Windows 7 Games Explorer - Your Games Companion

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If you’re skipping Windows Vista and directly jumping into Windows 7 from Windows XP, you’ll be surprised with lots of features offered in Windows 7 that you can’t found in Windows XP (of course). Some of these feature are the refinement of what was introduced in Windows Vista but make it way into Windows 7 with a lot more features.

Game Explorer is one such feature, first introduced in Windows Vista. Imagine Game Explorer just as the common windows/file explorer that you use daily to manage your file. It assist you to manage all games installed in your computer without miss. Whether it is the default games that comes with operating system, or advance games such as Grand Theft or Fifa, Games Explorer will taking care of that games properly.

One feature in Game Explorer that you’ll appreciate the most is, it’s ability to find and notify you if it found new updates on any of your games. To make your life even easier, you can download and install the update from inside the Game Explorer itself. Do note that this option can be turned on or off depend on your preference.

game explorer option Windows 7 Games Explorer   Your Games Companion

Other feature that you will found useful if you have kids is, the Parental Control setting. By default all games has been set with parental control set by Windows 7. If you prefer other filter, there are a lot of predefined set of parental control that already available which you can choose from.

game explorer parental control Windows 7 Games Explorer   Your Games Companion

Having all these wonderful features are meaningless if it can’t be viewed easily. If you notice, the Game Explorer windows is separated into 2 section. The left hand side is the list of games itself, and the right section is where the information will be displayed when any games is selected. Info about games that will be displayed here is the parental control, update notification and the statistic of the game.

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Unlock Windows 7’s Hidden Themes

Beside hunting for wonderful Windows 7 themes on Internet, interestingly there are also hidden themes does exist in Windows 7. The hidden themes are originally meant to visible for certain countries only based on their folder name, but by using this workaround, you can have and activate the themes for your own usage as well.

hidden themes folder Unlock Windows 7s Hidden Themes

Here are the themes called Australia, Canada, South Africa, United Kingdom and United Kingdom. In less then 5 minutes, you have 5 additional themes to delight your day.

hidden themes Unlock Windows 7s Hidden Themes

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10 Windows 7 Accessories Program For Beginners

Windows 7 has been around for couple of months now. The respond from customers so far favors this operating software compared to it’s predecessor. If you just started using Windows 7 like me, here are some Windows 7 accessories program that you may interested to use. Some of them does help making the OS more fun to use as well.

1. Snipping Tool

Simple yet useful screen capture software suitable for all level of users. One of the best screen capture software I ever used. Warning: Not for advance users looking for advance feature. I’ve written once about it before.

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2. Sticky Note

Sticky note help you to remember anything that you deem important, but you’re going to do it later. Not meant as procrastination tool, but more toward as reminder. Stick to the desktop, it is easily viewable when you’re switching between the app in the desktop. Available in different color as well.

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3. Connect To Projector

No more guessing the sequence key (usually combination of ‘fn’ + ‘projector’ key) to expand your screen to other monitor or projector. This shortcut let you choose which mode conveniently.  This menu is also viewable if your press ‘fn’ + ‘projector’ key.

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4. Sync Center

Sync Center let you sync any folder in your computer with folder in external drive plugged to the computers or network drive.

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5. Paint

Paint, basic image editor software which has been shipped with Windows since Windows 95 day. From that version until Window XP, it have not received much changes or probably not at all. The new Paint shipped with Windows 7 is totally a new Paint. Having the new UI as other product under Microsoft Office 2007, it still pretty much basic image editor but with more new features such as ‘Undo and Redo’, image rotation compared tot he earlier version.

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6. Calculator

Gone are the days when calculator can only perform basic mathematics function such as add, subtract, device and etc. The new calculator capable of doing complex mathematics function with addition of Scientific, Programmer and Statistic calculator on top of the standard calculator.

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7. Windows Easy Transfer

Windows Easy Transfer made the process of migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7 easier. It helps you to transfer all files to Windows 7 in exception of application installed in your older machine. Windows Easy transfer allow you to transfer the files directly from computer to computer using Belkin’s Easy Transfer cable, or use external hard rive as the temporary storage from your older machine before transferred permanently to the Windows 7 machine.

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8. Resource Monitor

Just in case you want to monitor your computer perfomance, Resource Monitor is what you need. It provide more comprehensive monitoring than Windows Task Manager, where if you select any program currently running, the breakdown of module currently running will be shown as well. If you computer is powered by multicore processor, you have option to view only at certain core.

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9. Windows Mobility Center

All in one menu to control your computer setting. It let you control the volume, Wifi, Bluetooth, sound, display and etc The setting may vary from one computer vendor to another.

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10. Wordpad

Notepad is just too basic for certain people, and Microsoft Office is way to expensive. The new Wordpad fits the bill as basic word editing software. Now comes with standard UI just like other Office suites, it offer variety of new options to help you build the document you need in a very simple way.

wordpard 10 Windows 7 Accessories Program For Beginners

Year 2010 Windows 7 Themes

We’re on the third day of the year 2010 today, and the holiday mood atmosphere still going strong!! It’s going to be another year before you could enjoy another long holiday, so enjoy the rest of the time before the workloads, school and study coming your way in the next few days.

New year comes with new wish/vision/target and etc. But how about giving your Windows 7 machines some facelift as well with new theme that reflect year 2010? There are 2 awesome Windows 7 themes that I came across this morning, that I think you’ll be pleased to have in your machine.

Smashing Magazine January 2010 Wallpaper Windows 7 Theme - This theme contains 32 wallpapers originated from Smashing Magazine, and turned to Windows 7 theme by Tim Heuer. Click here to download. And yes, the wallpaper contain only January 2010 calendar.

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New Year 2010 Windows 7 Theme - This theme was created by Yonited contains 12 beautiful wallpapers with 2010 as the main object. Click here to download.

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You can create your own theme as well by following this instruction.

Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

If you use netbook run on Windows 7,  you must have probably known about the Windows USB DVD Tool. Put this tool together with Windows 7 ISO into USB thumbdrive  to make bootable  USB thumb drive, and use to install or upgrade Windows 7 on your netbook.

But apparently, Microsoft has taken it down from download page. It’s all due to the GPL allegation that had surfaced about a week ago. It was Microsoft to be blamed in this case, but consumers are the real losers if this were to last long.

But don’t freak out, because you can still get the copy here or here. It does exist somewhere else in internet as well I believe, if you’re hardworking enough to Google it. Or better still, there is an alternative that you can read here.

Like most of you out there, I don’t want to get stuck in tussle between them for some licensing issue.