Do not worry. This article will not contain the same old blabla that most of the other Windows 7 toplist articles will mention. It will instead concentrate on five lesser known but powerful new features that increase productivity by a large margin.
You might want to check out our article about Windows 7 which has all the information you need to download the beta of the new Microsoft operating system. If you are not convinced yet that this is a good idea read on; You might be surprised:
1. Opening multiple Instances of the same program
Want to open multiple instances of the same program? Maybe a second command prompt or another application that can be opened in multiple instances? Instead of opening the program again the usual way you can simply press the SHIFT key and left-click on the first instance in the Windows Taskbar to open a second one.
2. Problem Steps Recorder
If you ever had to do phone support you know how hard it can be to understand what the user on the other end of the phone did and wants. The Problem Steps Recorder is a sweet little tool in Windows 7 that can be used by the user to record his steps.

All that the user needs to do is start the recorder by entering psr in the Start Menu box and click on Start Record in the program interface. Screenshots will be taken from user actions. It is possible to add comments at any time if the user feels so. The whole recording will be saved as a zip file containing a slideshow of the actions.
3. Pin Favorite Folders
Want to add a favorite folders to Windows Explorer to be able to access them faster? Just drag and drop the folder to the favorites menu. It will remain there until you delete it with the delete key again.
4. Moving Windows and such
Windows 7 introduces several new keyboard shortcuts for window management. Some useful ones are:
- [Windows Shift Left Arrow] or [Windows Shift Right Arrow] to move windows from one computer monitor to another.
- [Windows Left Arrow] or [Windows Right Arrow] to dock windows to the left or right side
- [Windows Up Arrow] to maximize a window
- [Windows Down Arrow] to restore or minimize windows
- [Windows Home] to minimize all windows but the active one
5. Shortcuts to start pinned taskbar items
Pressing [Win Number] will start a new instance of a pinned taskbar item. You should also note that the items can be dragged and dropped into different positions easily.
Related posts:
Five Quick Windows Tips IIWindows 7 Taskbar Tweaker
5 Productivity Increasing Features In Windows 7
Some Windows Taskbar Tweaks
Unlock Windows 7 M3 Build Locked Features
Features coming with Windows 7
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15 Responses to “5 Great New Features Of Windows 7”
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Number 3 is not exactly new, implementation may be different but the ability to do it is not new.
5? What about 30?
http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2009/01/12/the-bumper-list-of-windows-7-secrets.aspx
Wow. I’m underwhelmed at this list. These are features I would bet 90% or more of Windows users would never use.
The best feature of Windows 7 is that it is very responsive. I installed it on my Windows Vista notebook which runs sluggish and slow at best while Windows 7 is fast. That’s reason enough for me to get it once it comes out and install it as my main system. I’m pretty confident that Windows 7 will replace good old trusty Windows XP on my systems.
I just came across this from Microsoft Technet Flash newsletter:
Mark Russinovich: Inside Windows 7
Posted By: Charles | Jan 14th @ 11:39 AM
How has Windows evolved, as a general purpose operating system and at the lowest levels, in Windows 7? Who better to talk to than Technical Fellow and Windows Kernel guru Mark Russinovich? Here, Mark enlightens us on the new kernel constructs in Windows 7 (and, yeah, we do wander up into user mode, but only briefly). One very important change in the Windows 7 kernel is the dismantling of the dispatcher spin lock and redesign and implementation of its functionality. This great work was done by Arun Kishan (you’ve met him here on C9 last year). The direct result of the reworking of the dispatcher spin lock is that Windows 7 can scale to 256 processors. Further, this enabled the great Landy Wang to tune the Windows Memory Manager to be even more efficient than it already is. Mark also explains (again) what MinWin really is (heck, even I was confused. Not anymore…). MinWin is present in Windows 7. Native support for VHD (boot from VHD anyone?) is another very cool addition to our next general purpose OS. Yes, and there’s more!
Tune in. This is a great conversation (if you’re into operating systems). It’s always great to chat with Mark.
http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/Going%20Deep/Mark-Russinovich-Inside-Windows-7/ (45 minutes long)
You canal also open multiple instances of the same program by clicking the middle button on the mouse.
well first of its a little faster than vista ….
best part of it i like ..when we copy or move some file we see a good graphics in toolbar indicating %age download completed .which unlike in vista or xp says 35%complete or 90%complete..here in windows 7 it show in graph in toolbar which is colourful (many colours)so we donot have to check repeatedly..and
as it is already said we can open my computer many times unlike xp or vista …
rest features are more or less same as vista
Another cool trick i learned by accident is if you wave the window back and forth all windows behind it get minimized and wave it again they reappear. also known as the “aero shake”
Wow how innovative of microsoft! they have kept with the old formula of desperatly trying to build stability whilst ripping off features and the feel off of other innovative and stable OS’s
Well done microshaft another poorly written/copied load of resource consuming jizz aimed at your primary market… the sheeple…