10 Windows 7 Power Tweaks

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10 Windows 7 power tweaks

August 13, 2010

Table of contents

Disable Snap in Windows 7 ...................................................................................................................... 2

Add Internet Search to the Windows 7 Start menu ................................................................................ 3

Change the launch directory to show all drives in Windows Explorer .................................................... 3

Reveal hidden system files in Windows Explorer .................................................................................... 5

Restore the Quick Launch Bar in Windows 7 ........................................................................................... 6

Move and Copy files the old tried-and-true way in Windows 7 .............................................................. 8

Get the most out of Windows XP Mode with these tips ....................................................................... 10

Change and customize Windows 7's Logon screen wallpaper .............................................................. 13

Configure Windows 7 to run only specific applications ........................................................................ 16

Move the Recycle Bin to the Taskbar in Windows 7 ............................................................................. 18


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Disable Snap in Windows 7

With the introduction of Snap in Windows 7, we now have a completely new way of managing open windows.

This feature allows you to arrange open windows, including maximizing and resizing, just by dragging and

dropping a window to different edges of the screen. When a window is dragged to the correct position, a ripple

effect will emanate from the cursor and youll see an animated outline of the window instantly appear in its new

position. As soon as you release the mouse button, the window will snap to that location.

For example, you can maximize a window by clicking and dragging its title bar to the top of the screen. To restore

a maximized window, just click and drag the title bar toward the middle of the screen. To position a window on

half of the screen, click and drag the title bar toward the left or right side of the screen. (The farther to the right

or left side of the title bar you click and drag, the quicker the snap occurs.) To stretch a window that is in the

middle of the screen so that it spans from the top to the bottom, click the bottom or top edge and drag toward

the bottom or top of the screen.

While many of us think that Snap is an awesome feature, many others find it annoying. Good news for those in

the latter category: I recently discovered that you can disable Snap.

Begin by clicking the Start button and typing Snapin the Start Search box. When you do, youll see a result titled

Turn Off Automatic Window Arrangement. When you select that result, youll see the Make The Mouse Easier To

Use panel in the Ease Of Access tool. Select the Prevent Windows From Being Automatically Arranged When

Moved To The Edge Of The Screen check box, as shown in Figure A. Click OK and thats it. No more annoying

Snap.

Figure A
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Add Internet Search to the Windows 7 Start menu

One of the features I like most about Microsoft Windows 7 is the ability to search for applications from the Start

Menu search box. Rather than navigate through a long list of menus, you can just type the name of the

application in the search box and immediately get a list matching what you are typing.

However, there is at least one thing missing from the search the Desktop techniquethe ability to search the

Internet directly from your Desktop. But you can change that if you have a version of Windows 7 thatincorporates the Group Policy Editor. These versions support the Group Policy Editor:

Professional

Ultimate

Enterprise

If you have Starter or Home Premium, you will not be able to take advantage of this tip.

The technique

Under the default settings, the Start Menu has no option to search the Internet.To add the option to search the

Internet, you have to run the Group Policy Editor. The easiest way to do that is by typing gpedit.msc into thesearch box. Note: You may have to type the whole filename to see it in the search results.

When you get to the Local Policy Group Editor window, navigate to this folder:

User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar

Double-click the Add Search Internet Link To Start Menu entry to get to the proper configuration screen. On the

Add Search Internet Link To Start Menu configuration screen (Figure D), click the Enabled option and then click

Apply and OK.

Now, the next time you conduct a search from the Start Menu you will have the option of applying those search

terms to your default search engine in Internet Explorer.

Change the launch directory to show all drives in Windows

ExplorerOne of the most obvious differences between Windows 7 and the previous versions of the operating system is

the concept of libraries. In Windows 7, files are stored in a library folder, which is essentially a folder that

references other available folders. The idea is that you dont have to worry about the actual physical folder that

houses the file in question because it is referenced in your librarylet the operating system worry about where it

actually sits.

