Windows 7

In Windows 7 and 8 the shortcut windows key + left arrow will park the current window full height, half width and on the left side of the screen.  Now go windows key + left arrow again and the window is parked on the right, same shortcut again and the window size reduces and floats, shortcut again and the window again parks on the left.  windows key + right arrow will do the same on the right so you can arrange two windows to fill the screen ... but then most windows work better when viewed landscape not portrait.

Here in Stately Terrace this am a Win7 desktop couldn't find the Internet, a system rollback past yesterday's Microscoft critical update solved the issue so either the prob was Microscoft perhaps combined with a recent Dreamweaver CS3 install ... just saying.

In Windows Vista and later there's a clever little go faster tweak using a usb memory stick or similar, plug it in, find it in Windows Explorer, right click on it, click on Properties, select tab ReadyBoost and then click either Dedicate this device ... or Use this device.  Windows now has more fast access cache memory so it will need to access the slower hard disc less.  We've found three gotchas:

1. ReadyBoost won't play with older, slower memory sticks,

2. your memory stick will mostly likely be formatted FAT32 file system limiting how much of the stick can be used by ReadyBoost, reformat it exFAT, and

3. when your pc restarts it may try to boot from the memory stick, change the device boot order by pressing what ever is the magic key at start up on your machine.

Many thanks ntc – Have now got both ReadyBoost and Back Up on new USB stick with still a third of it's memory left! – So I leave it permanently plugged in and both functions go on automatically with no further input from me!  Brilliant and all for an outlay of £5.80!! - C

Double click at the very top of a window completely filling the screen and the window reduces in size, double click at the very top again and the window will return to full size.  In Windows 7 you can do the same thing by drag and drop, point at the very top, hold the mouse button down and move the mouse vertically ... plus there's the Aero shake, point at the very top, hold the mouse button down and shake the mouse horizontally ... can't say we've noticed it freshening our carpets though.

A chum who was IT manager at Tannoy Speakers has posted on Facebook  The fact that I have gone back to Windows 7 might tell you something!  (Windows 8) It's fine on a touch-based computer, but if you are using a conventional, keyboard-based, computer I can't think of any good reason to upgrade.  People do claim performance gains, but I haven't experienced this personally, and the interface issues when touch is not available negate any possible gains anyway.  ... just saying.

First looks at Windows 7 (maybe due end of next year) report it is more responsive than Vista, seems like a good reason to put off upgrading to Vista even longer.

Microscoft and that there Gill Bates are not going to fix all the problems in Vista but in Microscoft's next operating system Windows 7.  All we have to do is wait for it at the end of 2009 ... or 2010.