Listen to Local FM Radio in Windows 7 Media Center
Mar/100
If you have a supported tuner card and connected FM antenna, you can listen to your favorite local over-the-air FM stations in Windows 7 Media Center.
Before the FM radio option will be available in Windows Media Center, you’ll need to have a TV or Radio tuner card installed and configured. If you have a TV tuner card installed, you may already have a Radio tuner as well. Many TV tuner cards also have built in FM tuners.
Open Windows Media Center, scroll the “Music” and over to “Radio.”
Click on “FM Radio.”
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The radio will turn on and you’ll see the current station number listed in the white box. Just below are standard “Seek” and “Tune” buttons, as well as “Preset” options. Tuning works just like a typical FM radio. Click on the (-) or (+) buttons to “Tune” or “Seek” up and down the dial. If you already know the frequency of the station, enter the numbers using the numeric keypad on the remote control or keyboard.
To save the current station you’re listening to as a preset, click on the “Save as Preset” button.
Type in a custom name for your preset station and click “Save.”
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Once you set your presets, they will also be available on the main FM Radio screen.
The transport controls at the bottom of the screen also allow you to control Volume, Pause, Play, Skip back, and Skip forward. Fast Forward and Rewind, however, are not supported.
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This is a nice option if you’d like to listen to your local FM favorites on your computer, especially if those stations aren’t available online. If you don’t have an FM tuner and want to listen to thousands of online radio streams, check out our article on RadioTime in WMC.
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Listen to Local FM Radio in Windows 7 Media Center
Learning Windows 7: Create a Homegroup & Join a New Computer To It
Jan/100
One of the cool new features in Windows 7 is the Homegroup feature that allows easy sharing of files between machines. Today we take a look at how to add a new Windows 7 machine to an existing Homegroup.
In this example we’ll assume you have a desktop and a laptop both running Windows 7 and a Homegroup wasn’t created during installation. We’ll create the Homegroup on the desktop computer, then join the laptop to it.
Create a Homegroup
To start using the Homegroup feature we need to create one first. On the desktop computer type homegroup into the search box in the Start Menu and hit Enter.
In the window that pops up click on the Create a homegroup button.
In the next screen select what you want to share with the other computers in the homegroup and hit Next.
The Homegroup is created and a password will be generated that other computers will need to join it.
You may need to wait a few moments while the sharing of the libraries of the Homegroup are completed. The items under Share libraries and printers will be grayed out until the the sharing is completed.
Change Homegroup Password
You can certainly stick with the password Windows created for the Homegroup, or can change it to something that’s easier for you to remember. Under Other homegroup actions click on Change the password.
In the next screen type in the password you want to use and click Next.
You will get a screen letting you know it was successfully changed…click Finish.
Join Computer to Homegroup
Now that we have the Homegroup established, it’s time to join another computer to it. On the laptop click on Start and type homegroup into the search box and hit Enter.
In the next screen you will see a description of the Homegroup we just created—click the Join now button.
Decide what to share on the laptop with the Homegroup and click Next.
Type in the password to join the Homegroup and click Next.
Provided the network connection is established and you entered in the correct password…you’ll get the following screen indicating the join was successful.
Now you can open up Windows Explorer and should see the Homegroup you just joined in the Navigation Pane and be able to share files, folders, and printers.
![sshot-2010-01-26-[00-53-49]](http://semibeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/fc339696b7005349.png.png "sshot-2010-01-26-[00-53-49]")
Also on the laptop, if you go to Start Devices and Printers…
There you should see the printer connected to the desktop and can set it as your default printer.
The Homegroup feature in Windows 7 makes sharing files and printers extremely easy. You’ll also have access to shared media libraries in Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center to stream media using the Play To option. This should get you started with the Homegroup feature in Windows7. You can create and join a Homegroup in Windows 7 Home Premium and higher. Basic and Starter editions only allow you to join an existing Homegroup. You might also like to read our article on how to change which files are shared in a Homegroup.