However, there are times when you want to get to a file in its physical location. To help facilitate this, many

people find it useful to use Windows Explorer to follow the folder path to the file location. But by default in

Windows 7, the typical Windows Explorer shortcut starts in the Libraries folder and not in the highest directory

level possible. We can change that fairly easily.
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Figure A

Figure B

Change the default launch directory

To change the Windows Explorer default

directory, you must access the Properties

dialog box. You can get there a few ways. One

obvious way is to type windows explorerin the

Start Menu Search box. Or if you are like me

and have Windows Explorer pinned to theTaskbar, you can right-click on the icon and

then right-click the Windows Explorer menu

item.

You should now be looking at the Windows

Explorer Properties dialog box (Figure A).

Notice the default target path (red arrow).

That target path is what we are going to

change.

To change the launch folder default in

Windows Explorer, modify the target path to

this:

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-

3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

as shown in Figure B. Be sure to type it exactly

or it will not work. When you finish, click OK.

The code brings the launch directory all the

way up to the highest level. The next time you

load Windows Explorer from that particular

shortcut, it will launch in the highest directory

level.

Bottom line

Keep in mind that this change modifies only

that particular Windows Explorer shortcut. If

you were so inclined, you could copy the

Windows Explorer shortcut several times and

change the respective target folders to

whatever you wished.


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Figure A

Figure B

Reveal hidden system files in Windows Explorer

A few days before posting this tip, I published a blog post

and photo gallery explaininghow to add hidden

international desktop themes to Windows 7. While that

tip was not terribly difficult, some members didn't know

how to reveal hidden files and folders in Windows

Explorer. Here's a look at how that is done.

Note: I am using Windows 7for this tip, but the procedure

is similar for Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Open Windows Explorer to any folder. For my example, I

am using the root directory of the C: drive. Click the

Organize menu entry and then click Folder And Search

Options (Figure A). This will bring up the Folder Options

dialog box (Figure B); click on the View tab.

Under the View tab, you will find a plethora of

configuration check boxes. My preference is to reveal allhidden files and all system files. To accomplish this:

Make sure the Show Hidden Files, Folders, And

Drives check box is selected.

Make sure the Hide Protected Operating

System Files (Recommended) is unchecked.

(Windows will admonish you that this is a bad

idea, but thatshow I roll.)

I also like to uncheck the Hide Extensions for Known

File Types, because extensions help me determinewhat I am looking at in Windows Explorer. Click

Apply to implement your changes.

If you want to apply these settings to all folders,

click the All Folders button. When youre finished,

click the OK button.

One caveat: Folders, files, and drives are often

hidden for a good reason. You do not want to just

haphazardly copy, move, delete, or otherwise alter

these items. Be very careful.
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Figure A

Figure B

Restore the Quick Launch Bar in Windows 7

I like Windows 7, and I like the

Windows 7 Taskbar interface.

However, judging by the

cacophony of voices in the

Windows blog, there is still a

great deal of affection for the

Windows XP Quick Launch Bar

interface. Now, dont get me

wrong. I like the Quick Launch

Bar, too. I still use it on all the

Windows XP machines I

interact withmy workstation

where I am writing this, for

example. But I also like the

Windows 7 Taskbar and find it

performs the same function as

the Quick Launch Bar, at leastas far as my computing habits

go. But a vocal minority feels

differently, so here is how to

get Quick Launch back.

Quick Launch Bar

resurrected

Figure A shows the Windows 7

desktop of one of my test

machines. Notice that there is

a Taskbar, but no Quick

Launch Bar. Right-click on an

empty part of the Taskbar to

get the context menu shown

in Figure B. Unlock the Taskbar

if it is locked and then navigate

to the Toolbars | New Toolbar

menu item.

The New Toolbar - Choose A

Folder dialog box, shown in

Figure C, will be the next

window you see.

Figure C
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Figure E

Click into the destination bar, type this location exactly, and hit the [Enter] key:

%appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

You should now see a path similar to the one shown in Figure D. Click the Select Folder button to complete the

process.

