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[Windows 10 homegroup requirements free
Some of the new features included in Windows 7 are advancements in touch, speech [1] and handwriting recognition , support for virtual hard disks , support for additional file formats , improved performance on multi-core processors, [2] improved boot performance, and kernel improvements. Some of the features which are present in versions up to and including Windows Vista were removed or changed. Windows 7 retains the Windows Aero graphical user interface and visual style introduced in its predecessor, Windows Vista , but many areas have seen enhancements.
Unlike Windows Vista, window borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized while Windows Aero is active; instead, they remain translucent. Support for themes has been extended in Windows 7. A new theme pack extension has been introduced,. The default theme in Windows 7 consists of a single desktop wallpaper named “Harmony” and the default desktop icons, mouse cursors, and sound scheme introduced in Windows Vista; however, none of the desktop backgrounds included with Windows Vista are present in Windows 7.
New themes include Architecture , Characters , Landscapes , Nature , and Scenes , and an additional country-specific theme that is determined based on the defined locale when the operating system is installed; although only the theme for a user’s home country is displayed within the user interface, the files for all of these other country-specific themes are included in the operating system.
Windows 7 introduces a desktop slideshow feature that periodically changes the desktop wallpaper based on a user-defined interval; the change is accompanied by a smooth fade transition with a duration that can be customized via the Windows Registry. With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced gadgets to display information such as image slideshows and RSS feeds on the user’s desktop; the gadgets could optionally be displayed on a sidebar docked to a side of the screen.
Gadgets are more closely integrated with Windows Explorer , but the gadgets themselves continue to operate in a single sidebar. Active gadgets can also be hidden via a new desktop menu option; Microsoft has stated that this option can result in power-saving benefits. For original equipment manufacturers and enterprises, Windows 7 natively supports the ability to customize the wallpaper that is displayed during user login.
Because the settings to change the wallpaper are available via the Windows Registry, users can also customize this wallpaper. Windows Explorer in Windows 7 supports file libraries that aggregate content from various locations — including shared folders on networked systems if the shared folder has been indexed by the host system — and present them in a unified view. The libraries hide the actual location the file is stored in. Searching in a library automatically federates the query to the remote systems, in addition to searching on the local system, so that files on the remote systems are also searched.
Unlike search folders, Libraries are backed by a physical location which allows files to be saved in the Libraries. Such files are transparently saved in the backing physical folder.
The default save location for a library may be configured by the user, as can the default view layout for each library. Libraries are generally stored in the Libraries special folder, which allows them to be displayed on the navigation pane.
By default, a new user account in Windows 7 contains four libraries for different file types: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos.
They are configured to include the user’s profile folders for these respective file types, as well as the computer’s corresponding Public folders. In addition to aggregating multiple storage locations, Libraries enable Arrangement Views and Search Filter Suggestions. Arrangement Views allow you to pivot your view of the library’s contents based on metadata. For example, selecting the “By Month” view in the Pictures library will display photos in stacks, where each stack represents a month of photos based on the date they were taken.
In the Music library, the “By Artist” view will display stacks of albums from the artists in your collection, and browsing into an artist stack will then display the relevant albums.
Search Filter Suggestions are a new feature of the Windows 7 Explorer’s search box. When the user clicks in the search box, a menu shows up below it showing recent searches as well as suggested Advanced Query Syntax filters that the user can type. When one is selected or typed in manually , the menu will update to show the possible values to filter by for that property, and this list is based on the current location and other parts of the query already typed. For example, selecting the “tags” filter or typing “tags:” into the search box will display the list of possible tag values which will return search results.
Arrangement Views and Search Filter Suggestions are database-backed features which require that all locations in the Library be indexed by the Windows Search service. Local disk locations must be indexed by the local indexer, and Windows Explorer will automatically add locations to the indexing scope when they are included in a library. Windows Explorer also supports federating search to external data sources, such as custom databases or web services, that are exposed over the web and described via an OpenSearch definition.
The federated location description called a Search Connector is provided as an. Once installed, the data source becomes queryable directly from Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer features, such as previews and thumbnails, work with the results of a federated search as well.
Windows Explorer has received numerous minor enhancements that improve its overall functionality. The Explorer’s search box and the address bar can be resized. Folders such as those on the desktop or user profile folders can be hidden in the navigation pane to reduce clutter. A new Content view is added, which shows thumbnails and metadata together.
