It's not MUCH security, I admit, but some folks like it as one more speed bump. Essentially, it makes sure the secure log-in page is up so you're not accidentally revealing your username and password to malicious software.
Here's how to put it back into action in Windows 7.
Go to the old Start button, now just a Windows logo. In the search box, type netplwiz and press enter or click on the result.
A pane called user accounts will appear.
Click on the Advanced tab.
At the bottom of the screen, under secure log-on, check "require users to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete"
Now when you log-in to your computer, you'll have a rather boring pane asking for Ctrl-Alt-Del, which you'll have to press before you can get to the log-in page.
Hope that makes you feel just a little bit more secure.
Tom and Rafe discuss life with Windows 7, Entourage, Seagate hard drives, Ubuntu and more.
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These 10 videos from CNET TV cover a range of useful tips for Windows 7 users, including how to make a system repair disc, how to customize the Start menu, what some of the best hot keys for the operating system are, and more.
There's also advice on how to upgrade from either Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7, how to fix Ethernet driver problems in VMWare, how to burn an ISO directly from the newly enhanced Windows Explorer, and how to get to the jump list from your left mouse button.
Windows 7's calculator is packed with features. Who knew?
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)Some of my personal faves we haven't yet turned into videos. Desktop junkies will love that you can now set up a desktop wallpaper slideshow. From the desktop, right-click and choose Personalize, or go to Appearance and Personalization in the Control Panel. Click Desktop Background at the bottom, and change the picture location to the folder you want. Alternatively, you can choose images from across multiple photos. Unfortunately, the Aero Glass taskbar color won't change to complement each new slide, but you can set it to rotate images as often as every 10 seconds.
I can't vouch for its efficacy, but another trick is that Windows 7 includes a monitor color management tool which photographers and graphic designers are sure to appreciate. You can get to it either through the Screen Resolution window's Advanced options, then clicking Color Management, or going to Run and typing DCCW.
If you right-click on a program or a shortcut launcher, you can now pin it to either the Start menu or the Taskbar, which should save you from having to run the program to get it onto the taskbar. Another functional redo has been visited upon the Calculator. There are new views for Programmers and Statistics, and there are new features for quickly doing unit conversion, date differentials, and using templates to create customized finance calculations.
There are far more Windows 7 tips and tricks than these, of course. If you have a favorite, tell us in the comments below.
I tried reinstalling VMware Tools, but nothing worked. Nothing, that is, until I tried this handy tip I found on Dave Taylor's Web site. The problem is in a VMware configuration file. Let me show you how to find and modify it to make your Ethernet work.
Shut down the virtual machine. Even if it's suspended, I recommend firing it up and shutting it all the way down.
Now you need to find the virtual image of Windows 7.
It's likely in Documents, in a folder called Virtual Machines.
The image for your Windows 7 is likely called something like Windows 7.
Whatever your image is called, if you're sure it's the right one, control or right click and choose "Show package contents."
Now find the file that ends in .vmx.
Right or control click on that file and choose "Open with." Then choose Text Edit, or whichever text editor you prefer.
Once the file opens in your editor, scroll down until you find these four lines that start ethernet0.
You're going to add a fifth line.
Type ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"
Now save that file and close it.
Go restart the virtual machine.
You should now have the ability to surf the Internet.
ISO images are files that contain an image of an entire disc. Usually, you download them from the Net and burn them to a CD or DVD to make an install or boot disc.
Windows 7 makes it easy to turn ISO files into discs.
Let's say you've downloaded a lovely ISO of the Linux operating system Ubuntu. If you burn it to a CD, you can boot off the CD and experiment with Linux without having to mess installing it.
Put your blank disc in the drive.
Double-click the ISO file. It will be listed as a Disc Image File under type.
Select the proper drive letter.
Press Burn.
And sit back and let it burn.
When you're done, you'll have a proper CD you can boot off of.
Click the Windows button aka "Start."
Type "System repair" in the search box.
Then choose Create a System Repair Disc.
Put in a blank CD or DVD and choose the correct drive from the drop-down.
Press Create Disc.
And let Win 7 do the rest.
Now you're protected.
If you're upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 it should be a fairly easy install. You can do what's called an in-place upgrade as long you install the same version of Windows 7 as you have of Vista.
For instance, if you have Windows Vista Home premium you can upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. You can also go from Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional, and from Vista Ultimate to 7 Ultimate. Any other upgrade, like Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional, will require a clean install. That means you can't just turn Vista into 7. You have to export all your data, erase the hard drive, and then reinstall all your applications and data. A lot of computer experts think you should do a clean install anyway, just to make sure your machine runs better.
See our video for upgrading XP to Windows 7 for that process.
But if you're lucky enough to be able to do an in-place upgrade and want to, here's what you do.
... Read moreMany of you did not upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, but are planning to upgrade to Windows 7. How dare you leave the Microsoft upgrade path? As a punishment, you can't upgrade directly from XP to 7; you have to do what's called a clean install, which means you have to jump through some hoops to keep your old data and programs.
Not to worry, we'll show you a couple ways to deal with the pain of installing Windows 7 on your XP machine. And afterward, Microsoft will forgive you your trespasses. Maybe.
Before you start, do these three things.
1. Run the Windows 7 upgrade adviser. It will let you know if your computer can handle any version of Windows 7.
2. Check the Windows 7 compatibility center. This is different than the upgrade adviser. It will tell you if you need to update your drivers or apps to make them work in 7.
3. Make a copy of your hard drive, just in case things go horribly wrong. I recommend using Macrium Reflect; it's a free download available from Download.com.
OK, now you're ready to upgrade.
... Read moreCNET Download.com's Seth Rosenblatt joins the Real Deal to answer all your questions about Windows 7 so you can be prepared for October 22.
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Every time Microsoft delivers a new OS it's possible to get many of the features of a Windows upgrade in the previous version of Windows. Windows 7 is no exception. Here's a roundup of a few things you can do to make Windows Vista as Windows 7-like as possible, without shelling out for the new OS.
We'll start out with a couple tweaks, then tell you about four free apps you can download. And a tip of the hat to the amazing Gina Trapani at Lifehacker, from whom I picked up several of these tricks.
First the taskbar. Windows 7 lets you "pin" apps to the taskbar and we can approximate that in Vista. Here's how.
Right-click on your taskbar.
Select toolbars.
And choose Quick Launch.
Now drag the icons you wish to "pin" into the left side of the taskbar.
Right click on the taskbar again and uncheck "lock taskbar."
Now click on the three rows of dots, hold down the mouse, and drag the bar over until you see all your icons.
Now, they look a little small like that, so let's make them bigger. Make sure the taskbar is unlocked.
Now right click on the taskbar again.
Select the view menu and choose large icons.
That's OK. But if you want a real Mac-like dock, forget all that and install RocketDock. It gives you a whole new Macish dock that you can put down at the bottom of the window instead of the taskbar.
But your Windows still looks all Vista-y. One more interface tweak before we move on. Download VistaGlazz 1.3. It's a utility that changes some system files to allow you to implement third-party themes on Vista. Launch VistaGlazz and, if you're sure, agree to allow it to modify your system files. I did it, and had no issues. But I make no guarantee.
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