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Learning Windows 7: Create a Homegroup & Join a New Computer To It
Protect Your Computer from “Little Hands” with KidSafe
Jan/100
Are you looking for a way to keep your computer, settings, and files safe around young children that love to “play” with the keyboard? Then you will want to take a look at KidSafe.
Note: There are two versions currently available…a regular zip file setup and a portable apps version. For our article we are using the portable.
Setup
The great thing about the newest version of KidSafe is that it comes in that wonderful portableapps.com format so that it can go where you go.
The “Program Folder” has the usual contents…just place the folder in an appropriate or convenient location, create your shortcut and you are ready to go.
Since this software is still new to the portable apps format you will see this when the program starts…but do not panic or worry. The program worked very well on our system.
KidSafe in Action
As soon as your start KidSafe your screen will be “covered” while setting the program up. Notice that there are two menus (Tools & Help) in the upper left corner. Accessing the options in the “Tool Menu” will require the password that you will set up for KidSafe…so no worries about a young child simply going in and changing your settings to gain entry without the password.
A closer look at the active part of the screen shown above. Click on “OK” to get started with the options/setup.
There are three options/setup windows for KidSafe. Here in the first one you can change any settings that you feel necessary for keys, keyboard combinations, Task Manager access, etc. On our system we definitely “locked” the “Windows Key” since it was not a keyboard combination…
Note: Highlight/select existing entries from the right side to change them.
If you are wanting more information about a particular setting simply hover your mouse over the yes/no blank and a tooltip with a description of what the setting does will appear.
The second window will let you choose the “KidSafe Mode” that best suits your needs. You may also choose a specific wallpaper background (.bmp, .jpg, or .png format) if desired or let KidSafe use a default one (leave it blank).
Here are the “KidSafe Mode” choices available in the drop down menu.
The final window will be where you set up your password for KidSafe. Click “Finish” once you are done.
As soon as you click “Finish” in the options/settings KidSafe will be active. We gave the keyboard a “pretty rough go” on our system and KidSafe did a perfect job. The only way we got back into the system was to use the password…
Note: This is not the default wallpaper for KidSafe.
To unlock KidSafe you will need to enter your password and click on “OK”. Hitting “Enter” will not work…
Conclusion
If you have been looking for a good program to help keep your computer safe from those “little hands” that love to play with keyboards, then you might want to give KidSafe a try.
Links
Download KidSafe PortableApps Version (Software Homepage)
Download KidSafe Zip File Version (Softpedia)
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Protect Your Computer from “Little Hands” with KidSafe
Easily Install Ubuntu Linux with Windows Using the Wubi Installer
Jan/100
You might be looking for a way to try out Ubuntu Linux but don’t like the idea of creating a partition, using a slow live CD, or don’t have enough resources to run a virtual machine. Today we take a look at using the Wubi installer to get Ubuntu running on your computer with very little effort.
Wubi is an officially supported Ubuntu installer that allows Windows users to easily get started in the Linux realm. Using Wubi to install Ubuntu is a similar process you’d use to install any other software program in Windows. It saves you the hassle of creating another partition or creating a VM. Wubi has been around for a few years now, and official version have been included on the Ubuntu Live CD since 8.04 “Hardy Heron”. We’ll take a look at installing Wubi from the Ubuntu Live CD and also downloading Wubi.exe separately and installing Ubuntu.??
Installing Ubuntu with Wubi from Ubuntu CD
In this first method we’ve already downloaded the Ubuntu Live ISO and burned it to CD. In Windows pop in the Ubuntu 9.10 installation disc and run wubi.exe.
At the Ubuntu Menu screen click the Install inside Windows button.
At the Ubuntu Installer screen you choose the language, install drive, installation size, username and password then when you’re finished click Install.
Give it a few moments while the installation kicks off…
When it’s complete, a restart is required but you can do it right away or wait until later.