A new button to toggle the Preview Pane has been added to the toolbar. The button to create a new folder has been moved from the Organize menu and onto the toolbar. List view provides more space between items than in Windows Vista. Finally, storage space consumption bars that were only present for hard disks in Windows Vista are now shown for removable storage devices.
Other areas of the shell have also received similar fine-tunings: Progress bars and overlay icons may now appear on an application’s button on the taskbar to better alert the user of the status of the application or the work in progress.
File types for which property handlers or iFilters are installed are re-indexed by default. Previously, adding submenus to shell context menus or customizing the context menu’s behavior for a certain folder was only possible by installing a form of plug-in known as shell extensions.
Windows 7 includes native support for burning ISO files. The functionality is available when a user selects the Burn disc image option within the context menu of an ISO file. Support for disc image verification is also included. In previous versions of Windows, users were required to install third-party software to burn ISO images.
The start orb now has a fade-in highlight effect when the user hovers the mouse cursor over it. The Start Menu’s right column is now the Aero glass color. In Windows Vista, it was always black. Windows 7’s Start menu retains the two-column layout of its predecessors, with several functional changes:.
The Start Search field, introduced in Windows Vista, has been extended to support searching for keywords of Control Panel items.
For example, clicking the Start button then typing “wireless” will show Control Panel options related to configuring and connecting to wireless network, adding Bluetooth devices, and troubleshooting.
Group Policy settings for Windows Explorer provide the ability for administrators of an Active Directory domain, or an expert user to add up to five Internet web sites and five additional “search connectors” to the Search Results view in the Start menu. The links, which appear at the bottom of the pane, allow the search to be executed again on the selected web site or search connector. Microsoft suggests that network administrators could use this feature to enable searching of corporate Intranets or an internal SharePoint server.
The Windows Taskbar has seen its most significant revision since its introduction in Windows 95 and combines the previous Quick Launch functionality with open application window icons. The taskbar is now rendered as an Aero glass element whose color can be changed via the Personalization Control Panel.
It is 10 pixels taller than in Windows Vista to accommodate touch screen input and a new larger default icon size although a smaller taskbar size is available , as well as maintain proportion to newer high resolution monitor modes.
Within this border, a color effect dependent on the predominant color of the icon that follows the mouse cursor also indicates the opened status of the application.
The glass taskbar is more translucent than in Windows Vista. Taskbar buttons show icons by default, not application titles, unless they are set to ‘not combine’, or ‘combine when taskbar is full.
Programs running or pinned on the taskbar can be rearranged. Items in the notification area can also be rearranged. The Quick Launch toolbar has been removed from the default configuration, but may be easily added.
Applications can now be pinned to the taskbar allowing the user instant access to the applications they commonly use. There are a few ways to pin applications to the taskbar. Icons can be dragged and dropped onto the taskbar, or the application’s icon can be right-clicked to pin it to the taskbar. Thumbnail previews which were introduced in Windows Vista have been expanded to not only preview the windows opened by the application in a small-sized thumbnail view, but to also interact with them.
The user can close any window opened by clicking the X on the corresponding thumbnail preview. The name of the window is also shown in the thumbnail preview. A “peek” at the window is obtained by hovering over the thumbnail preview. Peeking brings up only the window of the thumbnail preview over which the mouse cursor hovers, and turns any other windows on the desktop transparent. This also works for tabs in Internet Explorer: individual tabs may be peeked at in the thumbnail previews.
Thumbnail previews integrate Thumbnail Toolbars [26] which can control the application from the thumbnail previews themselves. Jump lists are menu options available by right-clicking a taskbar icon or holding the left mouse button and sliding towards the center of the desktop on an icon.
Each application has a jump list corresponding to its features, Microsoft Word’s displaying recently opened documents; Windows Media Player’s recent tracks and playlists; frequently opened directories in Windows Explorer ; Internet Explorer’s recent browsing history and options for opening new tabs or starting InPrivate Browsing; Windows Live Messenger’s common tasks such as instant messaging, signing off, and changing online status.
