Windows 7 Feature Focus: Devices and Printers

Posted 06/30/2009 at 2:00pm | by Mark Edward Soper

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Until the introduction of Windows 7, device management was a multi-application nightmare. Want to see a device's hardware configuration? Open Device Manager. Want to browse the contents of a storage device? Open My Computer. Need to manage the settings used by a specific device? Open the appropriate applet in Control Panel (Mouse, Keyboard, Game Controller, and so on). If you have a multifunction device, you would need to open separate applets to manage the printing, faxing, scanning, and file management functions of one device.

In Windows 7, the Devices and Printers applet in Control Panel provides a single entry point to managing single-purpose and multifunction devices. Microsoft considers Devices and Printers so important to system management that you can start Devices and Printers directly from the Start menu. To learn how Devices and Printers will make your life easier, and what you need to do to make it work better for you, read on.

Understanding the Devices and Printers Interface

When you start Devices and Printers, the dialog is divided into two parts: devices other than printers and faxes are listed in the Devices section. Typical examples include:

• Mouse or other pointing device
• Keyboard
• Game controllers
• Displays
• Mass storage devices such as card readers and external hard disks
• Digital cameras
• DV camcorders
• smartphones
• scanners

Interestingly, the computer itself is also listed as a device.

Printers and fax devices (including software print drivers such as the Microsoft XPS Document Writer or third-party PDF creators) are listed in the Printers and Faxes section. If the device or printer uses a Device Stage-compatible driver, an image of the actual device is shown. Otherwise, generic images are shown for each device and printer. Brief properties for the currently-selected device are shown in the window at the bottom of the dialog.

Managing Devices and Printers 101

As with many other features in recent Windows versions, the key to getting the most out of Devices and Printers is the right-click function. Right-click any device in the Devices section of Devices and Printers, and you can choose from the following:

• Configuration options for the device
• Create a shortcut
• Troubleshooting
• Device properties

When you select options from the right-click menu, Windows 7 opens the appropriate properties sheet for each device, such as the mouse shown in the next figure. Thus, Devices and Printers provides a very convenient way to work with any listed device.

File Management

In a typical Windows 7 system, removable-media and external storage devices are found in more places than ever before, including internal and external card readers, printers, and multifunction devices. By selecting Browse Files from the right-click menu for Mass Storage Device or other devices that include storage, you can browse the drive letter(s) assigned to that device. If the device contains media that is supported by AutoPlay, you can open the AutoPlay dialog from the right-click menu. In this example, Devices and Printers is working with a multi-slot internal card reader.

Managing Systems

In many discussions of Devices and Printers, the most overlooked device is the computer, which is identified by name in Devices and Printers. Right-click the icon for your computer to see a staggering number of configuration options, including:

• AutoPlay settings
• File browsing for all drives
• CD/DVD media ejection
• Settings for network, sound, mouse, and keyboard
• Regional and language settings
• System properties
• Device installation settings
• Power options
• Windows Update

By accessing these settings through Devices and Printers, you will save an immense amount of time (and wear on your mouse and your clicking finger).

Working with Imaging Devices

When you right-click on a digital camera and select Browse Files, camera name, you can browse both the camera's internal (fixed) storage (if present) and the camera's removable storage.

You can navigate through the folders, change view settings (Large Thumbnails in this example), copy or delete files, and perform other file management functions as if the camera were a regular storage device.