Move and Copy files the old tried-and-true way in Windows 7

While I’ve become quite enamored with using Aero Snap and my simulated dual-pane file manager technique, when copying and moving files and folders from one location to another, there are times when I reach back and use one of the tried-and-true techniques from Windows days gone by. Of course, I’m talking about the good old Send To command and the Copy To Folder and Move To Folder commands.

I happened to mention these old commands to a friend of mine, and she looked at me with a surprised expression and exclaimed that she had all but forgotten about those commands. She then told me that she always uses the Copy/Cut and Paste commands when it comes to copying and moving files. I asked around and discovered that she isn’t the only one. Read more.

Unlock missing screen saver configuration settings in Windows 7

Unfortunately, none of the Windows 7 screen savers provides any configuration settings with which you could customize the display. As such, I sat down over the weekend and dug out the three HTML applications (HTA) that I created in the Vista time frame and refreshed them to provide a simple user interface for configuring Windows 7’s screen savers. Read more.

Troubleshoot a wireless connection in Windows 7 with a firmware upgrade

Like many folks out there, my father has been a Microsoft Windows XP holdout. He’s upgraded to newer and more powerful machines several times over the years to keep pace with his computerized photography hobby, but each time, he has installed Windows XP. I don’t blame him for skipping Vista as it was notoriously out of whack with several of his favorite photography programs.

This past weekend, I finally succeeded in getting him to make the move to Windows 7 on the laptop, but only as long as we set it as a Windows XP/Windows 7 dual-boot system.

Setting up the dual-boot configuration was a breeze, and soon we were booting up Windows 7 Ultimate on his laptop. Everything was going smoothly, and I was extolling the benefits of Windows 7 with a big smile on my face until the laptop attempted to connect to his wireless network.

At that moment, the whole network came tumbling down, and I was soon embroiled in one of the trickiest troubleshooting expeditions I have been involved in for some time. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending, and everything is now working fine. But, because this type of situation could easily befall and befuddle others out there, I thought that I would chronicle my trials and tribulations in an effort to save others from this fate. Read more.

Check out the Windows 7 applet replacements in Windows Live Essentials

When Microsoft was designing Windows 7, they decided to strip out some of the applets that have been a part of the Windows operating system for quite some time. The four applets that are no longer part of the operating system are Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker. Instead, Microsoft moved these applets to the cloud and rebranded them as Windows Live Essentials.

So, how well do the Windows 7 applet replacements work? Actually, very well! Read more.