Third-party software can add custom actions through a dedicated API. Up to 10 menu items may appear on a list, partially customizable by user. Frequently used files and folders can be pinned by the user as to not get usurped from the list if others are opened more frequently.
Progress bar in taskbar’s tasks allows users to know the progress of a task without switching to the pending window. The notification area has been redesigned; the standard Volume, Network, Power and Action Center status icons are present, but no other application icons are shown unless the user has chosen them to be shown.
In addition to being able to configure whether the application icons are shown, the ability to hide each application’s notification balloons has been added. The user can then view the notifications at a later time.
A triangle to the left of the visible notification icons displays the hidden notification icons. Unlike Windows Vista and Windows XP, the hidden icons are displayed in a window above the taskbar, instead of on the taskbar. Icons can be dragged between this window and the notification area. In previous versions of Windows, the taskbar ended with the notification area on the right-hand side. Windows 7, however, introduces a show desktop button on the far right side of the taskbar which can initiate an Aero Peek feature that makes all open windows translucent when hovered over by a mouse cursor.
Clicking this button shows the desktop, and clicking it again brings all windows to focus. The new button replaces the show desktop shortcut located in the Quick Launch toolbar in previous versions of Windows.
On touch-based devices, Aero Peek can be initiated by pressing and holding the show desktop button; touching the button itself shows the desktop. The button also increases in width to accommodate being pressed by a finger. Windows can be dragged to the top of the screen to maximize them and dragged away to restore them.
Windows 10 homegroup requirements free
When you have to share multiple files in the local network, you can use the File Explorer advanced sharing options. Quick tip: When sharing a. To create your first HomeGroup, click Start > Settings > Networking & Internet > Status > HomeGroup. This will open the HomeGroups control panel. Homegroups work with any Windows 7, 8, and computers on your network, as well. (Homegroups don’t work with Windows Vista or Windows XP, unfortunately.).
Windows 10 homegroup requirements free
The system is also used as part of a new home networking system known as HomeGroup; devices are added to the network with a password , and files and folders can be shared with all other devices in the HomeGroup, or with specific users. The default libraries, along with printers, are shared by default, but the personal folder is set to read-only access by other users, and the Public folder can be accessed by anyone.
Windows 7 includes improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic Services API [86] to provide multilingual support particularly in Ultimate and Enterprise editions. Microsoft also implemented better support for solid-state drives , [87] including the new TRIM command , and Windows 7 is able to identify a solid-state drive uniquely. Native support for USB 3. NET -based WCF web services , [91] new features to simplify development of installation packages and shorten application install times.
Additionally, users can now adjust the level at which UAC operates using a sliding scale. Certain capabilities and programs that were a part of Windows Vista are no longer present or have been changed, resulting in the removal of certain functionalities; these include the classic Start Menu user interface, some taskbar features , Windows Explorer features , Windows Media Player features , Windows Ultimate Extras , Search button, and InkBall.
Windows 7 is available in six different editions, of which the Home Premium , Professional , and Ultimate were available at retail in most countries, and as pre-loaded software on most new computers.
Home Premium and Professional were aimed at home users and small businesses respectively, while Ultimate was aimed at enthusiasts. Each edition of Windows 7 includes all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it, and adds additional features oriented towards their market segments; for example, Professional adds additional networking and security features such as Encrypting File System and the ability to join a domain. Ultimate contained a superset of the features from Home Premium and Professional , along with other advanced features oriented towards power users, such as BitLocker drive encryption; unlike Windows Vista, there were no ” Ultimate Extras ” add-ons created for Windows 7 Ultimate.
The remaining three editions were not available at retail, of which two were available exclusively through OEM channels as pre-loaded software. The Starter edition is a stripped-down version of Windows 7 meant for low-cost devices such as netbooks. In comparison to Home Premium, Starter has reduced multimedia functionality, does not allow users to change their desktop wallpaper or theme, disables the “Aero Glass” theme, does not have support for multiple monitors, and can only address 2GB of RAM.
All editions aside from Starter support both IA and x architectures , Starter only supports bit systems. The installation media for consumer versions of Windows 7 are identical, the product key and corresponding license determines the edition that is installed.
