Windows 7 Application Compatibility List

The Windows 7 Compatibility Center will help you find the latest information on what software and Hardware is compatible with Windows 7. You can also download the latest Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals.

Windows 7 Version Comparison

Basic Requirements:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional Requirements to Use Other Features:

Internet access

Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware

For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required

Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware

HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7

DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive

BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2

BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive

Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on

Music and sound require audio output

Windows 7 Tips and Tricks

Bring Quick Launch Back

Rather than Pinning Icons to the Task Bar you can bring back the Quick Launch back by following these steps:

1. Right click an empty space on the taskbar and expand Toolbars and click on New Tool.

2. In the Folder line of the window that opens, type or copy:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

3. Click on the Select Folder button. You will now have a Quick Launch toolbar on the taskbar but it will need to expand it to get the original look.

4. Expand the new toolbar by left clicking on the dotted lines and holding, then drag it to the left or right to adjust to unhide all of the icons. Release the left click when done.

Note: You may need to unlock the taskbar to see the dotted lines by right clicking on a blank space on the taskbar and clicking Lock the taskbar to toggle the lock on and off.

5. To remove the Text or Title you can right click on the Quick Launch toolbar title name, and then toggle the Show Text and Show Title option by clicking on them.

6. If you would like to change the size of the icon show in the toolbar you can right click on the Quick Launch toolbar title name, then click on View and select to have Large Icons or Small Icons.

7. You can move the location of the taskbar by clicking on the Dotted Lines of the taskbar and drag it to the right or left side of the screen

Notes: To remove the toolbar right click on a empty space on the taskbar and click on Toolbars and Quick Launch to uncheck and remove it from the taskbar.

Bring back the XP/Vista Taskbar

If you want to bring back the XP/Vista style Taskbar do the following

1. Right click the Start button and select Properties.

2. Click the taskbar tab.

3. Check the box that says "Use small icons" and click Apply.

If you don't like the way Windows 7 combines icons for all instances of an application, on the same tab, click the arrow on the Taskbar Buttons box and select Combine When Taskbar Is Full.

Fix Errors When Opening Adobe PDFs in Windows 7

Occasionally Adobe PDF file will display an error and fail to open because of a problem with IE 8.

To correct the problem follow the steps below to configure Adobe to open PDF file in Adobe rather that in a browser:

1. Open Adobe Reader.

2. Click Edit | Preferences.

3. Click Internet in the left Categories pane.

4. Under Web Browser Options, deselect the Display PDF In Browser check box and click OK.

Jump List Feature

Jump Lists are designed to make it easier to find what you want and perform common operations associated with an application. Jump Lists appear when you right click on an icon on the Start menu or Taskbar

The Jump List feature is provides you with quick access to documents and tasks associated with applications. Jump Lists appear on the application icons that appear on the Taskbar when an application is running, on the Start menu in the recently opened programs section or on icons that have been pinned to the Taskbar or Start menu. Jump Lists contain the application's shortcut, the ability to toggle pinning on or off, the ability to close one or all windows, access to specific tasks associated with the application, and a list of recent documents or destinations depending.

Windows 7 Compatible Antivirus Programs

Although Widows 7 is one of the most secure operating systems available today you will still need Antivirus software to keep you protected. Below are some of our recommendations to help protect Windows 7 Home users or PC that are not part of a network with a server that requires advanced protection needs.

Norton

Norton AntiVirus 2010 was built from the ground up for Windows 7 and will block viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, worms, and rootkits. The Internet Security package adds a two-way firewall and a host of other security features but should only be installed on a newer PC.

avast!

Avast includes a free Home Edition and a subscription-based Professional Edition, as well as a variety of business and enterprise level packages. The Home Edition provides antivirus and anti-spyware protection, anti-rootkit protection, and automatic updates. The Professional Edition provides antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, and much more.

AVG

AVG Antivirus Free and the regular yearly subscription editions, AVG Antivirus, AVG Internet Security, and AVG Internet Security Business Edition provide various size site license packages. The Free edition offers basic antivirus and anti-spyware protection but lacks automatic updating, you will be notified when new virus definitions and other updates are available, but you must manually click the update button. The subscription editions provide the same protection as the Free edition and adds several other features, such as phishing protection and anti-rootkit protection.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download that offers protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, such as rootkits and Trojans. Security Essentials provides real-time scans of downloads and attachments, monitors suspicious file and program activity, runs unattended scans, and will automatically download virus and spyware definitions.

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Go faster on the Web with Internet Explorer 8 Accelerators

Accelerators accelerate your ability to gain access to various types of Web-based searches. Just highlight the text you are interested in, click the Accelerators icon, and off you go. The text you highlighted will get the action applied to it that you choose from the Accelerator menu that pops up when you click the Acceleration Icon.

The fastest way to manage Options available with Accelerators is to highlight some text on a web page and Click the Accelerator Icon and mouse over "All Accelerators" for more options to Find More or Manage Accelerators.

Cool Accelerators to Try:
Find on Wikipedia
Find on YouTube
Find on IMDB

Burn ISO Images Directly

Windows 7 Burns ISO Disk Images directly by Right Clicking on the file and choosing Burn Image from the list that pops up.

Optimize Your Monitors with Windows 7

Windows 7 includes two great tools for adjusting your display to help prevent eye strain and improve text readability.

You can access ClearType Text Tuner by typing cttune.exe in the Search for Programs and Files Search Bar on the Start menu and follow the steps.

In addition to the text tuner, Windows 7 provides a color calibration tool. You start the tool by typing dccw.exe in the Search for Programs and Files Search Bar on the Start menu and follow the steps.

Much Improved Backup Utility

Windows 7 has an improved Backup utility. You can invoke the Backup And Restore utility from Control Panel or by typing Backup in the Search for Programs and Files Search Bar on the Start menu. You can back up your files to a local hard disk, a removable disk, a DVD, or another computer on the network.

Create a System Repair Disc

To create a System Repair Disc click Start and type System Repair in the Search for Programs and Files Search Bar on the Start menu.

To use the disc on a non booting PC, put the disc in your drive and reboot the computer from the disc. (You may have to set the CD/DVD drive as the primary boot device in your BIOS.) You'll get a list of system recovery options, which include:

Startup repair

System restore

System image recovery

Windows memory diagnostic

Command prompt