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No matter how fast or advanced your computer is, you can improve its performance by learning some helpful Windows tips. Even knowledgeable folks who have used the complex Windows operating system for many years aren’t aware of all of the easy adjustments that can make many areas of a computer function better. No one person can learn everything there is to know on Windows because, to be truthful, there’s just too many things that you can do. Below are some helpful and useful tips from Windows that will be beneficial for you to learn.

There is a security feature that comes with Windows called the User Account Control (UAC). This can be adjusted by you. You need to make sure the settings on this Control are correct so your computer doesn’t slow down. The goal, however, is to protect your computer when you log into the internet. For example, if you set the Control so it asks you for permission whenever you want to install or change something, you may become aggravated. On the other hand, you probably don’t want to turn off UAC altogether, as that would put your computer at risk and not alert you to anything potentially dangerous. Windows 7′s default setting is fine for most computer folks. It alerts you only when it thinks some program is trying to change something on your computer without your initiation. You don’t have to keep the default setting, however. You can change it to whatever you want.

How do you search for information online? Most of us open our browser and then initiate our search. But Windows 7 has a convenient feature that allows you to conduct searches from your desktop without having to launch a web browser. If you wanted to be able to search a site like YouTube, for example, you would use a ‘search connector’ for that site. Think of how convenient this would be if you just wanted to do a fast search on one of your most frequently used websites without opening your browser! Websites have been created that can help you create a search connector for any website you are interested in if it doesn’t already have one you can download.

Those of you who own notebook or laptop PCs probably wonder what you can do to get your battery charges to last longer. You can run an Energy Report with Windows 7 that tells you what you can do to increase the length of time your batter charge lasts. To do this, type in CMD and right click on the command prompt to "Run as Administrator." Type "powercfg -energy" (without quotes) at the DOS prompt exactly as shown here. This command will ask your PC to generate a report that will tell you how you can save energy and improve the length of your battery’s charge. It may also recommend certain upgrades or drivers to help your computer run more efficiently. By following the recommendations in your Energy Report, you can often get longer charge times from your battery. Windows gives you many possibilities beyond the simple commands most people are familiar with. Remember that Windows is designed to be user friendly, so even people with no computer experience can easily learn to navigate their way around their computer and the web. The obvious next step after learning how to use the basic functions of Windows is to start adding more advanced techniques.

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