Girl Geekette

Use Windows Key +R to get a run box.

Type Regedit in the run box.

Navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

Find the WaitToKillServiceTimeout key on the right

Double-click to edit and change it from the default 12000 (12 seconds) to 2000 (2 seconds) or above.

This setting tells Windows how long to wait before prompting you that a service is not responding to the shut down request. This may help speed up your shutdown if you have any such services running.

With Windows 7 comes yet another new feature for the taskbar. But, though most people find it even more useful, I find it more ANNOYING. So, I want to turn my taskbar back to what I am used to.

Here is an example of the new Windows 7 taskbar

Windows 7 Taskbar

So to change this, right click on any open part of the taskbar and choose Properties from the menu

Task Bar Properties

From the Taskbar buttons drop-down menu, you will want to choose “Never Combine” which will make every window show up as a separate button, or you can choose “Combine when taskbar is full” which will only combine buttons when the taskbar gets full. And, click Use Small Icons.

Task Bar Properties

Now, after pressing OK, you should see the taskbar look like the way it did before – but we are still not finish.

New Old Taskbar in Windows 7

The only problem is that the “pinned” icons are still sitting on the taskbar. You can easily remove them by right-clicking and choosing “Unpin this program from taskbar”

Unpin this Program from the Taskbar

Now to add the Quick Launch Bar back to the Windows 7 Taskbar. Right click on the taskbar and click on Unlock the Taskbar and -> Toolbars and New Toolbars

New Toolbar

Paste the following into the locations bar

%appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Folder Paste

And hit enter. The Folder Location at the bottom will say quick launch and your Taskbar will show a quick launch bar in the right which you can click and drag over to the left.

Quick Launch

The normal Quick Launch that we’re used to doesn’t have text, so right-click on the dotted lines and uncheck “Show Text” as well as “Show Title” from the menu.

Uncheck

Now, this might look much better to you –  a new quicklaunch bar and the taskbar back to the vista/xp way.

New Old Taskbar

Enjoy!

So, after I decided I liked the Windows Shake, I tried the Windows Peek. It is another feature of Windows 7 that lets all windows go transparent so you can peek at the background. Well, I had broken that too.

Again, back to Control panel, System Performance Information and Tools, then Adjust Visual Effects (Same as done when I fixed Shake) .

Then I narrowed it down to these settings need to be enabled for Peek:

Performance Options Windows Peek

Here are examples of what it looks like when enabled:

Normal Screen

Windows Peek Normal Screen

Windows Peek Enabled

Windows Peek Enabled Screen

One of the nice features I have found with Windows 7 is the ability to minimize all of the windows but the current one – with Windows Shake.

But, when all of the sudden mine quit working when I tried to use it – I could not remember what I had done to make it stop. Had I set the mouse rate too fast? Did this feature ‘crash?’. Was this part of Aero or Glass? I had no clue.

I remembered I had adjusted the windows settings for the best performance in the performance options. I went back to Control panel, System Performance Information and Tools, then Adjust Visual Effects and clicked one by one and figured out the one I needed checked to make the shake work again.

Windows Shake - in Performance Options

By checking that one box, it allowed shake to work correctly. I like it. Very useful.

I also think it is worth re-mentioning this tip also:

Tip

Press Windows logo key  the +Home key together to minimize all windows except for the currently active window. Windows logo key  the +Home key together again to restore all windows.