Do not waste your money on expensive Wifi Analyzer hardware and software just pickup a Droid phone and download the Wifi Analyzer utility for free. This tool is useful in identifying networks that overlap and will allow you to determine if you’ve made the right decisions about the channel your wireless device is using. You can quickly and easily see if there is a strong wifi signal that overlaps yours. Unlike my example you should perform this analysis where you intend to USE your wifi client devices most. Here is a video demonstration for more clarity:
Windows 7 Using Sticky Notes
Not everyone uses Outlook or a similar program to store their tasks and reminders, or perhaps they might seek something a little more visual. Windows 7 sticky notes will deliver that for you. This video will demonstrate to you how to access, create, change and delete sticky notes on your Windows 7 equipped computer.
Windows 7 Quicktip Aero Snap Feature
The Aero snap feature on Windows 7 is really useful. You can use it to maximize a window by left clicking and dragging that window to the top of the screen or drag left or right to have the active program use that half of the screen. This is what you might see in the Microsoft commercial. There is a small problem, what if you have 2 or more monitors? It doesn’t work unless you drag it all the way to the right, left or top most screen edge. You can actually use this feature even with multiple screens by using the windows key + arrow keys, these are the affects:
- Winkey + L/R Arrow cycles the active window through all available visible options (Right Half, Left Half, Normal, Maximize)
- Winkey + Up Arrow Maximizes the active window
- Winkey + Down Arrow Minimizes the active window
These are must know keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7 users with 2 or more monitors and I like them even on single screens. Please note this does require the Aero interface to be enabled and not all computers support it. For a demonstration of this feature check out this video:
Windows 7 Application Compatibility and XP Mode
When you purchase a new computer that has Windows 7 installed or upgrade your current PC to Windows 7 you will have more to deal with than just a learning curve. New operating systems present compatibility issues, sometimes this includes hardware compatibility other times it involves software applications. Luckily there are some tools within Windows 7 that provide very broad application support. This video demonstrates how to use two of the tools, the individual application compatibility settings and the all new “XP Mode”. Links to the Microsoft site mentioned in this video are at the bottom of this article after the video.
Resources:
- Microsoft Virtual PC/Application Compatibility Page
Windows 7 Very Easy System Restore
Windows 7 provides an unprecedented feature as far as windows operating systems go, it offers you a very simple to use System Restore function. The typical scenario is you install some new bit of software and within hours or days you notice issues with stability or performance of your computer. You now have a very easy way to go back and restore the system to the previous state. When you perform this step the utility will also report to you which drivers and programs will be affected by the process if you click the “Scan for affected programs” button.