Windows 7

[Vanilla Garilla]

I just thought we should have a new thread for Windows 7, seeing as it has nothing to do with Linux.
If you guys need any tips feel free to ask, I have been using Windows 7 since January, and have grown very accustom to it. Some helpful tips/hints to get you started:

#1...STOP USING DESKTOP... It is no longer needed with Windows 7, you can simply pin your most used/favorite programs to the taskbar at the bottom now. That means you dont have to close windows or press the start button to get to the program you want.

#2....When your looking to do ANYTHING at all on your computer, the easiest way minus the taskbar is to press the windows button, and simply type any thing your looking to do in the search box at the bottom. this is the best feature in my opinion. For example if you want to burn a dvd but dont want to go through all the hassle all you have to do is simply>press windows button>type dvd, and its the first thing that comes up.

#3.....Virtual Sticky Notes on your desktop rules, and Gadgets can go anywhere now, not just on a stupid sidebar.

[Connie Jo]

I might add, that one thing I've never done is update drivers, which I feel I need to do, but it all confuses me when I look at the list. Many of the websites offering such advice, write tutorials as if they're being read by PC experts, and they lose me, hahaha. :)

[Chiefster]

HUH? You lost me some Chiefster with your advice, which I do appreciate, since I'm not 'that' PC wise. :)

The anti virus I use is from PC Tools, and the registry cleaner I use is RegCure, which isn't free, have to pay an annual renewal fee. I'd of course prefer to use a free one, but someone told me once the free registry cleaners often add 'extras' to your PC not desirable, so that's why I opted at the time for RegCure.

I also do a back up anti virus scan regularly with McAffe's free on line 'Stinger'. At one time I used AVG Anti Virus, but it kept having errors during scans, so uninstalled and went with PC Tools instead.

RegCure is a good registry cleaner and if you don't mind paying for it does a good job. Glary Utilities does not add anything undesirable as far as I know. Malwarebytes and Ad-aware are very comprehensive programs that will rid your system of any ad-ware or malware that may have infected your machine through typical internet usage.

Malwarebytes.org

Get Ad-Aware Plus for Free with Lavasoft and TrialPay - Lavasoft

I might add, that one thing I've never done is update drivers, which I feel I need to do, but it all confuses me when I look at the list. Many of the websites offering such advice, write tutorials as if they're being read by PC experts, and they lose me, hahaha. :)

I would be careful with this, and be sure you understand the procedure for rolling back drivers in the event the driver you update causes your hardware to fail or your system to crash. Typically a system that is beginning to run slow and sluggish is in need of cleaning up like a check disk, defrag and utilizing your registry cleaner and scanning for viruses, ad-ware and malware. Here are some step by step solutions to try for typical PC problems:

York PC Service.org • View topic - Solutions to try for before calling a PC technician