version since Windows XP already came installed on your computer.  The Upgrade version is also fine for those who had Windows 2000 or Windows ME installed on their machines too.

If you need Windows XP Home Edition you can get the Full Version or the Upgrade Version.

If you need Windows XP Professional Edition you can also get a Full Version or the Upgrade Version.

The links above will allow you to buy the Window XP version you need.  This will allow you to reinstall Windows.  Like I said before you may have to install drivers to get everything to work but if you do not feel comfortable there are many computer repair shops that have services to do this task as long as you provide them with a disc.

I hope this helps some people get longer life out of older machines that no longer have recovery discs.

1. It’s a trip, no really it boots fast and switches between apps and the desktop very quickly. Going between the new apps and the old ones can be a bit different but I am sure I will get use to it.
2. It has some quarks, this is just a Developer Preview meaning this is not in Beta stage but rather more of an Alpha so some things do not work as expected and some things are placed weird so it takes a bit to get used to. This will mostly be worked out by the time we get to Beta.
3. One operating system to rule them all, no seriously this takes over, I have it installed next to Windows 7. When you start the machine Windows 8 boots to a point then asks you which operating system you want to boot to. If you select Windows 7 it restarts the machine and boots Windows 7 just like as if Windows 8 was never there. However the OS selection screen is nicely done and touch first like the rest of the OS.
4. Programs are missing, but you can enable a desktop toolbar to bring most of them back, I’ll talk more about that later.

All in all, Windows 8 is very interesting and I think it could change how we use a PC forever. I can see some “Power Users” that may stay with Windows 7 or even maybe abandon Windows for Linux or even move to Mac because they do not like the new Start screen or app model. We will just have to see. For now I am excited and use Windows 8 for much of my day-to-day browsing and computing, and even used it to write this blog. Stay tuned as I go deeper into Windows 8.

First, Update Windows!  Yes this sounds like a no brainer, but did you know you can use Microsoft Update (which updates all Microsoft products) instead of just Windows Update, you can check it out at http://www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/

Second, use a different internet browser, you can read my post here on that

Third, update the components used by internet Browsers,  You can download the current version of Java at www.java.com Get the current version of Silverlight at www.silverlight.net The last version of Adobe Reader that is compatible with 2000 can be obtained at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ (make sure once it is installed to open up the program and click on Help and Update, this will get all the updates for the program)  Finally you can download the newest version of Flash for both Internet Explorer and for Firefox and Opera, go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/  For step one select Windows 7/Vista/XP/2008/2003 and for step two select for Windows Internet Explorer, for Internet Explorer, and then do this again from Firefox or Opera but for step two select Windows – Other Browsers (if you have both Opera and Firefox installed you only have to install Flash for Other Browsers once, it will install the plugin for both browsers)

Fourth, how about Antivirus and Anti-spyware software.  There are a few things still out there for the die-hard Windows 2000 user.

Antivirus software is key if you are going to be surfing the internet in Windows 2000, you really want full Antivirus protection, Thankfully there are a few choices.

AVG Free Antivirus 9 While the newest version does not support 2000, Version 9 does, and AVG still releases update to the program making this a great AV software for 2000, especially if you do not want to spend the money on software for a virtual installation of the operating system.  You can download a version of AVG 9 Free from http://www.oldapps.com/AVG_antivirus.php?app=f86fd982885094416ab9f08ca1bda07f

AVG 9 Free in Windows 2000

Now AVG is the only free offering out there for Win 2K but if you would rather pay some money and get better protection Eset Nod32 Antivirus 4 does support Windows 2000 and does it well. I suggest just the Antivirus, but they do have an Internet Security solution as well.  You can check it out below, and they often have deals running.

Lavasoft Ad-Aware Pro is also another option, they have expanded their product to include Antivirus, I am not sure how well this will work but Ad-Aware has been a good tool in the past.  I know there is a Free version, however the Free one does not have real-time protection making that not a very good option. The Pro version is $29.95 for a year and you can check it out at http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_pro.php

Now if you are wanting something Free with real-time protection but that is not going to be as much as a strain on system resources as a full-fledged antivirus solution,  Spybot – Search and Destroy fits the bill.  It is just anti-spyware, but does have some Immunization features to help block unwanted content and supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera.  It is currently at version 1.6.2 and you can check it out at http://www.safer-networking.org/en/ownmirrors1/index.html