Installing Ubuntu from Wubi.exe
If you don’t already have the Ubuntu CD, another option is to download the Wubi Installer and kick off the install process. This simplifies the process even more because you don’t need to download the ISO and burn it to disc. One thing to point out with this method is you’ll get extra choices for the type of Desktop Environment you wish to install. In this example we’re choosing the Kubuntu environment.
Now when the installation takes place, it will download the appropriate ISO for the chosen desktop environment. Kubuntu uses the KDE environment which is different from the Gnome used in Ubuntu. The main difference is that KDE is more flashy with graphics and might be easier for a Windows user to get comfortable with.
No matter which route you take to install Ubuntu with Wubi, everything is installed to C:Ubuntu directory.
Booting Into Ubuntu
After the first reboot, you can choose between Windows 7 or Ubuntu at the Windows Boot Manager screen.
The first time you boot into Ubuntu, wait a few minutes while the installation finishes up. You’ll see a series of screens and then the main install screen is displayed showing progress and screens showing features offered in Ubuntu 9.10.
Your system will reboot one more time and again you will have Windows 7 or Ubuntu to choose from.
When you select Ubuntu from the bootloader, it will go into the GRUB bootloader where you can select Ubuntu, Recovery Mode, or back to the Windows 7 Boot Manager.
At the Ubuntu login screen you’ll notice the username and password will be what you gave it in the steps above.
That’s really all there is to it…now you can easily boot into Ubuntu and get your geek on with this popular flavor of Linux.
Here is a look at the Kubuntu interface after a bit of tweaking…if you choose that route.
![sshot-2010-01-16-[00-55-53]](http://semibeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/46db0446cd005553.png.png "sshot-2010-01-16-[00-55-53]")
After Ubuntu has been completely installed, you can select the default boot system by going into Advance System Settings Startup and Recovery…then selecting between Windows or Ubuntu. To learn more about getting into this setting, check out The Geek’s article: Easily Set Default OS in a Windows7/Vista Dual Boot Setup.
Uninstall Ubuntu
So you’ve tried Ubuntu and decided you don’t like it, so now what do you do? It’s easy…just uninstall it. Boot into Windows 7 and go into Add / Remove Programs…
Or use a utility like Revo Uninstaller.
The uninstall process is extremely simple as well and consists of two screens. Verify you want to uninstall Ubuntu…
That’s it! It’s uninstalled and you have your hard drive space back. When you reboot your system, there’s no leftover funky GRUB or other bootloader to worry about. Your PC will boot directly into Windows.
Conclusion
This might be the easiest way for the Linux beginner to get their feet wet with Ubuntu as there are no partitions to create and installation is extremely simple. For this article we used Windows 7 but it should work on Windows 98 through Windows 7 …except for Windows ME…which no one should be running anyway. If you’re looking for an extremely easy way to start using Ubuntu Linux, you’ll definitely want to give the Wubi install a try.
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Easily Install Ubuntu Linux with Windows Using the Wubi Installer
Learning Windows 7: Manage Power Settings
Jan/100
In XP you probably already know how to manage the power settings for your system on a laptop or desktop. Today we take you through how to manage power settings and create custom plans in Windows 7.
There are new power management options that you can set up in Windows 7 compared to XP. You might want to change plans to save battery power on your laptop, or reduce energy consumption on a desktop at home or the office. Here we will look at how to manage and tweak the power plans, and how to create custom plans as well.
Power Settings
To access power plan options, type power settings into the search bar in the Start Menu and hit Enter.
The Power Options screen opens and from here you can select from three predefined plans–Balanced, Power saver, or High performance.
Click on Choose what the power button does and you can tweak several options such as Requiring a password on wakeup and what the power button on the computer does. If you set When I press the power button to Do nothing, you won’t have a problem with the PC shutting down when you accidently hit the power button.
To change any one of the predefined power plans click on Change plan settings.
