If you’re lookign for some free Windows 7 software, the website ‘give away of the day’ offers daily freebies from many software companies. These are not trial or limited versions of software, but fully working versions with license keys. The developers offers these to the members and visitors simply for the asking.

The giveaway of the day website has many sections, so for Windows 7 freebies, look here
You can subscribe to their RSS feed, add their application on facebook and even on twitter as well. If you have a blog, you can add their widget to be apprised of the daily list of freebies.

Computer and technology tips, reviews and how-to’s in a non technical language.
Savvy tech talk for the non-tech-savvy.

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Using Windows 7 Taskbar Color Changer

There’s really not very much to using the application—simply download it, extract it into a folder somewhere, and then launch it. You can choose a color or use the Random button, and then click the Apply button to change the taskbar color.

The color picker is a standard one, and you can choose any color you want.

Here’s a green taskbar!

Just in case you are worried, the application makes a copy of your wallpaper and puts it into a separate folder. The original wallpaper image is untouched and you can switch back to it anytime.

Reverting Your Taskbar Back to Normal

You can quickly revert your taskbar back to normal by just selecting the original wallpaper and setting it as your desktop background again. Which you could also do in Control Panel, or wherever you prefer to set it.

Rotating Between Taskbar Colors

What Grant might not have anticipated is that since the application stores a copy of each color that you try out, you can open up the Desktop Background panel in Control Panel and select most or all of the different wallpaper copies—each with a separate color that you previously chose.

Then Windows 7 will automatically let you shuffle between all of the wallpaper images on a regular basis, which will actually end up just changing the taskbar color, since it’s the same wallpaper.

It’s a rather interesting feature.

Watch a Video of it in Action

If you’re the type that would rather see it working before you try it out, here’s a short video showing off just how quickly it actually works. There’s no sound, so you don’t need to bother adjusting your speakers.

Download Windows 7 Taskbar Color Changer

You can grab your own copy of the application from Grant’s web page, or we’ve also provided a mirror copy just in case his web server can’t handle the load, but you can check out his other utilities as well on his site.

Note: If you really like the software, you could consider donating a few dollars to Grant via the Paypal links on his Home Page

Download Windows 7 Taskbar Color Changer from grantman.net [HTG mirror]

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If you do not know what you do in the registry, you can damage your computer pretty good.Today we show you how to prevent users from accessing the registry and make changes to it.

Using Policy Editor Local Group

Note: This method uses Group Policy Editor which is not available in versions of Windows Home.

first type gpedit.msc in the Search box on the Start menu.

When Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates and select System. Under Setting in the right pane double-click Prevent access to registry editing tools.

Select the radio button next to Enabled, click OK, then close out of Group Policy Editor.

Now if a user tries to access the Registry…

They will get the following message advising they cannot access it.

Using Registry Enabler & Disabler 3

If you’re using Home or Starter version of Windows 7, you can use a neat utility called Registry Enabler & Disabler (link below). This app works on XP and Vista as well.

There is no installation involved so you can run it from a flash drive, disable the registry, then take the flash drive with you while a the user is on the machine.

Again, if the user tries to access the Registry they will get the following error…

Using one of these options will stop users from gaining access to the Registry or running any registry hacks. Of course if you have a shared computer, you may want to set up other users with a Standard Account, as they won’t be able to make changes to the Registry anyway.

Download Registry Enabler & Disabler 3

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File this one under “why didn’t I think of that.” Blogger and software engineer Abhishek Bhatnagar has posted a simple, clever way to pin multiple folders to your Windows 7 taskbar (or Superbar). Yes, you can already pin as many as you want to the Explorer icon, but it’s still nice to be able to have single-click access to your most-used folders.

Abhishek’s exact directions didn’t work for me, so here’s how I did it.

The first step is to make sure you have the hide extensions for known file types option unchecked. Click the windows button and type folder into the search box, the click folder options when it appears (it’s also in Control Panel). You can also open the run box and paste this command: rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0

Click the view tab and you should find the hide option at the bottom of the Advanced Settings pane. Uncheck it and click ok.

Now right-click on your desktop and choose new, then choose text document. Name it whatever you like, but end with .exe (e.g. Screencaps.exe). This is the first part of the trick which fools Windows into letting you pin multiple folders.

Next, right click your freshly-renamed file and choose pin to taskbar. Once your icon appears there, hold down the shift key on your keyboard, right click the icon, and choose properties. A regular right-click may not give you the properties option– it might only display the name you entered and unpin from taskbar.

Once the properties screen is displayed, change the target to the full path to your folder — mine is going to point to C:\Users\Lee\My Pictures\Screencaps. I also changed the start in field to the same path. After you’ve changed the target, it’s OK to delete the file you created from your desktop.

All that’s left is to pick a better icon than the default Windows .EXE. Click the change icon button and pick something from imageres.dll (Windows will probably open that by default).

You can find more icons in %SystemRoot%\System32\Shell32.dll and %SystemRoot\System32\DDORes.dll (hardware icons) — or you can always download something from your favorite icon site if you want. Your icon may not change instantly. If it doesn’t, simply right-click your taskbar, choose task manager, click processes, and end the explorer.exe process. When it restarts, your new icon should appear. You can also log off and log back in if task manager isn’t something you like to mess with.

Repeat as many times as you like until you’ve got all the folders you want on your taskbar. Nice!

