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

25913ffirs.indd 2 10/29/09 8:20:18 AM

Windows® 7 Tweaks

25913ffirs.indd 1 10/29/09 8:20:17 AM

25913ffirs.indd 2 10/29/09 8:20:18 AM

Windows® 7 Tweaks

A Comprehensive Guide to Customizing, Increasing Performance,

and Securing Microsoft® Windows 7

Steve Sinchak

25913ffirs.indd 3 10/29/09 8:20:19 AM

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.

25913ffirs.indd 4 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

This book is dedicated to my wife Stephanie and my family.

25913ffirs.indd 5 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

25913ffirs.indd 6 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

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

25913ffirs.indd 7 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

25913ffirs.indd 8 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

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

25913ffirs.indd 9 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

25913ffirs.indd 10 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

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

25913ffirs.indd 11 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

25913ffirs.indd 12 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM

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

25913ffirs.indd 13 10/29/09 8:20:20 AM