Then you can change the amount of inactive time before the monitor is turned off or the computer goes into Sleep mode.
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If you want to revert back to the default settings, simply click on Restore default settings for this plan.
Custom Power Plan
To create a custom plan, click on Create a power plan from the Power Options section.
In the Create a power plan window a predetermined plan that is closest to what you want, and give the plan a name.
In the next screen select the sleep and display settings you want to use and click the Create button.
After your plan is created you’ll see it under the preferred plans list.
If you click on Change advanced power settings, there are several options you can tweak. These settings should only be used by advanced users, as if you turn off the wrong thing, your computer may not function correctly. Choosing between the predetermined settings should be adequate for most users.
If you are having issues where your laptop is draining too much battery power, or you want to check the overall efficiency of power usage on your computer, check out our article Use PowerCfg in Windows 7 to Evaluate Power Efficiency.
![sshot-2010-01-14-[21-59-31]](http://semibeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/f5756c896a215931.png.png "sshot-2010-01-14-[21-59-31]")
Conclusion
Windows 7 makes it easy to manage power settings for different computing situations. If you find your computer mysteriously shutting down or going into sleep mode, this should also help you determine why it is happening.
We also have a few other articles related to power management in Windows you might be interested in:
Disable Power Management On Windows 7 or Vista
Create a Shortcut or Hotkey to Switch Power Plans
Change the Windows 7 or Vista Power Buttons to Shutdown/Sleep/Hibernate
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Learning Windows 7: Manage Power Settings
What is CCC.exe and Why Is It Running?
Jan/100
You’re probably reading this article because you’re frustrated with that CCC.exe process running in Task Manager, and you’d like to know how to get rid of it, or at least understand what it’s there for.
For example, you’ll see the process here wasting memory in Task Manager…
??????????????? 
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So What Is It?
CCC stands for Catalyst Control Center, and it’s part of your ATI video card driver package—or to be more specific, it’s part of the utilities bundled along with the drivers, and adds features like customizing your display, or setting hotkeys for different display profiles. As long as the ccc.exe utility is installed into your Program FilesATI Technology directory, it’s a legit process that can be left alone.
It’s also responsible for that icon cluttering up your system tray:
Once you’ve launched the full Control Center, you’ll see a screen similar to this one (depending on your driver version).
On my test system, there was no startup item anywhere for this process. Depending on your driver version, it’s possible that it would be included in startup and could be removed.
Get Rid of the Tray Icon
You can remove the icon easily by clicking Options –> Preferences –> Enable System Tray Menu to turn it off. Sadly, this won’t usually get rid of the process that’s running, but at least it’ll save a few resources and keep your system tray cleaner.
Note that depending on your driver version, this setting might be in a different place, but it should definitely be in there.?
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Depending on your driver version, it’s possible this might remove the process—it didn’t on my laptop, however.
Totally Uninstall CCC.exe (and the ATI Control Panel)
You can completely get rid of the whole thing by simply going to Uninstall programs in Control Panel, and just removing it from there using the wizard—you’ll want to make sure to keep the display driver installed, and just remove the ATI Catalyst Control Panel.
You can also totally uninstall the entire package, and then reinstall without selecting the control panel. It’s up to you.
Install ATI Drivers Manually
Depending on how you removed the ATI components, you might need to re-install your drivers (without installing Catalyst). You can do so in Device Manager by right-clicking on the display driver and choosing Update Driver Software.
Once the wizard has opened, you can allow Windows to search automatically (if you aren’t a gamer this usually works pretty well). Otherwise, you can download the drivers manually, extract them to a folder, and then click the ‘Browse my computer for driver software”.
Then choose the location you uninstalled the software to, and make sure to click “Include subfolders” when checking for the driver.