Spybot 1.6.2 in Windows 2000

Now if you would just like the immunization protection from Spybot, but do not want the extra overhead of a program, I would suggest SpywareBlaster.  It has immunization options for Internet Explorer and Firefox, and supports Netscape (sorry no Opera support)  The free version you have to manually update but hey its free.  What is great is not having to have to program run, in fact the only time you open the program is to update it and to set the protection.  You can download SpywareBlaster 4.4 from http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

SpywareBlaster 4.4 in Windows 2000

Finally no talk about security would be complete without talking about a good Temp File and Registry Cleaner.  I always suggest CCleaner for the job.  Supports all the browsers available for Windows 2000, and has a great registry cleaner to help keep the machine running at its best.  You can check it out at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

CCleaner in Windows 2000

All of this should help to keep you better protected whether your running Windows 2000 on your desktop or just in a virtual environment.  I do suggest looking into some kind of protection, even when using virtual machines security is important.

You will need a few things for this.  First Windows Virtual PC which you can download from here, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx (Windows 7 Home Premium users select Windows 7 Professional to download Windows Virtual PC it will install fine, also make sure you install the correct version, if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows 7 then select Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.)  Second you will need a copy of Windows 2000 (your on your own on this, I have one lying around)  Third you will need a copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 and you can download that here, http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=2994 (Yes get that version it will help later to get everything working.)  Also you will need something to open the Virtual Server file and to extract a file from it.  For this task I will use 7-Zip which you can get here at http://7-zip.org/

So now that you have all that, first install Windows Virtual PC

Once you have that setup, click on Start, All Programs, Windows Virtual PC and open it up.

You will see that it looks like any other window in Windows Explorer, but it has a few new options.

Click on Create Virtual Machine

Windows Virtual PC window

Follow the prompts, name it what you like, I usually give it 1024 Mb (1 Gb) of ram on systems that have a total of 4 Gb.  If you have less than that just leave it at 512 Mb.

Now once your Virtual Machine is created its time to install Windows 2000 in it.

In the same Windows Virtual PC window click on your newly created virtual machine

You will see a Settings option appear next to Create Virtual Machine, click on Settings (or right-click on the newly created virtual machine and click on Settings) then click on DVD Drive

Hear you can select to use the computers optical drive, or to load an ISO file from the computer’s hard drive, select the appropriate setting, and close the window (we will be coming back to this later)

DVD settings in Windows Virtual PC

Now double-click on your newly created virtual machine and Windows 2000 setup should start.

(Note during setup the Virtual Machine will take control of your mouse, to make it release the mouse push Alt + Control + Left arrow key all at the same time)

Now once the setup is complete and you are at the Windows 2000 desktop you may be tempted to click on Tools and Enable Integration Features in the Virtual Machine window, they will start to install but fail.  These additions are only for Windows XP and newer.  This is where Virtual Server comes in.

So why Virtual Server 2005 R2 Sp1?  It was the last version of Virtual Server or Virtual PC that supports Windows 2000.

So if you have 7-Zip installed (if not do that now) right-click on the Virtual Server file you downloaded earlier and go to 7-Zip and then click on Extract to “name of file”

This will un-package the contents into a folder of the same name as the file, open the folder up and look for a file named VMAdditions

If VMAdditions already has a file type of .iso at the end of it, cool your done, if not rename it VMAdditions.iso

Now copy this file someplace where you will remember where it is.

For the last bit make sure you shutdown your new virtual machine

Go back into the Windows Virtual PC window (Start/All Programs/Windows Virtual PC)

Click on the new virtual machine that Windows 2000 is installed and click on Settings (or right-click on it and go to Settings)

Click on DVD Drive, and here we are going to load that VMAdditions.iso file.

Click on Open An Iso Image, and load in that VMAdditions from Virtual Server we extracted earlier

Loading the VMAdditions.iso file

Once that’s done click OK and start the virtual machine.

If the Additions do not install right away just to into My Computer in Windows 2000 and double-click on the DVD rom drive, this should start the installation.

Once the install is complete restart the virtual machine and make sure to install all Windows updates.

That is it, you should have Windows 2000 running in Windows Virtual PC with some integration features loaded and working.

