The Levels of Notification

There are basically three levels of notification when it comes to UAC Windows 7. You can select any one of these by using a slider present in the UAC settings.

Always Notify

This is the most secure UAC Windows 7 setting and notifies you whenever programs or user make a change in the settings of the computer. The light of the monitor is dimmed and you would not be able to work on any other program. Only after your approval the changes would be made and you would be allowed to start working again.

Notification when programs make changes

This setting does not allow any program to make changes to the setting of the computer and administrator’s permission is required. However, a user who is not administrator can make the changes without any kind of notification or permission from the administrator.
Never Notify
In the never notify setting, all the changes in settings are allowed in case you are logged in as administrator. However, if you are logged in as any other user, you or the programs are not allowed to make any kind of changes and the related requests are denied automatically.

How to change the UAC Windows 7 settings?

The UAC Windows 7 settings in windows can be changed by accessing User Account Control Settings. For making the changes, go to system and security tab in the control panel. Click on the link mentioning ‘User Account Control Settings.’ Move the slider to the desired setting. You might need to restart the computer before settings to take effect.

XP Mode Windows 7 basically refers to the running of a separate window of XP in your computer with Windows 7 operating system. Now this window would work exactly like a windows XP operating system. It is just that the OS is not actually installed on your computer and you would be viewing it in separate window on your screen. You would be able to add or delete files; run software and edit settings just like you do in a XP OS. Two great advantages that the feature provides are:
• It is a great way to work efficiently for those who are quite familiar with XP but are not able to adjust with the interface of Windows 7.
• There are a few applications as well which are not compatible in Windows 7 but runs well on XP. You can use XP mode Windows 7 to run the applications.
Any installation made using the window of XP would appear in the list of both XP and Windows 7 and is accessible from both.

Setting Up XP Mode Windows 7

For using the great benefits of XP Mode Windows 7, you would need to install two software programs on your computer. These include Windows Virtual PC Beta and Windows XP Mode Beta. The Windows Virtual PC Beta is basically visualization software that is meant to power the XP mode. After completing the installation, restart the computer to start using the mode.

Once the computer has restarted, click on the start button and run the item called Virtual Windows XP. You would be prompted to enter a password. Remember it for future use. The system will then set up Virtual Windows XP for first use which can take some time.
You might also receive a message which says that the hardware visualization is not enabled. You can turn on the feature by restarting the computer, entering the BIOS and making the necessary changes.

On the completion of the installation process, you would see a virtual XP window which would prompt you to add security software. You must add an antivirus as per your wish as the virtual XP window is nothing less than a normal operating system and needs protection. You can start installing software and applications just like you do normally. While installing, remember to make the applications available for all users. This means that the application icon would automatically appear under the Windows Virtual PC tab in windows 7 start menu.

Windows 7 Aero is a really popular default theme and a graphic user interface (GUI) as released by Microsoft along with the operating system. It is a powerful, efficient and esthetically pleasant theme.

Enabling Windows 7 Aero

While you install the operating system, Windows 7 Aero might not be automatically enabled. Based on your system’s experience index rating, the operating system automatically adjusts the effects related to Aero features. As per the compatibility of your machine, you might also have partial Aero effects working. This is because any more addition would hamper the performance of your computer. If this is the case and you feel that slight dip in performance would not hamper your work efficiency in any way, here is how you can enable Windows 7 Aero.
• Open Control Panel from the Start Menu.
• Go to the System tab in ‘System and Security’ menu.
• Click on ‘Advanced System Settings.’
• Click on ‘Performance Settings.’
• Look under the visual effect tab. Here the option – ‘Let windows choose what’s best for my computer’ would be checked by default.
• Look further below and you would see a list of Windows 7 Aero effects. Those which are enabled would be checked while others unchecked.
• Select the custom option before selecting all the effects as mentioned in the list below.
• Click on Apply and then OK once done.
• All the Windows 7 Aero effects would get enabled.
Some of the most popular Windows 7 Aero effects include Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Aero Snap and Aero Flip.