The Windows Anytime Upgrade service can be used to purchase an upgrade that unlocks the functionality of a higher edition, such as going from Starter to Home Premium , and Home Premium to Ultimate. Support for Windows 7 without Service Pack 1 ended on April 9, , requiring users to update in order to continue receiving updates and support after 3 years, 8 months, and 18 days. Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended on January 13, Extended support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, On September 7, , Microsoft announced a paid “Extended Security Updates” service that will offer additional updates for Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise for up to three years after the end of extended support.
Variants of Windows 7 for embedded systems and thin clients have different support policies: Windows Embedded Standard 7 support ended in October Instead, a more complex method, that typically involves the utilization of a patching tool, allows the installation of pirated Extended Security Updates.
This solution ended up being the only solution to allow consumer variants to continue to receive updates. This will mark the final end of the Windows NT 6. In March , Microsoft announced that it would display notifications to users informing users of the upcoming end of support, and direct users to a website urging them to purchase a Windows 10 upgrade or a new computer.
In August , researchers reported that “all modern versions of Microsoft Windows” may be at risk for “critical” system compromise because of design flaws of hardware device drivers from multiple providers. In September , Microsoft announced that it would provide free security updates for Windows 7 on federally-certified voting machines through the United States elections. Additional requirements to use certain features: [].
The maximum amount of RAM that Windows 7 supports varies depending on the product edition and on the processor architecture, as shown in the following table. The x86 editions of Windows 7 support up to 32 logical processors; x64 editions support up to 4 x In January , Microsoft announced that it would no longer support Windows platforms older than Windows 10 on any future Intel-compatible processor lines, citing difficulties in reliably allowing the operating system to operate on newer hardware.
Microsoft stated that effective July 17, , devices with Intel Skylake CPUs were only to receive the “most critical” updates for Windows 7 and 8. Microsoft and their hardware partners provide special testing and support for these devices on 7 and 8.
On March 18, , in response to criticism from enterprise customers, Microsoft delayed the end of support and non-critical updates for Skylake systems to July 17, , but stated that they would also continue to receive security updates through the end of extended support.
However, the restrictions on newer CPU microarchitectures remain in force. Security updates released since March contain bugs which affect processors that do not support SSE2 extensions, including all Pentium III processors.
Microsoft initially stated that it would attempt to resolve the issue, and prevented installation of the affected patches on these systems. However, on June 15, , Microsoft retroactively modified its support documents to remove the promise that this bug would be resolved, replacing it with a statement suggesting that users obtain a newer processor.
This effectively ends future patch support for Windows 7 on these systems. A beta was released on July 12, In addition, it adds support for Advanced Format e as well as additional Identity Federation Services. In Europe, the automatic nature of the BrowserChoice.
This update backports some features found in Windows 8. Windows Management Framework 5. It was released on February 24, [] and was eventually superseded by Windows Management Framework 5. The rollup is not available via Windows Update, and must be downloaded manually. This package can also be integrated into a Windows 7 installation image. Since October , all security and reliability updates are cumulative. Downloading and installing updates that address individual problems is no longer possible, but the number of updates that must be downloaded to fully update the OS is significantly reduced.
In June , Microsoft announced that they’ll be moving Windows 7 to a monthly update model beginning with updates released in September [] – two years after Microsoft switched the rest of their supported operating systems to that model. With the new update model, instead of updates being released as they became available, only two update packages were released on the second Tuesday of every month until Windows 7 reached its end of life – one package containing security and quality updates, and a smaller package that contained only the security updates.
Users could choose which package they wanted to install each month. Later in the month, another package would be released which was a preview of the next month’s security and quality update rollup. Installing the preview rollup package released for Windows 7 on March 19, , or any later released rollup package, that makes Windows more reliable. The last non-extended security update rollup packages were released on January 14, , the last day that Windows 7 had extended support.
On January 14, , Windows 7 support ended with Microsoft no longer providing security updates or fixes after that date, [] except for subscribers of the Windows 7 Extended Security Updates ESU , who can continue to receive Windows 7 security updates through January 10, In a support document, Microsoft has stated that a full-screen upgrade warning notification would be displayed on Windows 7 PCs on all editions except the Enterprise edition after January 15, The notification does not appear on machines connected to Active Directory, machines in kiosk mode, or machines subscribed for Extended Security Updates.
