By Patrick Nelson

Microsoft’s Windows 7 simplifies tasks, is more customizable and enhances the media experience over Vista.

Windows 7 introduces Jump Lists and Pins. Both are designed to let the user open often used programs and files in one or two clicks.

Jump Lists keeps the most recent items used in one place. The list can include files, folder, tasks or websites. They are organized by the program that uses them.

Items can also be pinned to the Jump List manually. Launch a Jump List by right clicking on a program icon in the Windows 7 taskbar.

Jump Lists for programs are also on the Start menu—look for an arrow next to the program name.

The task bar itself has been completely redesigned and you can now pin programs to the task bar in addition to the Start menu.

Windows 7 allows the user to navigate many open windows more quickly. It introduces Snap, Peek and Shake. Snap sizes and arranges windows by just dragging the borders to the edge of the screen. Peek allows you to look through open windows to see icons and other items on the desktop; and Shake involves a mouse shake.

Shake the mouse over the window you’d like to prioritize and the other windows disappear until you shake the mouse again.

Windows Search, which was introduced in Windows Vista, is improved with better results. The user can locate and open almost any file on the PC by entering a search term from the Start menu. Search includes documents, e-mails and media.

The results are grouped by category and contain highlighted words and abstracts.

Device Management is improved. Printers, cameras and other devices show in one spot. The organization of files, documents and images has been simplified with something Microsoft calls Libraries. Libraries pulls together files from different computers or disparate folders.

Connecting to an available wireless network is vastly simplified. The jargon is stripped away and when un-boxing a new computer one of the first things Windows does is ask if you want to join an available network.

Joining existing networks can be accomplished in three clicks. Items introduced in Windows Vista have been carried over to Windows 7.

Parental Controls, 64-bit support, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Live Movie Maker and DirectX 11 are still included.

Windows 7 also brings back Windows XP functionality. Windows Vista neglected legacy XP applications.

Older Windows XP programs in many cases wouldn’t run on Microsoft Vista. In this, the latest version of Windows, using XP Mode, XP is back.

 

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