Specifications

5 Customizing the Start Menu and Taskbar 89
Customizing the Start Menu for Easier Program and
Document Launching
...................................................................90
Getting More Favorite Programs on the Start Menu
......................90
Pinning a Favorite Program Permanently to the Start Menu
...........92
Clearing the Recent Programs List
.............................................94
Setting Program Access and Defaults
..........................................94
Streamlining the Start Menu by Converting Links to Menus
..........96
Adding, Moving, and Removing Other Start Menu Icons
..............97
Customizing the Taskbar for Easier Program and
Document Launching
...................................................................98
Improving Productivity by Setting Taskbar Options
......................98
Pinning a Favorite Program to the Taskbar
................................100
Pinning a Destination to a Program’s Jump List
.........................101
Using the Windows Key to Start Taskbar Programs
.....................102
Taking Control of the Notification Area
....................................103
Displaying Multiple Clocks for Different Time Zones
..................106
Displaying the Built-In Taskbar Toolbars
...................................108
Setting Some Taskbar Toolbar Options
......................................108
Creating New Taskbar Toolbars
...............................................109
Modifying the Start Menu and Taskbar with Group Policies
.................109
6 Tuning Windows 7’s Performance 111
Monitoring Performance
................................................................112
Viewing Your Computer’s Performance Rating
...........................112
Monitoring Performance with Task Manager
.............................114
Using the Resource Monitor
...................................................117
Using the Performance Monitor
..............................................119
Optimizing Startup
.......................................................................121
Reducing or Eliminating BIOS Checks
......................................121
Reducing the OS Choices Menu Timeout
..................................122
Turning Off the Startup Splash Screen
......................................122
Upgrading Your Device Drivers
...............................................123
Using an Automatic Logon
.....................................................123
Configuring the Prefetcher
.....................................................123
Optimizing Applications
................................................................123
Adding More Memory
...........................................................124
Installing to the Fastest Hard Drive
..........................................124
Optimizing Application Launching
..........................................124
Getting the Latest Device Drivers
............................................124
Optimizing Windows 7 for Programs
.......................................124
Setting the Program Priority in Task Manager
............................125
Contents
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