Once you have all your updates installed check out this Post on internet browsers for Windows 2000

I have a few things in the works coming up,

1. Windows 7 and Vista on Minimum System Requirements   – Yeah I like pain, but lets see how they run

2. Installing Windows 7 64 bit on Promise 378, You have been asking for this one, well im going to get a final answer.

3.  Windows Home Server 2011 – New ground up install, I will be using spare parts to build the machine but I am anxious to get it working.

4.  New reviews of all Internet Browser blogs, I just got the one for Windows 7 64-bit done a few days ago.

5. Making your own Vista and 7 mode – just like XP Mode only more updated, ill explain more later

6.  Making your own XP Mode, you can do it, I can help.  (This will work in Windows 7 Home Premium)

So we will see how things turn out, but stay tuned, it should be a fun summer, I should be getting some old Dell Optiplex GX150′s with Pentium III’s in them very soon, also have my old Athlon 64 machine to test Promise 378, and I will be using that case for my Windows Home Server.  I also have to get a copy of Windows Vista Business 32-bit, I know,  all I have is Home Premium.

1 .Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0.1 (9.0.8112.16421 64-Bit Edition)  Microsoft really out did themselves with this one.  This is not the IE of the past, yes IE7 and IE8 were great improvements and brought many new features to Internet Explorer, but IE9 really shines.  It is fast, quick, and very standards compliant.  The new user interface is clean but still keeps a lot of usefulness in it.  Also a few feature is being able to pin a website to the Task Bar in Windows 7 which is like putting a shortcut to the website there so you can lauch it anytime, but be able to keep a different home page for normal browsing.  Currently there is only a preview version of Adobe Flash for 64-bit which you can download from here, but hey Apple would say that Flash is not that important.  I have to give IE9 the number one spot in Windows 7. You can download Internet Explorer 9 from here at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/downloads/ie-9/worldwide-languages

Internet Explorer 9 in Windows 7 64-Bit

2. Firefox 4.0.1  We have been waiting for a new version of Firefox for a while now, and it is here.  Like Internet Explorer is has a new less cluttered user interface.  Also it now has an orange Firefox button up at the top left.  Clicking on this brings up a Start Menu like menu with commands and options.  The user interface feels like a combination of Opera and Chrome.  What makes Firefox useful in Windows 7 is its integration with the new features in the Operating System.  Firefox 4 supports both Jump Lists and Tab Previews (however Tab Previews has to be enabled in the options)  This makes Firefox a great alternative in Windows 7.   Firefox 4 is fast and very standards compliant.  If you have moved from Firefox to Chrome, I may suggest you look at Firefox again and see if it doesn’t win you back.  You can download Firefox 4 here at  www.firefox.com

Firefox 4 in Windows 7 64-Bit

3. Google Chrome 12.0.742.100 Google has taken a dud of a browser and turned it into something that competes. In fact its user interface is what has inspired other browsers to clean their interfaces up.   The sad thing is that despite it being on its 12th revision it is not more mature than it is.  The only reason this is not my number two browser for Windows 7 is the fact that it does not support Tab Previews in Windows 7 making it not as useful since I use that feature a lot. (Come on Google, Get this done in an update)  It does however support Jump Lists.  Every release it does get better and better, one of the newer features that is interesting is Instant, which tries to guess what page you are typing in the address bar and starts loading it before you are done typing.  (this is not enabled by default and you will have to enable it, but it is impressive) It is fast and standards compliant making it a great contender.  If you are not using Internet Explorer or Firefox, then you really should be using Chrome, if not take a look because it will surprise you.  You can get Chrome from here at http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/make/download.html?brand=CHKZ

Chrome 12 in Windows 7 64-bit

4. Opera 11.11 (Build 2109)  When talking about Internet Browsers, there are not many that have been around as long as Internet Explorer and Opera.  Opera 11 builds on an interesting browsing platform.  While many Netscape fans have moved to Firefox because of the relationship between those two browsers, many Netscape fans feel more at home with Opera.  It still tries to be more than just an internet browser and I would suggest any old Netscape users out there to check Opera out if you find yourself missing the old rival to Internet Explorer.  Opera supports both Jump Lists and Tab Previews in Windows 7 and also has its own Tab Preview like feature, if you mouse over a tab that is not currently being displayed, a preview of that tab will show up below the tab (pictured below).  Opera is pretty quick and is standards compliant as well.  The interface features a red O button in the upper left side of the window. Clicking on this brings up a master menu of commands and options.  Opera actually had this button before Firefox implemented their own.  If you want a browser that is different then I suggest checking out Opera 11, wich you can do so here at http://www.opera.com/browser/