Now your Windows 7 Desktop should have a Quick Launch Bar. However, it may need a little tweaking depending

on your tastes. For instance, I like icon-only Quick Launch bars, so Id recommend right-clicking the Quick Launch

bar, turning off the Show Text and Show Title settings, and changing the icon size to large.

If you take a look at FigureE,you can see that the Quick

Launch bar on this test

machine is automatically

populated with Quick Launch

icons for Internet Explorer,

Outlook 2010, Show Desktop,

and Switch Between Windows,

but you can drag-and-drop any

shortcut you want to your

newly rediscovered Quick

Launch Bar.

Figure D


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Figure A

Move and Copy files the old tried-and-true way in Windows 7

Ive become quite enamored

of using Aero Snap and my

simulated dual-pane file

manager technique. But

when copying and movingfiles and folders from one

location to another, there

are times when I reach back

and use one of the tried-and-

true techniques from

Windows days gone by. Of

course, Im talking about the

good old Send To command

and the Copy To Folder and

Move To Folder commands.

I happened to mention theseold commands to a friend of

mine, and she looked at me

with a surprised expression

and exclaimed that she had

all but forgotten about those

commands. She then told me

that she always uses the

Copy/Cut and Paste

commands when it comes to

copying and moving files. I

asked around and discoveredthat she isnt the only one. So

I decided to put together a little

refresher course.

Send To

To access the Send To command, simply right-click a file or a folder and select the Send To command from the

context menu, as shown in Figure A. When you do, the selected file or folder will be copied to whatever

destination you select.

As you can see, on this example system, there are five destinations on the Send To commands menu:

Compressed (zipped) Folder: Creates a compressed folder (a.k.a. a Zip file) and copies the selected files

or folders to it all in one step.

Desktop (create shortcut): Allows you to instantly create a shortcut on the desktop to a file or folder.

Documents: Copies the selected file or folder to the Documents folder.

Fax Recipient: Allows you to easily send the file as a fax via the Windows Fax and Scan tool.

Mail Recipient: Allows you to easily attach a file to an e-mail message.

Depending on your system configuration, there may be other destinations on the Send To commands menu. For

example, you might have a CD/DVD RW drive, a USB drive, or a mapped network drive on the Send To menu.
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Figure B

Figure C

Fortunately, you can

configure the Send To

command to send files to

other destinations, such as a

specific folder, or even to an

executable file, such as

WordPad, simply by adding

shortcuts to thosedestinations to the Send To

commands folder. To do this,

you must use the Shell:

command because he Send

To commands folder is

referenced by the operating

system as a Junction Point or

a Symbolic Link.

Click the Start button and

type shell:sendto in the Start

Search box. When you do,youll see the results panel

and can press [Enter] or click

shell:sendto. Either way,

youll see the SendTo folder,

like the one in Figure B. You

can then use the Create Shortcut Wizard to create

shortcuts to specific destinations or executable files.

Copy To Folder and Move To Folder

The Copy To Folder and Move To Folder commands

are hidden away on the Edit menu in WindowsExplorer and Computer. Further masking their

existence is the fact that the Menu bar is hidden by

default in both Windows Explorer and Computer.

To access the Copy To Folder and Move To Folder

commands, you first have to make the Menu Bar

visible. The quick way to access the Menu Bar is to

press the [Alt] key.

If you want ready access to the Copy To Folder and

Move To Folder commands, youll probably prefer

having the Menu Bar visible all the time. Just click

the arrow next to the Organize icon on the toolbar,open the Layout submenu, and select Menu Bar.

Now you can easily access and pull down the Edit

menu to reveal the Copy To Folder and Move To Folder commands, as shown in Figure C. (Keep in mind that the

Copy To Folder and Move To Folder commands will be available only if you have a file or a folder selected. If you

dont, the commands will be grayed out and unavailable.)

Using the Copy To Folder and Move To Folder commands is easy. For example, if you want to copy a file from one

location to another, you first select the file or files that you want to copy. Then you pull down the Edit menu and


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Figure D

select the Copy To Folder

command. When you do,

youll see the Copy Items

dialog box, shown in Figure

D, which as you can see is a

standard Browse dialog box.

