In previous versions of Windows you could save the current theme settings to a text-based file with .theme extension. To apply the theme to another computer, you needed to manually include the mouse cursor, wallpaper images, icons and other files (referenced in the .theme file). Windows 7 introduces a new theme file format (.themepack) which help users to share themes. (more…)
Archive for February, 2009
How to Create a Custom Theme Pack in Windows 7
How to Reset the Games Statistics Files in Windows 7
When you finish or discard a game in Windows 7, the results are stored in a separate statistics file, which is reflected in the Statistics tab in the right pane in Games Explorer. Is your game statistics not looking good? No problem! You can reset the games statistics so that you can start from the scratch again. (more…)
Add “Open in InPrivate Window” Option to the Right-Click Menu in Internet Explorer 8
InPrivate Browsing mode in Internet Explorer 8 helps prevent your browsing history, cache, form data, cookies, and usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser. Here is a menu extension for Internet Explorer 8, which adds the "Open in InPrivate Window" option to the context menu. This can be useful in situations where you want to open specific hyperlinks in InPrivate browsing window from the existing Internet Explorer window. This extension works in Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7. (more…)
Ask the IE Support Team (askIE) Blog Launched
Check out the excellent askIE Blog, which will be used to discuss "all things" Internet Explorer. They talk about topics from a Core IE perspective, such as the IEAK and Group Policy all the way to programming techniques and solutions related to Internet Explorer. These blogs will come from Microsoft Support Engineers who specialize in Internet Explorer. (more…)
Creating Search Federation Providers (Connectors) in Windows 7
Windows 7 introduces support for search federation to remote data stores using OpenSearch technologies that enable users to access and interact with their remote data from within Windows Explorer. Federated search enables users to search remote data sources from within Windows Explorer. For example, you can create a Search Connector to find information from a particular Website, through Windows Explorer. (more…)
Activate the Desktop Background Slideshow Feature in Windows 7 via Explorer
We recently saw how to use the Desktop Background Slideshow feature in Windows 7. When working with images, I just observed that you can use this feature directly from Windows Explorer, without having to use the Personalize applet. Here is how! (more…)
How to Clear File Search MRU History in Windows 7
When you open the Search window in Windows 7, the previously typed search queries (MRU) are displayed in the Search bar. Also, when you type a search query, the autocomplete lists possible matches as you type. Here is how to clear the search entries individually and collectively. (more…)
How to Change the Icon for a File Type in Windows 7 and Vista
Windows XP and earlier Operating Systems include the most useful File Types tab in the Folder Options applet. This tab was removed in Windows Vista and Windows 7 and replaced by Default Programs, which lacks many features that the File Types tab has. This forced users to look for third-party utilities to manage file type associations and customize the icons. This article provides information on how to manually change the icon for file types in Windows 7 and Vista. (more…)
Prevent Themes From Changing Desktop Icons in Windows 7
A theme file can contain references to custom Visual Styles, namespace icons, mouse pointers, window metrics, colors and other visual elements. If you wish to preserve the existing icons for the namespace items such as Computer, Documents, Recycle Bin, Network etc, you can change a setting so that applying a custom theme does not affect the existing desktop icons. (more…)
File in Use Dialog in Windows 7 Also Displays the Process Name
You may have encountered the "File in use" errors when deleting files/folders, especially when clearing out the Temp folder. To successfully delete the temporary files which are in use, you need to determine the process name which has locked the file, and then close the corresponding application first. In Windows 7, the File In Use dialog has improved, as it displays the name of the process which has locked the file. (more…)