Opera 11 in Windows 7 64-bit

5. Apple Safari 5.0.5 (7533.21.1)  Apple has always done things different, and Safari is no exception.  Originally designed as part of the Apple Mac OS X operating system, they have created a Windows version and have been improving it over the years.  It uses most of the standard Windows interface which will make Windows users feel at home .  It does support Tab Previews in Windows 7 but not Jump Lists. (Come on Apple this is useful)  Safari supports multiple tabs however for some reason Apple hides this in the user interface.  To open a new tab you must click on the file button on the right side and on the menu that pops up click on New Tab.  While Apple’s website will say that this is the fastest browser in the world it is actually quite slow in Windows 7 compared to other browsers.  It is standards compliant however and does have some interesting features like Top Sites and Safari Reader (which is supposed to unclutter a webpage making it more easy to read the information on it)  If you would like to check it out you can get it from here at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

Safari 5 in Windows 7 64-bit

6. KDE Konqueror 4.5.4  I have not written about this Browser in Windows before but there is now a Windows version.  Konqueror was originally made for the Linux operating system.  Linux has been at the center of the open source community since its inception and some would say it created the open source world as we know it.  That being said a group has decided to create a port of the KDE software from Linux for other operating systems, including Windows.  The Windows version currently is a little bit of Windows, and little bit of the KDE user interface from Linux.  It is not as fast as any of the other browsers tested, and is not as compliant with current web standards as the other internet browsers.  I also have not found out how to get it to work with Flash or Java on a Windows machine yet.  But like most things out of the Linux and open source communities it is a work in progress.  It does do multiple tabs, but you have to click on File and then New Tab.  It does not work with either Jump Lists or Tab Previews in Windows 7 at this time.   It is rather interesting, and can only be installed with the KDE software installer, (no standalone installer at this point)  You can check it out as well as a bunch of other free software here at http://windows.kde.org/download.php

Konqueror 4.5 on Windows 7 64-bit

As the internet changes, the programs we use to view and render it change as well.  It is interesting now with the all the options including some from the Linux world.  We will have to see what companies and organizations come out with next to help us do our day-to-day tasks.

If you were wondering how I test these browsers, I use my trusty Acer Aspire 5534-1146 Laptop.  It has an AMD Athlon X2 L310 1.2 Ghz Processor and 4 Gb of ram.  I am running Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit on here.  All updates have been applied to Windows and all internet browsers, and I am using the latest versions of Flash, Adobe Reader, Silverlight, and Java.  All temporary internet files and caches have been cleared with the use of Ccleaner (www.ccleaner.com) and from the programs themselves so all pages are loaded from the internet and not from local cache.  For standards testing I am using Acid3 at www.acid3.acidtests.org.  I load up every day web pages that people use and that I use in every browser and time how long it takes from hitting enter till the page has completed loading.

Check out Part 6 for Windows XP

In Part 3 we will be looking at more utilities this time from Microsoft.

Utilities from Microsoft

1. Microsoft Security Essentials This is my new favorite antivirus software.  It is light weight, does not bog the system down and does a great job.  I highly suggest this for anyones home computer, non-profit, or small businesses.  It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and XP and you can learn more and download it here at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 in Windows 7

2. SyncToy   This actually started as a Power Toy for Windows XP and has been evolved over the years into what it is today.  This tool is for synchronizing files between two different areas, weather on the same drive, different ones, or different devices.  This is a quick way to keep files synced and ready to go.  It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and XP and you can check it out and download it here at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C26EFA36-98E0-4EE9-A7C5-98D0592D8C52&displaylang=en

SyncToy in Windows 7

3. Windows Mobile Device Center   This software is for syncing files and information for Windows Mobile smart phones.  It works with Windows Mobile 6.5 and earlier.  Windows Mobile Device Center is available for Windows 7 and Windows Vista and you can learn more and download the 32Bit version here at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/microsoft/device-center-download.mspx And get the 64Bit version here at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyId=4F68EB56-7825-43B2-AC89-2030ED98ED95&displaylang=en