You can just navigate the

tree to select between

drives, folders, and even

network resources. If after

you select your destination,

you want to copy the files to

a brand-new folder, you can

click the Make New Folder

button and a new folder will

appear. Once you give the

folder a name, just click the

Copy button.

Get the most out of Windows XP Mode with these tipsWindows 7 has several built-in compatibility features that are designed to allow you to run most Windows XP

applications right from within Windows 7. But some older Windows XP applications won't run in Windows 7 even

with those features. For these types of applications, Microsoft designed Windows XP Mode for Windows 7.

Installing and usingWindows XP Modeis a straightforward operation. If you have Windows 7 Professional,

Enterprise, or Ultimate and the CPU, and if your PC has the necessarybuilt-in hardware-based virtualization

technology, all you have to do is download and install Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.

Once you have Windows XP Mode up and running, you can install your XP applications in the Windows XP VM

(Virtual Machine) just like you normally would. Youll then be able to launch your XP applications right from the

Windows 7 Start menu.

While usingWindows XP ModeandWindows Virtual PCis pretty simple, you can get more out of this winning

combination by following a few tips.

Working with Virtual applications

By default, applications installed in the Windows XP VM are auto-published to the Windows 7 host. This means

that your Windows XP applications appear on Windows 7s Start menu. You can then launch your XP applications

without having to first load the Windows XP VM and then launch them from the virtual Windows XPs Start

menu.
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Figure A

For a Windows XP application to be auto-published to the Windows 7 host, it must be installed in the All Users

profile in the Windows XP VM. However, not all applications are installed there by default.

What if the application you want to run from within Windows 7 isnt auto-published? Or what if an application is

auto-published and you really dont want it to be available from within Windows 7? Fortunately, you can take

control of the auto-publishing.

If the XP application you want to run from

within Windows 7 isnt auto-published, youcan force it to be so simply by creating a

shortcut to the application in the All Users

profile in the Windows XP VM. The

application will be then auto-published to

the Windows 7 host.

Access the Windows XP VM, right-click the

Start button, and select the Open All Users

command. When Windows Explorer

launches, open the Programs folder. Once

there, you can either drag and drop the

shortcut from Windows XPs Start menu tothe Programs folder or you can launch the

Create Shortcut wizard.

If an application is auto-published and you

dont want it to be available from within

Windows 7, you can exclude it by moving the

shortcut from the All Users profile to the

XPMUser profile. That way, it will still be

available in the Windows XP VM but not in

Windows 7.

For example, I installed my vintage copy of

Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8in the Windows XP VM,

and it also showed up on the Windows 7

Start menu, as shown in Figure A. As you can

see, not only did Paint Shop Pro 8 show up in

Windows 7 Start menu, but so did Animation

Shop 3 and the Uninstall Paint Shop Pro 8

utility.

Since I really only want to be able to run Paint Shop Pro 8 from within Windows 7, I moved the shortcuts from the

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Jasc Sofware folder to the C:\Documents and

Settings\XPMUser\Start Menu\Programs folder, where I created a new Jasc Sofware folder, as shown in Figure B.

Accessing folders on the host

When you are working in the Windows XP VM, chances are that youll want to save your data in the Documents

folder on the Windows 7 host system. While the built-in Windows XP Mode Integration Features automatically

provide you with access to drive C on the host system, you still have to navigate through several layers to get to

the Documents folder.
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Figure B

Figure C

Fortunately, with the help of

the old DOSSubst command,

you can assign the Documents

folder, or any folder on the

Windows 7 host system, to a

drive letter. When you do, that

drive letter will appear in the

Integration Features Drive list.Any time you need to access

the Documents folder, you can

just access that drive letter.

For example, suppose that you

want to assign the My

Documents folder to drive

letter H. To do so, access a

Command Prompt in Windows

7 and type the command:

Subst H: C:\Users\{your

name}\Documents

where {your name} is your user

account name. Be sure to

enclose the path in double

quotes if {your name} is two

separate words with a space in

between.