Temporarily Kill CCC.exe the Easy Way
If you’d rather keep the ATI utilities installed because you use them, you can setup a shortcut to automatically kill CCC.exe whenever you want… just create a new shortcut to the following:
taskkill /f /im ccc.exe
You could even try putting this into your startup folder… or create a scheduled task instead. This is the safest and easiest method to get rid of the process without breaking anything else.
Drastic Steps You Shouldn’t Take
If you want to keep all the ATI stuff installed, but want to get rid of CCC.exe, you could simply rename the file to CCC.bak instead. This will keep the process from running, but obviously is going to break anything that would be trying to use it. Keep this as the last resort, and you should probably disable the tray item before you do this.
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What is CCC.exe and Why Is It Running?
Consolidate the Windows 7 Taskbar with Jumplist Launcher
Dec/090
The new Taskbar in Windows 7 is a great new feature, but sometimes you might have too many apps and not enough room. Today we take a look at Jumplist Launcher that allows you to consolidate the app launchers on the Taskbar.
Using Jumplist Launcher
Jumplist Launcher doesn’t require installation and you can run it directly from your hard drive or a flash drive and launch the executable.
After launching it you’re presented with a configuration dialog screen to begin setting up your jump lists. You can create different Groups and name them to suite your needs. You can browse to program and file directories, but the easiest way I’ve found is to drag shortcuts into Jumplist Launcher.
You can add up to 60 different Jumplist items.
After you have created the lists, make sure to pin the program to the taskbar and close out of the app. Then you can still access the items by right-clicking the icon on the taskbar.
Occasionally there are errors while adding items to the Jumplist, but the problem seems to correct itself right away, so just click OK to the dialog box. If you do get errors or find any bugs it’s recommended to post them on the developers blog.
Conclusion
For this article we used Jumplist Launcher Version 7 on Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit). It looks like this project is in constant development, and there are still a few bugs, but it works and and can be quite useful. This cool little app is a great way to consolidate taskbar launchers and save space on the Taskbar.
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Consolidate the Windows 7 Taskbar with Jumplist Launcher
How Does Spyware, Malware or Crapware Get on My Computer?
Aug/090
Have you ever wondered how malware, spyware, scareware, crapware, or other undesirable software might get on a computer? First we’ll illustrate how easily your system can be infected, and then we’ll show you how to clean it up.
Our example system, running Windows 7, was set up from a worst case scenario point of view: Someone who was only interested in quickly getting to all the “fun stuff” on the internet with absolutely no concern for personal or computer security.
Freshly Installed – Pre Malware
Here you can see the number of processes (and type) that were running on our freshly installed Windows 7 system. The install was so fresh that the only protection that this system had was the Windows Firewall and Windows Defender to keep the malware and virus hordes at bay.
How Some Malware Gets On Your Computer
Malware, spyware, and other junk software makes it onto your computer for a number of reasons:
- You installed something you really shouldn’t have, from an untrustworthy source. Often these include screensavers, toolbars, or torrents that you didn’t scan for viruses.
- You didn’t pay attention when installing a “reputable” application that bundles “optional” crapware.
- You’ve already managed to get yourself infected, and the malware installs even more malware.
- You aren’t using a quality Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware application.
Watch Out for Insidious Bundled Crapware
Editor’s Note: One of the biggest problems recently is that the makers of popular software keep selling out, and including “optional” crapware that nobody needs or wants. This way they profit off the unsuspecting users that aren’t tech-savvy enough to know any better. They should be ashamed.
On our example system we installed Digsby Messenger, a very popular “reputable” application. This was the regular install version and as you can see in the following screenshots, there are attempts to get you to install undesirable software or make “not so good” changes on your computer. If a person is not careful, then their system becomes infected.
Here you can see the attempt to add the “My.Freeze.com Toolbar” to your browser(s)…definitely not good! Notice that while it does state that the software may be removed later, some people may 1.) Not notice it (lack of attention), 2.) Be in too much of a hurry to install the software to notice, or 3.) Not be familiar or comfortable with removing the software after it is already installed on their system.