Windows Mobile Device Center in Windows 7

4. Microsoft ActiveSync     The Windows Mobile Device Center is not available for Windows XP and this is where ActiveSync comes in.  ActiveSync is the older version of Mobile Device Center and it again works with Windows Mobile devices to sync files and information.  You can check it out and download it at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/microsoft/activesync-download.mspx

Microsoft ActiveSync in Windows XP

5.  Windows Virtual PC   This is great software to run operating systems in a virtual enviroment.  This new version of Virtual PC integrates very well into the Windows enviroment.  I have been using this recently and plan to write more articles about it.  The awesome thing about it, this is available for all versions of Windows 7.  You can check it out and download it here at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=2B6D5C18-1441-47EA-8309-2545B08E11DD&displaylang=en

Once you have it installed there is an update to remove the Hardware Virtualization requirement you can get here for the 32Bit version and here for the 64-bit version.

Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7

6.  XP Mode   This is a great feature.  This feature is only available for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate.    Let’s say you have an older program that does not run in Windows 7.  Well if you install it in XP Mode you can have it run right off of the Windows 7 Start Menu.  Once you have XP Mode installed it runs out of Windows Virtual PC which you must have installed first.  Please note if you are going to set up XP Mode you need to install things in order, first Windows Virtual PC, then XP Mode then one of the updates above.    You can download XP Mode here at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=FB633E9D-DDBC-4044-BB09-4F99E757064E&displaylang=en

XP Mode desktop In Windows 7 Ultimate

7.  Virtual PC 2007   If you are using Windows Vista or XP and you want to run operating systems in a virtual enviroment then you can download Virtual PC 2007.  While it does not have all of the features of Windows Virtual PC it still does the job well.  Also Virtual PC 2007 supports running older operating systems.  If you want to check it out you can read more and download it from here at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=28C97D22-6EB8-4A09-A7F7-F6C7A1F000B5&displaylang=en

Virtual PC 2007 in Windows Vista

8. Microsoft Mathematics    This program should have its own blog post.  This is the old Windows XP Power Toy Calculator on crack. You can do just about anything Math related on this thing.  Solve equations, convert units, graphing, trig, ect.  Best of all it is Free.  It uses the Tab and Ribbon interface from the Windows Live and Windows 7 programs.  You can install it in Windows 7, Vista, and XP (Please note that the .Net 3.5 framwork must be installed for Vista and XP users).  You can learn more and download it from here at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=9caca722-5235-401c-8d3f-9e242b794c3a

Microsoft Mathematics in Windows 7

These are some great additions to Windows that add functionality and customization.

For Non Microsoft Utilities check out Part 2.

For Communication and Games check out Part 1.

Now some of these are from Microsoft others from third-party developers, but all are tested and are very useful.  In Part 2 we will be looking at Utilities.

Utilities Not From Microsoft

I do not use a lot of third-party applications but the ones I do use are very helpful, here are a few utilities I use a lot and suggest.

1. 7-Zip   7-Zip is a great program to work with compressed files.  It works with every major format including .rar   No more installing Winrar.    Best of all it is free.

7zip in Windows 7

I suggest changing the options though if you click on Tools and then Options you will see the following.

7Zip File Type Options

I select all but .zip .cab and .iso which I let Windows manage .cab and .zip and I let another app manage .iso which I will cover later.  It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and XP and you can get it at http://www.7-zip.org/

2. Ccleaner  Ccleaner is short for Crap Cleaner.  It is an awesome utility for removing temporary files and registry errors from Windows.  It is very customizable and supports many applications.  It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and XP and you can get it at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Ccleaner 3 in Windows 7

3. Context Menu Editor   Is is an application for editing the right-click context menu in Windows.  You can put links to any application, Win32 Command, or website that you wish.  This tool is only available for Windows 7 and Vista and you can get more information and download it here at http://www.thewindowsclub.com/context-menu-editor-for-windows-7-vista-released

Context Menu Editor in Windows 7

4. Right Click Extender If the Context Menu Editor is a little over your head check out the Right Click Extender.  It has many options that you can enable for Context Menus on the Desktop, My Computer, Files/Folders, and Drives.  It is easy to use just select the ones you want. It is available for Windows 7, Vista, and some features work in XP too.  You can learn more and download it at http://www.thewindowsclub.com/right-click-context-menu-extender-for-windows-7-released

Right Click Extender in Windows 7

For more check out

Communication and Games in Part 1

Utilities from Microsoft in Part 3