[nfbcs] Learning Windows 7

Fri Aug 16 00:17:21 UTC 2013

The main differences in Windows XP and Windows 7 are:
1. No more Outlook Express. You now have to choose  between Outlook, Windows
Mail, or some other non-Microsoft email client. I use Outlook.
2. The start menu now has a search box. It is possible to get rid of it by
unchecking Windows Search in the start up list in msconfig. The only catch
is that there will not be any search functionality, but this did not both me
as much as landing in the search box every time that I went to the start
menu.
3. The start menu is now divided into two columns, with programs in one
column and things like the control panel in the other.
4. The start menu is now a tree view, not a menu. This means that, when a
sublevel is opened, arrowing out the top or out the bottom of the sublevel
returns to the upper level instead of looping.
5. By default, the control panel is a page with links through which to tab,
but it can be changed to a submenu.
6. Some items, such as systems, that used to go directly to the real thing
first take you to a page of links.
7. Some items, such as network connections and taskbar and start menu, no
longer appear outside of the control panel.
8. If you get a 64 bit version, you will now have a Program Files directory
for 64 bit programs and a Program Files (X86) directory for 32 bit programs.
9. If you type in a directory in Run, such as C:\Users\All Users\Desktop and
open the directory, it is only possible to back up one level with the
backspace key before it loops back to the directory that was originally
opened.

As far as Office 2007 and later, my recommendation is to memorize the 2003
shortcuts. It will not step you through the menus as you press them, but it
is still usually to complete them correctly as the old shortcuts are usually
three keystrokes at most whereas the new ones can be a lot more, sometimes
not even having a shortcut at all.

Nicole

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 2:59 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Learning Windows 7

Tracy,

It is hard to know what to tell you because we're all different.  I can tell
you that I learned Windows 7 on the fly and it wasn't a big problem.  The
largest impact on me is that Windows 7 changes greatly how one interacts
with the Start Menu.  I was a heavy user of the Start Menu to run programs
in Windows XP.  Windows 7 has caused me to put more of the shortcuts that I
use commonly on the desktop, but that isn't a complaint.  It just means I
had to change old patterns.  The Start Menu is now more of a tool for
looking for something when I'm not quite sure where it is, although I do
still use it for some programs.  Windows Explorer is a little different too,
because you need to press enter on certain items like "Computer" to get the
items in the associated list to open.  In xp, when you arrowed through
Computer", "documents" and such, the associated lists opened automatically.
Again, this is not a complaint, but just something that is different.  All
in all, I think you'll be all right depending upon what you use most often.
I have found Windows 7 to be very stable.  

A tutorial of some kind might clew you into things that are new that you
might like to use.  For example, there is a way to "pin" 
programs to the task bar that might be very nice, but I just have not taken
the time to try it.  Others here can probably add to this.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Thu, 15 Aug 2013 11:47:48 -0400, Tracy Carcione wrote:

>My office is moving to Windows 7.  Is it a big change from Windows XP?  
>Do I need to invest in a tutorial, or can a person learn it on the fly?  
>If I need a tutorial, can anyone reccomend one?  Of course, there is 
>one on the company's learning center, but I have yet to find anything 
>accessible on that site. Grrrr.
>Tracy

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