Windows 7 Desktop Secrets (Windows Tips and Tricks Book 6)

How to Release the Power of the Windows 7 Desktop

The Windows 7 Desktop is your first view of Windows when you start your computer. It can be used to launch programs, save folders and files, or merely hang your favorite family photos. However in Windows 7 there is much more that you can do with the Desktop. Learn the secrets of configuring your Desktop work the way you want it.

All four Windows Secrets e-books (adds Taskbar, Explorer, Start Menu) are available in a special Amazon bundle at a special Amazon rate. Search Kindle books for "Windows 7 Secrets Four-Book Bundle."

Chapter One: Understanding the Windows 7 Desktop - “The Desktop is the first thing we see when we turn on a computer.”
Windows Desktop often seems to be there just to fill the screen. However, in Windows 7 there are a number of ways to personalize the Desktop for a better computing experience—including picking a background image, adding apps with Desktop Gadgets, and moving, resizing, and/or hiding the Taskbar.

Chapter Two: Using Windows Aero - “Solving the mysteries of the Windows Aero feature.”
Windows Aero may not be the most important feature in Windows 7, or even the most useful, but knowing it's there and how to use it (or turn it on and off if necessary) will go a long way toward making you more comfortable with the operating system.

Chapter Three: Working with Desktop Themes - “Make the Desktop into a personal slide show or use hidden images from around the world.”
In Windows 7 you can theme your desktop with a favorite photo or turn the background into a slide show of any of your artwork or photos. Plus, you can incorporate international elements, adding further personalization to your computing experience.

Chapter Four: Desktop and Window Tricks - “De-cluttering your Windows Desktop, manipulating individual windows, plus get "always on top" for all your open windows.”
Windows 7 offers some tricks and key combinations to help keep your desktop and working space free of clutter—and back again. Plus, a look at a useful, free program that gives more resizing options, "always on top," and how to hide all of the Desktop icons.

Chapter Five: Gadgets for All Occasions - “Windows 7 Desktop Gadget Apps will help you with your daily tasks.”
If you like having your Windows 7 gadgets in view, yet don't want to lose precious Desktop space, there are compromises and tricks you can use. Plus using Sticky Notes.

Chapter Six: Resizing Windows Without a Mouse - “Has your mouse gone missing? An all-around Windows tip that applies to every version.”
There is a not-well-publicized trick to using the Move and Size commands without using a mouse.

Chapter Seven: Secret (Free) Tools for Windows 7 Desktop - “Included in the free Sysinternals Suite, BgInfo, ZoomIt and Desktops can add more to your computing experience.”
The Windows Sysinternals utility suite offers a great set of tricks for anyone who wants to do more with their Desktop, plus it includes many programs that will teach you about the inner workings and hidden mechanisms of a Windows computer.

Chapter Eight: Windows 7 On-screen Keyboard - “The Windows 7 On-screen Keyboard is for those times when your keyboard has gone missing.”
The Windows On-screen Keyboard in Windows 7 is different from other Windows versions. Is it an improvement?

Chapter Nine: Windows 7 Display Color Adjustment and Desktop Orientation - “Optimize the color for your computer monitor and an accidental new view.”
While it is very difficult to do true color matching, Windows 7 has a new feature that helps to optimize the color for your computer monitor: the Windows 7 Display Color Calibration program. Plus, when seeking strange Windows 7 key-combination phenomena, Jack encountered a trick that can give you a different view of the world.

Chapter Ten: The Windows 7 Clock and a Time Trick - “Setting the Windows 7 clock and changing how the clock reads.”

Click Jack's author's link above to see "Misunderstanding Windows 8."