Take a Tour of Windows 7: Better Features, Refined Visuals

TGDaily delivers a slideshow of Windows 7's new and improved features, including improvements to the desktop, media playback, file management, hardware support, networking, security, applets, and tops off the tour with a look at IE8 and Windows Live applets. Use these shortcuts to go direct to the features that intrigue (or annoy) you most:

Windows Desktop

• Windows 7's gadgets (Slide 3) no longer insist on taking over the edge of the screen; they can be dragged around the screen and regular windows can be placed over gadgets, wherever they are.
• Show Desktop (Slide 4) minimizes running programs, but displays gadgets and displays the outlines of each running program's window.
• The Taskbar preview (Slide 5) shows thumbnails of running programs plus the name of each program.
• Each application icon in the taskbar can display a jump list of recently-opened documents and options; just right-click it (Slide 6).
• You can show or hide system tray icons and notifications with the new Notification Area Icons applet in Control Panel (Slide 12) and control which system icons (such as clock, power, solution, and so on) are displayed (Slide 13).
• The Start Menu now includes Windows Explorer so you can now display the most frequently and most recently accessed folders (Slide 14).
• The Theme Gallery makes desktop customization with audio, screen savers, glass settings, and wallpapers quick and easy (Slide 21).

Media Playback

• Windows Media Player provides a live thumbnail in the taskbar preview along with playback controls (Slide 7) and an improved "Lightweight" dialog with enhanced playback controls and the album cover (Slide 8).
• The new Play To feature redirects audio and video to network-enabled media receivers, home theater systems, or PCs (Slide 9).

File Management

• You can now toggle the preview pane on and off in Explorer windows (Slide 15).
• The new Libraries feature enables you to group multiple locations for particular types of files or media into a single logical location (Slide 16).

Hardware

• The Device Stage provides one-stop access to device features, configuration, sync, and other settings appropriate to a Device Stage-enabled device (Slide 18).
• The Multiple desktop support dialog, essentially unchanged in Windows 98 through Vista, finally gets a major usability facelift (Slide 24).
• To toggle between available combinations of displays and projectors, just press Windows+P (Slide 25).

Networking

• You can connect to wireless networks directly from the wireless network icon in the notification area (Slide 11).
• HomeGroup makes easy password-protected media, file, and printer sharing on home networks (Slides 19, 20).
• The Network and Sharing Center now features support for HomeGroup networking and easier access to diagnostics (Slide 26).

Security

• User Account Control now features a slider adjustable configuration option similar to the one used by Internet Explorer's Security dialog (Slide 22).
• Windows Firewall has an improved user interface that makes it easier to see the settings used by different profiles (Slide 23).
• The Windows Security Center is now called the Windows Solution Center (Slide 27), and offers both security and maintenance options.

Applets

• The Windows Calculator (Slide 29) finally offers a variety of preset configurations to help you solve real-world problems without diving into Excel.
• Virtual Sticky Notes (Slide 30) finally make an appearance in Windows 7.
• The Magnifier tool (Slides 31 and 32) works in both the Windows desktop and IE8.

IE8 and Windows Live

For a preview of IE8 and Windows Live, start with Slide 33 and go to the end of the presentation.
 

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Illustrations courtesy TGDaily.