Windows 7 Archives - Page 13 of 14

Q&A: How do I run the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) on Windows 7?

Posted on March 18, 2013

Question from Alex G.: Hi Rick. Love this site and all your tips!! I hope you can help me with a problem I’m having.

I just bought an ebook filled with Windows 7 tweaks and several of the ones I really want to try require running a program called Group Policy Editor. The instructions say to type gpedit.msc into the Search box, but when I do I get this error message:

“Windows cannot find ‘gpedit.msc’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.”

What am I doing wrong? My computer is a Dell laptop running the upgrade version of Windows 7 Home Premium. It originally came with Windows Vista.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to disable the annoying ‘Snap’ in Windows 7

Posted on March 14, 2013

windows-7 Windows 7 includes a feature that allows you to expand open windows and rearrange them on the screen by dragging them hither and yon with the mouse. Some people like it, others despise it.

I happen to be among those who find it irritating when a window suddenly expands to fill the entire screen when all I’m trying to do is move it over just a bit. If you find it irritating as well, here’s how to disable it (refer to the screenshot below): [Read more…]

How to keep your POP3 email when upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7

Posted on February 12, 2013

migrate-mail One of the first things most people notice after upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is that there is no POP3 email client included with Windows 7. Why Microsoft decided not to include one is rather baffling, but it’s really no big deal.

It’s easy to download and install Windows Live Mail and import your emails accounts, settings and emails from Vista’s Windows Mail into Live Mail.

It’s usually easier to make the transition from Windows Mail to Windows Live Mail before you upgrade to Windows 7 because everything will usually be imported for you automatically. Here’s how to do it: [Read more…]

Bypass the Windows 7 Splash Screen for faster system startups

Posted on January 22, 2013

windows-7 One of the most annoying things about any version of Microsoft Windows is having to wait while Windows boots up before you can start doing anything, and that includes Windows 7.

You can speed up the boot process quite a bit by controlling which programs are allowed to start up automatically when Windows is loaded (see this post for details), but if you want to reduce the boot time by a couple more seconds you can also bypass the fancy (but useless) Windows Splash Screen. Here’s how: [Read more…]

How to install Windows 8…and keep Windows 7 too!

Posted on January 9, 2013

dual-boot Do you want to install Windows 8 and still keep your existing Windows 7 installation too? Well, you can by setting up a dual boot system. Here’s how:

1 – Purchase a copy of your preferred version of Windows 8. In order to set up a dual boot system you’ll need to spring for a full retail copy, not a Windows 8 upgrade package.

If you buy Windows 8 in a brick and mortar store (say from Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc.) you’ll be all set to proceed once you get home with it. But if you buy it online and download the Windows 8 ISO file you’ll need to burn it onto a blank DVD. Either way, once you have a Windows 8 installation disc at the ready, proceed to step 2. [Read more…]