Once you add the drive letter

to your Windows 7 host, it will

automatically be picked up by

the Windows XP ModeIntegration Features, and

youll find the new drive in My

Computer in the Windows XP

VM, as shown in Figure C.

Back up your Windows

XP Mode VM

Even though you probably

arent storing any data in your

Windows XP Mode VM,

chances are that youve putsome time and effort into

setting it up and configuring it

to work the way that you want.

If so, youll definitely want to

back up your VM so that you

can easily reestablish it in the

event of a disaster.
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You will need to back up the following files:

Virtual Hard Disk/Differencing Disk file

C:\Users\{your name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines\Windows XP

Mode.vhd

Parent Disk file

C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode\Windows XP Mode base.vhd

Virtual Machine Configuration file

C:\Users\{your name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines\Windows XP

Mode.vmc

If the Undo Disks are enabled, you will need to back up the Undo Disks file

C:\Users\{your name}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual

Machines\VirtualPCUndo_Windows XP Mode_{#_#_##############}.vud

Before you begin backing up your Windows XP Mode VM files, shut down Windows XP Mode VM. You can then

copy the files over to your backup media for safe keeping. Should you need to restore the files in the event of a

disaster, be sure that you restore them in the same folders.

Shut down a VM

By default, when you close the Windows XP Mode VM window, the VM goes into hibernation rather than

shutting down. To really shut down the Windows XP Mode VM requires some extra steps. On the VM Windowss

toolbar, click Ctrl+Alt+Del menu item. When you see the Windows Security dialog box, click the Shut Down

button. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select Shut Down and click OK.

Change and customize Windows 7's Logon screen wallpaperWhile experimenting with several Microsoft Windows 7 systems recently, I spent a lot of time staring at the

Logon screen. During that time, I began to think about changing the Logon screen wallpaper. Now, I have

changed the Logon screen wallpaper in just about every version of Windows Ive used, so I knew there had to be

a way to do so.

For example, the articleTweak Windows Vistas Logon Screen to Meet Your Needsexplained how to perform this

operation using a program called LogonStudio, from the folks at Stardock.

However, when I began to investigate the procedure in Windows 7, I discovered that changing the Logon screen

wallpaper is easy, once you know the stepsand you dont even need any third-party software to do it.

To make it easy for OEMs to customize Windows 7, Microsoft built in the ability to change the Logon screen

wallpaper. Here's how to do it.

A Registry tweak

The process begins with a minor Registry tweak. Even for those who would not normally feel comfortable editing

the Registry, this ones a piece of cake. To begin, click the Start button and type Regeditin the Search box. Then,

select the appropriate result and press *Enter+. When you do, youll see the User Account Control, shown in

Figure A, and will need to click the Yes button.

Note: Editing the Windows Registry file is not without its risks, so be sure you have a verified backup before

making any changes.
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Figure A

Figure C

Once the Registry Editor launches, locate

and right-click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

key and select the Find command. When

you see the Find dialog box, type

OEMBackgroundin the text box and make

sure that only the Values check box is

selected, as shown in Figure B.

When this key opens:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background

locate and double-click the OEMBackground value. When you

see the Edit DWORD dialog box, change the value data from 0 to

1, as shown in Figure C. (If the OEMBackground value doesnt

exist in the Background key, youll need to pull down the Edit

menu from that key and select New | DWORD (32-bit) Value).

To complete this part of the operation, click OK to close the Edit

DWORD dialog box and then close the Registry Editor.

Creating folders

In the second part of the operation, youll need to create a

couple of folders. To begin, launch Windows Explorer. Then

navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\Oobe folder. Once you

access the Oobe folder, click the New Folder button in the

Windows Explorer toolbar. Youll see a confirmation dialog box like the one shown in Figure D. When you click

Continue, the new folder will be created and you can name it info.

Figure B


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Figure D

Then, open the info folder,

click the New Folder button

again, work through the

confirmation dialog box, and

name the second new folder

backgrounds.

Configuring thewallpaper

You can use any image you

want for your new Logon

screen wallpaper. It just has

to be in JPG format, and you

must name it

backgroundDefault.jpg.

