Windows Tips: Something OLd, Something New

STEVE FOX

Windows Tips: Something OLd, Something New

AH, THE VENERABLE Windows tips story! If you've been reading PCWorld for any length of time, you know that when a new version of Microsoft's operating system comes out (in this case, the well-received Windows 7), a fresh batch of shortcuts and timesavers for the OS can't be far behind.

These mega tip extravaganzas, though, always present a problem-namely, which items should we include? Be¬cause each new version of Windows builds on previous incarnations of

the as, loads of the most useful Win¬dows 7 tips are also the most useful tricks for Windows Vista, not to mention the still-popular Windows

XP. Ifwe were to include a sampling

of classic time-savers in a brand-new tips collection, we would risk alien¬ating readers who want just the lat-

est goodies. But excluding time-

tested tips would mean some of the best Windows advice would be

absent from the issue.

The solution we came up with this month? Along with a spanking-new collection oftips (see "Essential Windows Tricks," page 66) and timely advice on how to overcome Windows 7 upgrade gotchas (see "Fix Four Common Windows 7 Up¬grade Problems," page 101), we've pulled together a two-page clip-and¬save pullout of the 26 "Greatest Win¬dows TIps of All TIme" (see page 75).

If you're a longtime Windows user, you're probably familiar with most of these tidbits-though I'm betting you will find a few pointers that will be rediscoveries or that you somehow missed in the first place. For instance, I had completely forgotten the keystroke combination -L (a shortcut to lock your computer when you step away from the screen). Finding it here was like finding a long-lost friend.

TO assemble a collection of the "Greatest Windows Tips of All Time," we turned to the reaL experts: everyday users,

Admittedly, any "greatest hits" list

is somewhat arbitrary; it's based on in¬dividual tastes, and it's guaranteed to generate controversy. After all, who will make the decision? And what con¬stitutes greatness in a tip anyway?

To answer those questions, we sent staff editor Patrick Miller into the field to canvas users for tips that were not

STAFF EDITOR PATRICK MILLER: A hard-core Mac user receives a crash course in Windows shortcuts.

only broadly applicable, but worked on multiple versions of Windows and made everyday computing tasks substantially faster or easier. He reached out to read¬ers at PCWorld.com, scoured a broad range of online forums, sought nomina¬tions on our Facebook page (tmd.pcwortd. com/60983), and tweeted his requests

to our Twitter followers at @!pcworld.

With a hefty stack of potential win¬ners in hand, he then descended on the editorial staff, going cube to cube. He also tapped the techie whizzes in the PCWorid Labs, cross-platform experts

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at sister publication Macworld, and "just about anyone else I ran into over the course of several days."

"My basic approach was to ask, 'When you watch someone else using a Windows PC, what drives you crazy about the way they do it?'" Not surpris¬ingly, that approach yielded a massive list of candidates-and a tricky win-

nowing task that he attacked with relish, and with some assistance from other editorial staffers.

Making the FinaL Cut

Patrick brought a fresh perspective to the task. Until nine months ago, he had been primarily a Mac user¬and a power user at that-meaning he had few preconceived notions about the Windows platform.

"Though I use Windows every day," he says, "many ofthese tips were new to me, especially the shortcut keystrokes and anything that made use of the search box." In making his final cut, he first transferred tips with multiple nominations into the Yes pile. Then "I began by looking for common problem areas with common solutions." He also put his

Apple experience to use by looking for standard Mac shortcuts that Windows users often must live without.

After extensive hands-on testing, wheedling, and weeding out, he and a team of fellow editors came up with the magnificent 26 in this issue.

Did we miss a favorite tip of yours?

Send your suggestions to letters@! pcworld.com, and we'll print a selec¬tion in an upcoming PCW Forum.

Until then, happy tipping .•