Windows 7’s Control Panel is literally packed with tools (a.k.a. applets) that allow you to configure and control the way that the operating system works. Because the Control Panel has so many tools, Microsoft added a Search box to make it easy for you to find the tool that you need for a particular task.
To help you become familiar with all of the tools that are available in Windows 7’s Control Panel, I have created the Windows 7 Walkthrough series in which I’ll show you and provide a brief overview of each tool in the Control Panel categories. This one covers the tools in the Programs category.
Keep in mind that I’ll be using the Ultimate edition of Windows 7, which contains some features not available in other editions of the operating system.
When you access Programs and Features you’ll find a list of all the applications that are installed on your Windows 7 system including the date on which they were installed. You can also uninstall any application.
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If you select View Installed Updates, you’ll see a list of all the updates that Windows Update has installed on your system. You can also uninstall any update.
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If you select Turn Windows features on or off, you’ll see an expandable tree list showing all the available features in Windows 7. You can enable and disable any of the features by selecting or clearing the associated check box. Windows 7 allows you to disable such features as Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, or Windows Search and use third-party alternatives.
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Back on the Programs window and under the Programs and Features section, you can select Run Programs Made for Previous Versions of Windows and access the Program Compatibility wizard, which will walk you through the steps involved in configuring appropriate settings to allow older applications to run from within Windows 7.
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When you select the Default Programs item in the Programs window, you’ll have access to four items that you can use to manage how your programs work.
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Using the features in this window you can specify which programs will be the default program that Windows will run when you select a certain type of file. You can then associate the program with all file types or choose only certain file types.
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If you select Choose defaults for this program, you can individually select file type associations from this window.
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Back on the Default Programs window, you can view and change any of the default file associations for all the available programs and file types.
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From the Default Programs window you can access the AutoPlay configuration window that is also available from the Hardware and Sound category.
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You can use the settings in the Set Program Access and Computer Defaults window to further fine tune the default program used for certain activities, such as web browsing, sending e-mail, playing audio and video files, using instant messaging, and running Java applets.
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As you may know, Windows 7 doesn’t have the Windows Sidebar container for Gadgets. As such, you can access the Gadgets user interface from within the Program window.
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This tree diagram presents a map of the Programs walkthrough.
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My first computer was a Kaypro 16 \"luggable\" running MS-DOS 2.11 which I obtained while studying computer science in 1986. After two years, I discovered that I had a knack for writing documentation and shifted my focus over to technical writing.