The real trick with Digsby (and other software that is set up with the same installation style) is that clicking on “Decline” still allows the installation of Digsby itself to proceed. But can you imagine how things can end up for those people who may think or believe that the only way to get Digsby or similar software installed is to click on “Accept”? It has a really deceptive style!
Note: For more, read our article on avoiding crapware when installing Digsby.
A very obvious attempt to make “My.Freeze.com” the new homepage for your browser(s). Once again the “Decline” versus “Accept” dilemma combined with a checkmark selection choice…
If you have many programs that attempt to install “value-added” software like this on your system, you will quickly find that the majority (or all) of your operating system’s resources are being used up by malware (i.e. background processes). You are also likely to find that you will have unstable or very sluggish browser response, and are likely to have your personal and computer’s security compromised.
Just How Quickly Can a System Become Infected?
It only took 2.5 hours to reach the level described in our article…simply surfing wherever for “whatever looked interesting or different”, downloading things like screensavers, file-sharing applications, and installing questionable software from advertisements.
The possibilities for becoming infected with viruses or malware were rather high with little to no protection or forethought given concerning what was installed or for the websites visited. Searches for various “less than desirable” pictures, screensavers, clicking on ads, etc. made it very easy to find trouble…perhaps the better way to phrase that is that it was very easy for trouble to find our example system.
Here you can see a screenshot of the desktop of our example system. Notice that there are icons for file sharing programs, fake anti-malware programs, icons for various screensavers, less than nice websites (possible additional infection vectors), and a virtual dancing woman. Nothing good here!
Here is a look at the Start Menu…notice that some of the malware has obvious shortcuts in the Startup Folder, but there were plenty on our example system that were not shown in this folder.
A quick look at an over abundance of toolbars plaguing Internet Explorer 8…by this point the browser was already having some problems starting properly (very slow), some episodes of crashing, and some browser hijacking had occurred.
Taking a peek at the Program Uninstall Window shows a variety of malware and undesirable software types that were on our example system.
Note: These are the ones that actually bothered with listing an entry in the Uninstall Registry.
A Good Look at Scareware
What is scareware? It is software that once installed on your system will try to trick you into believing that you have a highly infected system with some very high “numbers of infections” found. These programs will constantly bother you to register and purchase the software in order to clean up your computer system.
Here you can see two examples of well known scareware. SpywareStop and AntiSpyware 2009. Do not be surprised if you notice that these two “separate” softwares seem to be extremely alike in looks, style, and operation. They are exactly alike…the same wolf just different sheep skins. This is a common practice to stay ahead of legitimate anti-malware and anti-virus software and not be deleted before hopefully being purchased by unsuspecting computer users.
A good look at the two screens that appeared every time we started our example system…absolutely no hesitation to “remind us” how infected our computer was and that we should register the software now. Disgusting!!
Note: The SpywareStop website was presented to us courtesy of a browser hijacking…and of course we were encouraged to install it.
The main window for SpywareStop…oh so quick to try and encourage you to remove the infections.
The System Tray pop up window for SpywareStop…
What do things look like if someone went to register the software and purchase it? The registration starts with a request for basic information including an e-mail address. Chances are the addresses harvested in this manner will be sold to spammers…the potential for a little extra income will definitely have an appeal.
Notice that additional services and software are readily available! Nothing like an opportunity to make even more easy money once they have someone this far in…and of course you can use your credit card. How convenient for them…
The ever wonderful cousin to SpywareStop…the infamous AntiSpyware 2009 (also very well known with the 2008 designation).
And the wonderful System Tray pop up window for AntiSpyware 2009…the fun never stops!
What about registration for this one? Take a good look at these two screenshots and compare them with the two shown above. There is so little difference…yet another sign that these are identical scareware programs with altered user interfaces and alternate websites.
How nice! More additional software available for you to buy and the ability to use that credit card and PayPal!
