Explorer

Windows explorer has changed significantly from explorer in Windows XP. There is no longer a distinction between 'open' and 'explore'. Instead the default action for folders is 'open' and the view presented is organised into several optional panes. Use the 'Organize' button from the explorer toolbar to turn panes on or off:

Navigation Pane

Appears down the left-hand side of the window, and replaces the standard folder tree view. In the default configuration, there are five top-level links:

• Favorites
• Libraries
• Homegroup
• Computer
• Network

Contents Pane

Shows the content of the currently selected folder

Details Pane

Running horizontally across the bottom of the window, displays properties of the currently selected item from the contents pane. The properties vary according to the type of file selected.

Preview Pane

Occupies the right-hand side of the explorer window when turned on. Displays previews for files selected in the contents pane if a suitable preview-handler exists. Preview handlers are generally installed by programs for the file types they manage. For instance, the default preview handler for .mp3 audio files is Media Player, and PowerPoint handles powerpoint slide shows.

Toolbar

Runs across the top of the navigation, content and preview panes. Commands on the toolbar vary according to the currently selected item. The Organize button is almost ever present as the first item, and displays a menu of items including:

• Cut, copy and paste actions
• Undo/redo commands
• Layout - which presents options to toggles panes on or off
• Properties

Menu Bar

Hidden by default, the traditional explorer menu bar can be displayed temporarily by pressing the 'Alt' key. To always show the menu bar, use the 'Organize' button, and select 'Menu bar' from the 'Layout' submenu.

Library Pane

Only appears when a library folder is selected

Address Bar

Has forward and back buttons plus a breadcrumb trail of folders which can be used for navigating folders. By clicking a folder name in the breadcumb trail, explorer changes directory to the selected folder. Each folder in the breadcrumb trail is followed by a drop-down arrow, which, when clicked, displays a list of the subfolders which can also be selected to change directory location. To change the breadcrumb trail to show the folder path, simply click a blank space to the right of the breadcrumb trail. With the folder path displayed the text can be deleted and the address bar can be used as a 'Run' dialogue

Search box

Can be used to start a search restricted to the current folder

To access Folder Options, open control panel, go to 'Appearance and Personalisation' and click 'Folder Options' or type 'folder options' in the start menu search box.

Folders can be organised in Libraries that provide a single access point to a collection of folders.

The 'open' dialogue for many windows application is in fact a modified version of windows explorer, and can be used in a similar fashion. For example, to open regedit from Notepad:

1. Open Notepad
2. Click File > Open
3. Click a blank space in the address bar to highlight the breadcrumb trail
4. Type 'regedit' and press 'Enter'

Themes

Cusomised .theme files are saved to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes. To use an RSS feed to replace your current Slideshow, find the [Slideshow] section of the theme file and replace the ImagesRootPath and ItemPath lines with RSSFeed=http://www.whatever.com/picturefeed. To create a distributable theme:

1. Make the theme current
2. Right-click the theme and choose 'Save theme for sharing'
3. Name the theme

The resulting '.themepack' file is a compressed folder containing the .theme file plus related media. The .theme or .themepack can be installed simply by double-clicking the file.

Interface Makeover

Taskbar buttons are larger and in addition to launching programs, act as a container menu for the application they represent. When applications are launched a button is appended to the task bar. Multiple instances of the same application are represented by a single taskbar button, and the button appears as a stack of buttons. With the Aero theme installed, hovering the mouse cursor over a stacked taskbar button, produces a thumbnail preview of each running window. Moving the mouse over a thumbnail, hides all other active windows as transparencies, and brings the highlighted window to the foreground (Aero Peek). Clicking the thumbnail switches the focus to that window. The thumbnail also provides a close button to close a particular instance of an application. If you move the mouse away from the thumbnail, Windows 7 restores your desktop windows to their original state.

To open a new instance of a currently running program from the taskbar, shift-click the button. To open the applicaton with Administrative priviledges, ctrl-shift-click the button.

Toolbars are still available by right-clicking the taskbar, but the Quick Lauch toolbar does not appear in the list of available toolbars. However, you can still add this toolbar, by selecting 'New Toolbar' and entering '%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch' as the path.

'Aero Snap' allows you to maximise a window by dragging it's title bar to the top of the screen. Alternatively you can snap to the left-hand or right-hand side of the screen by dragging the title bar to the left or right of your screen. This is useful for placing two windows side-by-side. A third snap, involves snapping to screen height, but with a variable width - drag the corner of the window to the top or bottom of the screen as if diagonally resizing the window. Dragging the title bar away from the snapped edge, restores the window to its previous dimensions. Aero Snap can be turned of in the Ease of Access centre.

You can use alt+tab to switch between windows, or Winkey+tab for a 3D stack of running applications (also known as Flip 3D)

Applications can be pinned to the start menu, replacing the function of task bar toolbars, such as 'Quick Launch', from earlier versions of windows. The taskbar button provides a jump-list menu via right-click: programs that support lists of recent files, display this list when you right-click their taskbar button, along with additional commands for the application. The jump-list can also be opened by dragging the taskbar button away from the taskbar. Shift+right-click displays a context menu for the application. Links for the 'frequent' items list can be pinned to the taskbar buttons 'pinned' items.

Jump Lists also display in the 'pinned items' and 'recent items' area for the start menu. If the context menus for the 'All Programs' section of the start menu is missing, enable 'drag and drop' via the start menu's 'Properties' dialogue