Windows 7 and Vista Tips and Tweaks

Windows 7 and Vista are complicated operating systems, so here are a couple tips and tweaks to make the best of your Windows installation.

Every time you boot your computer, you have to login again. This can get tiresome for those who only have one user account and just want to boot into Windows directly. Thankfully, here are some instructions how. 

First type in netplwiz into the start menu search box and hit enter. If that doesn't work, you can type in control userpasswords2 instead. A box will pop up. Uncheck the box that says “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”, and then hit Apply. A username and password box will show up. Enter in your Windows login information and click OK. 

Many applications are only compatible with an earlier operating system, such as Windows XP. Here is how to get that program running in Windows 7 or Vista. 

Locate the main .exe file in the installation directory. This can be in several places. After you find the .exe file, simply right click the file, and select the Compatibility tab. Put a check mark next to run this program in compatibility mode and select the operating system of choice. Simply click Apply and you are done!

On several occasions I would be working and a Windows Update box would keep popping up, nagging me to reboot the computer. Well I don't want to reboot, I am currently working. Here is how to disable this annoying window. 

Now you could change some stuff in the registry, but for the novice computer user this is much easier. Simply download the Auto Reboot Remover Utility fromhere. (Scroll down to see it.) I know it says Windows Xp, but has been tested and will work on Windows 7 and Vista. Simply run the utility, and mark "Disable Auto Reboot". Click Apply.

Remote desktop allows another computer to control and access your computer. It is turned off by default in Windows 7 or Vista, but luckily it is easy to turn on.

Right click "Computer" in the start menu and choose properties. Alternatively you can type in system into the start menu search box, and then find the entry for System. Click "Remote Settings" on the left hand side. A box will pop up, simply allow connections and click Apply.

User Account Control (UAC) is supposed to notify you about potential unwanted changes to your computer. But for the regular user installing or removing programs, or changing system settings the prompts that pop up can get a bit annoying. Here is how to disable UAC.

Windows Vista:

Open up Control Panel and type in "UAC" into the search box. You will see an option to turn it off. Click on the option and uncheck "Use UAC". Click OK. 

Windows 7:

Type "UAC" into the start menu or control panel. Click "Change User Account Control settings". Drag the slider all the way to the bottom to completely disable UAC, or drag it up or down depending on how often you want to be alerted.