Some Other Things That Come with Malware
Here is another irritating feature of some malware. Nice pop up windows harassing you to take surveys or do other things. This was an additional “gift” from one of the programs installed on our example system.
A Look at the Processes Running After Infection
Compare the screenshot of running processes shown at the beginning of the article and then the running processes shown here. You can already see a significant increase. Not good for you or your computer!
Conclusion
While nothing super horrible got onto our example system within those 2.5 hours, it is still easy to see just how quickly a system can start to become a mess. Imagine a system that has been exposed for a much longer period of time and is heavily infected! The best approach is to avoid trouble from the beginning. But if you find yourself or someone you know with an infected system then take a look at our upcoming series on removing malware from an infected computer.
Note: By the time the short “infestation period” was finished on our example system, the Windows Firewall, Windows Defender, and the Security Settings for Internet Explorer had all been either 1.) Turned off or 2.) Set to the lowest possible settings. In addition, no legitimate anti-virus or anti-malware software was installed. This system was totally unprotected in exchange for so-called “speed and convenience”.
Next Up: Removing the Spyware
Stay tuned, as tomorrow we will show you how we cleaned up the crapware-filled computer with Spybot Search & Destroy. And then later this week, we’ll show how well Ad-Aware and MalwareBytes performed against the same set of spyware.
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How Does Spyware, Malware or Crapware Get on My Computer?
Are Gorillas Doomed? Is the UN making a huge mistake?
Jul/090
Before I get into this important topic, please read my article on cancer dedicated to someone special to me, each view constitutes a larger donation to cancer research. http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/27/help-me-fight-cancer/
Problem
Almost one half of non-human primates are at risk of extinction, and none more so than gorillas. Gorillas are disappearing at an alarming rate, mostly a victim of their surroundings. Political unrest, wars, poachers, miners, and loggers all converging in a perfect storm of brutality and human depravity, killing one of our closest living relatives. Gorilla’s DNA is 98-99% an exact match for human DNA, just barely trailing our closest living relatives (genus Pan, chimpanzees and bonobos). Unfortunately for the gorillas, they occupy a region rich in tin, diamonds, gold and coltan (a rare mineral used to create capacitors for cellphones, games consoles and laptops).
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Are Gorillas Doomed? Is the UN making a huge mistake?
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Stupid Geek Tricks: Tile or Cascade Multiple Windows in Windows 7
Feb/100
If you’ve got loads of windows open, and would like to tile or cascade just a couple of those windows, it’s a pain to minimize them, then unminimize the windows you want to tile, and then choose Tile from the taskbar context menu… but there’s a better way!
Back in the Windows XP and Vista days, you could just Ctrl-Click on multiple taskbar buttons, and then select “Show Windows Side by Side” or one of the other options to tile just those windows—and it worked with as many windows as you felt like using.
Note: We’ve covered this trick in full in our article: Stupid Geek Tricks: Select Multiple Windows on the Taskbar.
In Windows 7, this ability was removed in favor of Aero Snap—just drag a window to the side of the screen, and it’ll snap to fill half of the screen. Without a doubt, one of the great features in Windows 7… but what about tiling vertically? Or more than two windows?
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So what you can do instead is simply open up Task Manager via any of a number of routes, my personal favorite being Ctrl+Shift+Esc—and then hold down the Ctrl button while you select multiple applications in the list.
Right-click on one of the selected windows in the list, and then you can choose to Tile Horizontally, vertically, cascade, etc. That’s it!? (Note: hat tip to Windows Secrets for the idea)
More Stupid Geek Tricks!
We wouldn’t leave you with just that one trick, would we? (alright, maybe we would, but not today). Here’s a couple of our favorite stupid geek tricks that we’ve covered over the years:
Got your own stupid geek trick that you use to show off to your friends? Share it in the comments.
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Stupid Geek Tricks: Tile or Cascade Multiple Windows in Windows 7