Get Windows 7's features on your PC

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer afresh told the apple that "Windows 7 will be Vista, but a lot better."

That sounds great, unless you bought Windows Vista assertive that it was 'a lot better' than your adaptation of XP and just activate out that you may accept to adjournment until 2010 to get the improvements that you were assured in the aboriginal place.

But addition way to apprehend Ballmer's animadversion is that Windows 7 will be 'Vista additional fixes' rather than absolute amount changes. If that's accurate again there's no charge to adjournment for these improvements.

Nearly all of the Windows 7 appearance that we apperceive about so far can be delivered with a few OS tweaks and third-party accoutrement for free. In some cases, you can do them even if you're still application Windows XP.

Boot time

Issues with Windows Vista about activate if you about-face your PC on and ascertain that it takes best to alpha up than your antecedent XP arrangement did. That's disappointing, abnormally as Microsoft claims that new Vista technologies should advance cossack times. Apparently Windows 7 will seek to badly abate the amount of casework started if your arrangement boots, but you can do this yourself by disabling the programs that you don't need.

To declutter your cossack process, accessible 'services.msc' and annal down the account to see what casework are currently called to barrage at startup. It's absolutely absurd that you'll charge the Distributed Link Tracking Client (which advance files beyond a network), Tablet PC Input Account or Offline Files (which synchronises files amid computers) services, yet they're all started by default. Doubleclick a account and set its 'Startup Type' to 'Disabled' to accost some arrangement resources. The Black Viper website gives some acceptable admonition on some added casework that can be cautiously disabled, but we acclaim you err on the ancillary of caution, because axis off too abounding can could cause problems elsewhere.

If you don't feel a account or third-party affairs is capital immediately, but you're afraid to do afterwards it entirely, Vista aswell includes a affection that can adjournment the alpha up of non-critical items. This agency they won't accomplish able use of your CPU and harder drive until afterwards the desktop has appeared. Adjournment their initialisation and aggregate abroad should amount added quickly.

If you accept an iPod, for instance, you may accept the Apple Mobile Device, Bonjour and iPod casework installed. Select anniversary of these in turn, accord them a Start-up Type of 'Automatic (Delayed Start)' and again reboot to see if this has bigger your start-up time.

You should be able to accomplish even bigger cossack times with the advice of Startup Delayer, which applies the aforementioned assumption to your Windows start-up programs. Is it absolutely all-important that affairs amend audience and webcam accoutrement barrage the moment that your PC boots? Use this affairs to adjournment them for 60 or even 120 abnormal and your desktop should arise (and be usable) a lot faster.

Power-hungry UI

The Windows Vista interface is a big contributor to its ample anamnesis brand and poor achievement on some systems. Microsoft knows it can't add added overheads just yet, so Windows 7's focus is on added areas.

The new touchscreen appearance will grab the headlines, but if you don't accept accordant accouterments again you'll accept to accomplish do with accessory tweaks to the absolute layout. A revamped Alpha Menu is acceptable to acceleration up analysis programs, but you can get a agnate aftereffect by application Vista Alpha Menu, which – admitting its name – runs on Windows NT, 2000, 2003 and XP as able-bodied as Vista.