When you copy your file to the Windows\System32\Oobe\info\backgrounds folder, youll need to work through

a confirmation dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure D.

Two other things to keep in mind: First, the actual file size of backgroundDefault.jpg cannot exceed 256 KB.

Second, youll want to use an image whose dimensions match the screen resolution you are using. If you use a

file whose dimensions are smaller, the image will be stretched and may appear distorted.

Altering shadowsThe button and the text used to identify your user account on the Logon screen have shadows behind them to

give them a 3D look, and these shadows work well with the default Logon screen wallpaper. Depending on what

image you use for your new wallpaper, these shadows might not work so well.

Luckily, Microsoft also made it easy to adjust or disable the text and button shadows to accommodate your

particular image. To alter the shadows, launch the Registry Editor again as described above and access:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Window0s\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI folder

Once you open the LogonUI folder, youll create a new DWORD value called ButtonSet. You can then configure

the shadow by setting the value data to one of the following numbers:

0 Light shadow1 Dark shadow

2 No shadow


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Figure A

Configure Windows 7 to run only specific applicationsThere are situations where you, as the administrator of a network or group of machines, want users to be able to

run only certain applications. Kiosk machines, library machines, educational machines, community machines

there are plenty of reasons for doing this and a few methods for achieving it. One of those methods is built in to

Microsoft Windows 7 (with the exception of Windows 7 Home) with the Group Policy Editor. This tool is powerful

and offers numerous features, including the ability to limit the applications users can run.

Using this method, a network

administrator can limit the users

to executing applications based

on name. So if you allow the

execution of the name

Firefox.exe, that means a user

can execute an application

named Firefox.exe. This will not

stop a user from renaming

ApplicationX.exe to Firefox.exe

and running that. So this

method does presume thatusers will either not know how

to get around this basic access

control.

Prior to undertaking this

process, it might be wise to back

up the folder:

C:\WINDOWS\system32

in case this configuration goes

south. Should that happen, you

can restore the backup and you will be where you started. This backup method isnt foolproof, but it sure beatswinding up with a system that can't start any applications. With that said, let's walk through the process of

enabling users to execute only specific applications using the built-in Group Policy Editor of Windows 7.

Step 1

The first thing you must do is open the Group Policy Editor. You wont find a menu entry for this tool. Instead,

you start the tool by clicking the Start menu and entering the command gpedit.msc. When this tool opens, you

will find yourself looking at a dual-paned window that looks deceptively simple to use (Figure A).

Step 2

The next step is to navigate to the correct location of the configuration option we want to change. This is to be

found in the following path:

User Configuration | Administrative Templates | System

When you navigate to that path, you will want to click on the System entry to reveal the available settings in the

right pane (Figure B).
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Figure B

Figure C

Step 3Double-click on the entry for

Run Only Specified Windows

Applications to open the

preferences for this setting.

When this is opened (Figure

C), you will need to make

sure Enabled is checked.

Once you have done that, the

Show button will become

available.

The next step is to click the

Show button, which will open

a small window where you

can enter the allowed

applications. In this window,

you will add, one per line, the

executable filename

(including extension) for each

application you want users to

be allowed to execute.

Once you have completed

your list of allowed

applications, click the OK

button and then click OK in

the remaining windows to

dismiss them. Once these

windows are gone, you have

completed this task.

Now, when users attempt to

launch an application that is

not on the allowed list, they

will receive a warning

message.

Its not a perfect system, and

savvy users can get around it.

But it will stop average users

from launching anything not

on an allowed list. Also notethat this method does not

disable any applications that

are system processes. So you

wont stop everyone using

this method, but you will

stop plenty of users from

launching applications you

dont want them to launch.


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Page 18


Figure A

Move the Recycle Bin to the Taskbar in Windows 7After writing Take Advantage of the Taskbar Features in Windows 7, I found myself focusing on the Taskbar to

make sure that I was taking advantage of all the features it has to offer. While I was doing so, I began to think

about the only icon I had on the desktopthe Recycle Binand wondered whether there was a way to put it on

the Taskbar.