Go to Source Article at Download Squad

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Don’t like the Windows 7 Media Center ? Many reason would include you using your PC for business rather then movies. Or you just don’t want it at all. This is how you can Remove Windows 7 Media Center.

Turn Off WMC Using Programs and Features

Probably the most convenient way to disable the Windows 7 Media Player is through the Control panel. Open Control Panel and select Programs and Features.

On the left hand panel click on Turn Windows Features on or off.

Go to Media Features and expand the folder. Then Uncheck Windows Media Center…

Verification message will pop up making sure if you want to disable it, click Yes.

Then the box next to Windows Media Center will be empty. Click OK.

To complete the process you must reboot.

After getting back from the restart, the WMC icon will be gone and there won’t be any way to launch it.

Re-enable WMC

If you want to re-enable it, just go back in and re check it.

Again you’ll need to wait while it’s configured, but when it’s done, a restart is not required.

Disable Media Center Using Group Policy

Note: This process uses Group Policy Editor which is not available in Home versions of Windows 7.

Click on the Start menu and type gpedit.msc into the Search box and hit Enter.

Now navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Windows Media Center.

Double-click on Do not allow Windows Media Center to run. Then select the radio button next to Enabled, click OK and close out of Group Policy Editor.

Now if a user tries to launch WMC they will get the following message.

Conclusion

A pretty easy step if you dont want the Windows 7 Media Center. I personally do not use it either. VLC works just fine for me.

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Filed under: Features, Windows, How-Tos

The improved taskbar — or Superbar, as it’s really called now — in Windows 7 offers loads of features which make getting at the files and folders you use frequently easier and faster. The four options I’ll cover here don’t require any additional software. They’re all possible using features built right in to your OS, you just might not have realized it yet!

Pin ‘em to your Explorer icon (pictured above)
The most obvious solution, and the one you’re most likely to have tried already. The Explorer icon sits on the Superbar by default, so every fresh Windows 7 desktop should have it. Pinning a folder is as simple as it gets: find a folder you want to add to the Explorer Jump List, click on it and hold your mouse button down, and drag it to the Explorer taskbar icon.

There’s another way to add items, too. Folders you use frequently automatically appear on the Jump List. Right-click the Explorer icon to display it, and then click the thumbtack icon to pin anything you’d like to show up at the list.

The Quick Launch toolbar
This one’s been part of Windows for ages — it’s not new to Windows 7. Now, in fact, it’s kind of tucked away out of plain sight. Putting the quick launch toolbar back is easy enough. Here’s how to do it:

• right click the Superbar and choose toolbar from the top of the context menu
• click new toolbar from the bottom of the slide-out submenu
• paste the following path in the box labeled folder (quotes and all): “%appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick launch”

You’ll see the toolbar appear on your Superbar. To easily add shortcuts to other folders, right-click on the Quick launch text and choose open folder. Any shortcuts you create in that Explorer window will automatically appear on the menu you just created.

You can also drag-and-drop shortcuts — just be careful where you let go of your mouse button or your shortcut may wind up somewhere you didn’t want it.

The Desktop toolbar
One very handy default toolbar is Desktop. Add it, and all the icons covering up your snazzy wallpaper appear right on the taskbar in a compact menu. Once you’ve done that, you can right click your desktop, choose view, and click on Show Desktop Icons. *poof!* Your desktop is squeaky clean, and you still have easy access to everything you stashed there.

You can still drag and drop items on your desktop or right-click a file or folder and choose send to -> desktop, too. Instead of appearing there, they’ll show up on the menu!

Adding the desktop toolbar is even easier than the Quick Launch:

• right click the Superbar and choose toolbar from the top of the context menu
• click Desktop
  

Bonus: this also acts as a way to get a functional recycle bin icon on your taskbar!

The Start Menu -> Recorded TV Library button
Sure, technically the Menu isn’t on the taskbar itself, but the Windows button is, so let’s just go with it…Starting with XP, Microsoft added a section of folder buttons to the right-hand side of the Windows Start Menu. They give quick access to things like your Documents, Music, and Photos.

In Windows 7, you can add two more: Downloads and Recorded TV. Fast access to the Downloads folder? Heck yes! The Recorded TV library, however, really isn’t going to be that useful to you if you don’t use your system as a PVR — but you can easily change it to something that you’ll find much more handy. It’s a three step process (with multiple sub-steps).

Step 1: add the Recorded TV library button to your Start Menu

• Right-click the Windows button and choose properties
• Click the customize button when the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window appears
• Scroll down through the list (it’s alphabetical) until you find Recorded TV
• Change the selection to either display as link or display as menu. Display as link means a new Explorer window will open when you click the button. Display as menu will slide out your Library’s contents when you hover over the button with your mouse.

Step 2: change the name to something more meaningful

• Click your Windows button to make the start button appear
• Right-click the Recorded TV folder and choose properties
• Click the General tab
• Replace Recorded TV with whatever you want (Miscellaneous Debris, etc.)

Step 3: add the folders you want to the library

• Click your Windows button to make the start button appear
• Right-click the Recorded TV folder and choose properties
• Click Include a Folder and browse for the folder you want
• Click the Include Folder button to add it
• Repeat until your library is complete
• Click the drop-down under Optimize this library for and set it to the most appropriate type (I use General)

Got another method for fast and easy file and folder access which doesn’t require additional software? Share it in the comments!

Go to Source Article at Download Squad