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Steve Sinchak
Windows® 7 Tweaks
Your Windows. Your way. You can make it happen.
Window
s® 7 Tw
eaks
• Take control of Windows 7
• Unlock hidden settings
• Rev up your network
• Disable features you hate, for good
• Fine-tune User Account control
• Turbocharge online speed
• Master the taskbar and start button
• Customize Windows Media® Center
• Lock down security in brand-new ways
• Optimize the way your system looks
• Blast bottlenecks that drag down performance
• Wipe out history data that can leave you vulnerable
• Boost boot and logon speed
• Seize every bit of performance Windows 7 can offer
A Comprehensive Guide to
Customizing, Increasing
Performance, and Securing
Microsoft®
Windows®
7A
Co
mp
reh
en
sive G
uid
e to
Cu
stom
izing, In
crea
sing P
erfo
rma
nce
,
an
d S
ecu
ring M
icroso
ft ® Win
do
ws
® 7
Analyze the performance of your PC and
learn how specific components can be
optimized
Security is improved in Windows 7 but the
most powerful and flexible settings are
hidden from normal users
Windows 7 has been hailed as the best version to date,
designed with a focus on quality and user input. But did
anyone ask what YOU wanted?
Follow Steve Sinchak’s expert and understandable advice,
and you can have Windows 7 exactly your way. Better
performance. Faster bootups. A personalized user interface.
Tighter security that doesn’t drive you crazy. By the time
you’ve fi nished this book, your Windows 7 will look and
feel as if Microsoft designed it just for you.
Steve Sinchak has repeatedly been honored with Microsoft’s MVP (Most Valuable
Professional) award. He manages several Web sites geared toward computer
enthusiasts, most notably tweaks.com and wingeek.com. Steve is the author of
Hacking Windows Vista and Hacking Windows XP, both from Wiley.
Operating Systems / Microsoft Windows
$29.99 US/$35.99 CAN
Sinchak• Understand the different versions, choose what you need, and install Windows 7
• Customize startup and navigation, including the Taskbar and Windows Explorer interface
• Tweak Windows Media® Player and Media Center for your specifi c needs
• Optimize the fi le system, RAM, and other core Windows components
• Analyze performance to fi nd and fi x bottle-necks
• Take command of User Account Control and secure your data
• Improve online security and guard your privacy
Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks
Windows® 7 Tweaks
A Comprehensive Guide to Customizing, Increasing Performance,
and Securing Microsoft® Windows 7
Steve Sinchak
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Windows® 7 Tweaks
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-52591-3
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permis-sions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representa-tions or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a par-ticular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disap-peared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (877) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009937282
Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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vii
Steve Sinchak is an entrepreneur who has started several technology-related businesses. Steve is currently running a web development firm, known as Advanced PC Media LLC, that owns and operates several web sites geared toward computer enthusiasts. Aside from writing for his web sites and running Advanced PC Media LLC, he works as a Systems Engineer for a large financial services company.
Steve has been working with computers for more than 18 years. Starting with a desktop that had a 286-based processor, 1 MB of RAM, and Windows 3.1, he taught himself how to make Windows run faster on the slow hardware. Driven by a strong curiosity to understand how it works, he spent count-less hours researching and experimenting with the inner workings and fea-tures of Windows. Over the years, he has worked closely with all versions of Windows. Every year since 2005 Microsoft has honored him with the Most Valued Professional (MVP) award for his work with Windows and his contribu-tions to the Windows community.
About the Author
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ix
Acquisitions EditorScott Meyers
Project EditorChristopher J. Rivera
Technical EditorTodd Meister
Production EditorEric Charbonneau
Copy EditorTricia Liebig
Editorial DirectorRobyn B. Siesky
Editorial ManagerMary Beth Wakefield
Production ManagerTim Tate
Vice President and Executive Group PublisherRichard Swadley
Vice President and Executive PublisherBarry Pruett
Associate PublisherJim Minatel
Project Coordinator, CoverLynsey Stanford
CompositorCraig Woods, Happenstance Type-o-Rama
ProofreaderNancy Bell
IndexerJohnna VanHoose Dinse
Cover Image©istockphoto / PerlAlexander
Cover DesignMichael E. Trent
Credits
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xi
Writing this book required a lot of time and compromises, so I want to thank my wife Stephanie for her love and help taking care of me.
I want to thank my family, relatives, coworkers, and friends who have motivated and inspired me throughout my life.
I also want to thank everyone involved in this book at Wiley for their help and advice.
Acknowledgments
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xiii
Introduction xxiii
Part I Getting Started with Windows 7 1
Chapter 1 Selecting the Right Version 3
Chapter 2 Installing Windows 7 9
Chapter 3 Safe Tweaking 21
Part II Customizing Windows 7 29
Chapter 4 Customizing the Startup 31
Chapter 5 Customizing User Navigation 43
Chapter 6 Personalizing the Desktop 71
Chapter 7 Customizing the Appearance of the Windows Interface 87
Chapter 8 Fine-Tuning Windows Explorer 107
Chapter 9 Personalizing Internet Explorer 8 129
Chapter 10 Customizing Windows Media 145
Part III Increasing Your System’s Performance 165
Chapter 11 Analyzing Your System 167
Chapter 12 Speeding Up the System Boot 193
Chapter 13 Making Your Computer Log On Faster 227
Chapter 14 Speeding Up Windows Explorer 243
Contents at a Glance
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