When the Recycle Bin first made its appearance in Windows 95, I really enjoyed dragging and dropping unneeded

files on the trash can icon and watching them disappear. It was just so cool! (Keep in mind that was 15 years ago,

and the drag-and-drop capability was a new feature.)

However, more often than not, the desktop and the Recycle Bin icon were buried behind a bunch of open

windows, and as time went by and the operating system evolved, I began using the other methods to delete files.

Most often, I would select a file and click the red X Delete button on Windows Explorers toolbar. I also would

right-click on a file and select the Delete command or after selecting a file, just press the [Delete] key on the

keyboard. I still use these techniques today, as I am sure that most of you do too.

However, theres just something innately satisfying about dragging a file to the trash can icon and dropping it in

there. My wife says that it must be a guy thing. And then she reminds me of how excited my buddies and I get

throwing beer cans halfway across the room to the trash can in the corner on Poker Game nights. We raise our

fists in the air and yell Score! when someone makes it in.

Anyway, I discovered a way to put a working copy of the Recycle Bin on the Taskbar in the lower-right corner

adjacent to the notification area. That way it is always visible on the screen no matter how many open windows

you have on the desktop. Here's how to do it.

Working with the Recycle Bin icon

To begin, the Recycle Bin icon must be

visible on the desktop. If it's not, right-

click on the desktop and select the

Personalize command from the context

menu. When the Personalization window

appears, select the Change Desktop Icons

command on the task pane. Youll then

see the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box

and will need to select the Recycle Bin

check box. Youll use these steps to clear

the Recycle Bin check box later.

Creating the Recycle Toolbar

Now, youll create a folder that will

become a toolbar. To begin, right-click

anywhere on the desktop and select the

New | Folder command. Once the new

folder appears, name it Recycle Toolbar.

Then, drag the Recycle Bin icon on the

desktop and drop it on the Recycle

Toolbar folder, as shown in Figure A.

Windows 7 will create a shortcut to the

Recycle Bin inside the Recycle Toolbar.

At this point, youll need to move the Recycle Toolbar folder to any folder of your choice. If you implemented the

technique I described in the articleAdd the Copy To and Move To Folder Commands to the Windows Explorer
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2482&tag=rbxccnbtr1http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2457http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2457http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2457http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2438http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2438http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2438http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2457http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=2482&tag=rbxccnbtr1


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Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Context Menu, you can right-click on the Recycle Toolbar folder, select the Move To Folder command, and

choose a folder from the Move Items dialog box.

You can now return to the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, as described above, and clear the Recycle Bin check

box. When you do, the Recycle Bin icon will no longer appear on the desktop.

Unlocking the Taskbar

Once you have created and then moved the Recycle Toolbar folder from the desktop, you need to unlock theTaskbar. To begin, right-click anywhere on the Taskbar and select the Lock the Taskbar command to remove the

check mark. This will unlock the Taskbar.

Adding the Recycle

Toolbar folder to the

Taskbar

Now, youre ready to add the

Recycle Toolbar folder to the

Taskbar. Right-click on the

Taskbar again and this time

select the Toolbars | NewToolbar command. When you

see the New Toolbar Choose

a Folder dialog box, locate and

select the Recycle Toolbar

folder, as shown in Figure B.

As soon as you click the Select

Folder button, the Recycle

Toolbar will be added to the

Taskbar, as shown in Figure C.

Take note of the divider on

the left side of the new

toolbar.

Youll need to right-click on

the divider three times and

select various options from the context

menu to complete the next set of steps.

First, youll select the Show Text option to

remove the check mark. Second, youll

select the Show Title option to remove

the check mark. Third, youll select the

View | Large Icons option.Now, lock the Taskbar as described above.

When you do, the Recycle Bin will appear

as a standalone icon on the Taskbar, as shown in Figure D. You can now drag and drop files on the Recycle Bin

icon to delete files, double-click the icon to open the Recycle Bin folder to restore files, and right-click on the icon

and select the Empty Recycle Bin command.