Disabling Windows 7 Aero

Excessively slow running computer is a major reason that may lead you to disabling the Windows 7 Aero effects. Here you have two options. First is to go back to the initial stage and let the computer decide which effects are compatible with your computer’s configuration and would not affect performance in any way. All you need to do is to repeat the process mentioned above and select the option - ‘Let windows choose what’s best for my computer’ instead of custom. Click on Apply and then OK for settings to take effect.
Secondly, you can also disable the effects completely by using an entirely different method as below.
• Right click on the desktop to open the menu.
• Click on Personalize.
• A list of themes would appear. Scroll down and look for windows 7 basic theme. Click to activate. The Aero effects would get disabled.

Dual Boot Windows 7 refers to the process which allows you to install the operating system in your computer while there is another version already installed there. This is really helpful when you are quite comfortable with your existing operating system say Windows XP or Vista and want to try out Windows 7. By using the Dual Boot Windows 7 method, you would be able to install Windows 7 operating system without removing the already installed version. Once you have tried the option, you can remove the one with which you are less comfortable and content with.

The Process

Before starting the process, ensure that you have a copy of the operating system with you in a DVD. Then, follow the below steps

Hard Drive Partition

In case you have only one partition in your hard drive then you would need to create more in order to install Windows 7. This is because one partition can hold only one operating system. Now the way to create a partition depends on the current operating system you have in your computer. In case you are using Vista, there is an inbuilt tool which you can use while if you have XP, you would need to use third party software.
Create a new partition which has at least 16 GB of space available.

Install Windows 7

Concerning Dual Boot Windows 7, once you have created the partition, install a fresh copy of the operating system in the newly created space. Insert the disc in DVD ROM and restart the computer. The computer would boot by using the DVD. If it does not, select the boot from CD option in the BIOS.

Follow the simple instructions as they appear to install a copy of Windows 7. Remember to choose the custom (advanced) option when prompted to select. Also choose the partition drive carefully. In case you select the one which already has a version installed, the older one would be replaced by windows 7.

Wait for the entire process to be completed. Depending on your computer’s configuration, it might take anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes.

Using the Operating System in Dual Boot Windows 7

Restart the computer once the installation is complete. You can select the operating system which you want to use to boot the system by using the arrow keys and pressing enter. You can also install more than two operating systems by using the same procedure as above.

Starting Safe Mode Windows 7

Before starting safe mode Windows 7, you must remove all the floppy disks, CD’s or DVD’s that might be there in the computer. Once done, restart the computer. This can be done by clicking on start, shutdown and restart buttons in a sequence.
Press and hold the F8 key while your computer restarts. Ensure that the key is pressed before the appearance of the windows logo. In case the logo of windows appear before you were able to press the key, wait for computer to boot completely and repeat the entire process again. In case you have more than one operating system installed on the computer, you would need to select the windows 7 operating system by using the arrow key and pressing enter.

Now the advanced screen options would appear. Again use the arrow keys to select one of the safe mode windows 7 options and press enter. The computer would start in safe mode.

You can exit the safe mode by shutting down the computer and starting it again normally.

The Safe Mode Options

There are three different safe mode options present in the advanced screen settings for you to select from.
• Safe Mode
• Safe Mode with Networking
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Safe Mode

Concerning safe mode Windows 7, safe mode allows the computer to start with the minimum drivers and services required for operation.

Networking Safe Mode

Other than having the basic minimum services and drivers, safe mode with networking also use the network drivers and services. This means while using the computer in safe mode, you would have access to internet and other computers attached through the network.

Command Prompt Safe Mode

This mode is usually meant for the IT professionals or administrator who knows how to work in the command prompt. Instead of normal windows interface, an interpreter that works on the special commands is opened.

When the Windows Update Control Panel window opens, click Change Settings and after that under Important Updates click on the drop-down menu and choose Never check for updates.

As already mentioned this might leave your computer at risk, so turn off the Automatic Updates only if necessary.

Alternately you can type “fonts” in the Search box and open the Fonts folder, then simply drag and drop the .ttf file from Windows Explorer to the Fonts folder.

Now you can click on the taskbar, hold down the mouse key and drag the taskbar to the position of your choice – top, left, right, or bottom.

Another way to achieve the same is to right click on an empty space on the taskbar and click Properties – when the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window comes up, click on the drop-down menu right next to Taskbar location on screen and select one of the four positions – Bottom, Right, Left, or Top.