Windows 7 received critical acclaim, with critics noting the increased usability and functionality when compared with its predecessor, Windows Vista. PC Magazine rated it a 4 out of 5 saying that Windows 7 is a “big improvement” over Windows Vista, with fewer compatibility problems, a retooled taskbar, simpler home networking and faster start-up. No version of Windows is ever perfect, but Windows 7 really is the best release of Windows yet.
Some Windows Vista Ultimate users have expressed concerns over Windows 7 pricing and upgrade options. The changes to User Account Control on Windows 7 were criticized for being potentially insecure, as an exploit was discovered allowing untrusted software to be launched with elevated privileges by exploiting a trusted component. Peter Bright of Ars Technica argued that “the way that the Windows 7 UAC ‘improvements’ have been made completely exempts Microsoft’s developers from having to do that work themselves.
With Windows 7, it’s one rule for Redmond, another one for everyone else. In July , in only eight hours, pre-orders of Windows 7 at amazon. On March 4, , Microsoft announced that it had sold more than 90 million licenses. As with other Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 was studied by United States federal regulators who oversee the company’s operations following the United States v. Microsoft Corp. According to status reports filed, the three-member panel began assessing prototypes of the new operating system in February Michael Gartenberg , an analyst at Jupiter Research , said, “[Microsoft’s] challenge for Windows 7 will be how can they continue to add features that consumers will want that also don’t run afoul of regulators.
In order to comply with European antitrust regulations, Microsoft proposed the use of a “ballot” screen containing download links to competing web browsers, thus removing the need for a version of Windows completely without Internet Explorer, as previously planned. As with the previous version of Windows, an N version, which does not come with Windows Media Player , has been released in Europe, but only for sale directly from Microsoft sales websites and selected others.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Personal computer operating system by Microsoft released in Screenshot of Windows 7, showing its desktop , taskbar , Start menu and the glass effect of Windows Aero.
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October Archived from the original on October 17, Retrieved October 27, Maximum PC. Future US. Archived from the original on November 24, Retrieved November 18, Retrieved November 20, Retrieved January 29, Learn how to set it up on your Windows 11 PC. Get started. See the upgrade FAQ. Learn about Widgets. Watch the video series. Get taskbar info. Learn more about updates. Free up some space.
Improve PC performance. Make sure your device is protected. Thank you for your loyalty. We want to help you prepare and recommend you move to a Windows 11 PC to stay supported and secure. Learn more about Windoes 8. Optimize your monitor. Find PC settings. Change accessibility settings. Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, Get the details and learn what it means for you.
Get info. Moving to a Windows 10 PC? Moving guide. Learn how. Windows 11 System Requirements. Get connected when setting up your Windows 11 PC. Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows. Personalize your PC. Install Quick Assist. Update Windows. Back up your BitLocker recovery key. Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows Desktop Themes.
Skype is available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page. Snap : The number of applications that can be snapped will depend upon the minimum resolution for the application with a limit of two applications in Tablet mode and four applications in Desktop mode.
Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a: High fidelity microphone array Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed Tablet mode is available on tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter “tablet mode” automatically.
Touch : To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch. Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, Biometric finger print reader or illuminated infrared camera , or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities. Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared IR imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Xbox application requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox Live Countries and Regions website.
Additional languages available as Language Interface Packs. When upgrading to Windows 10 from a previous version of Windows such as Windows 7 or Windows 8. Please see below for information regarding some of the key removed features:. Starting with the May Update Windows 10, version , the sync feature has been removed from all devices. Due to this change, you will only be able to access messages from the device that received the message. In a future release, any connection to a Wi-Fi network using these old ciphers will be disallowed.
Cortana : Cortana has been updated and enhanced in the Windows 10 May Update Windows 10, version With these changes, some previously available consumer skills such as music, connected home and third-party skills will no longer be available.
Get detailed information here. Use the Phone page in the Settings app to sync your mobile phone with your PC. It includes all the Phone Companion features.
HomeGroup: HomeGroup was removed starting with the April Update Windows 10, version , but you still have the ability to share printers, files and folders. Any printers, files and folders you shared using HomeGroup will continue to be shared.
Instead of using HomeGroup, you can now share printers, files and folders by using features that are built into Windows Share your network printers Share files in File Explorer For Xbox and HomeGroup users, please see more information on streaming media People app: In Windows 10, the People app shows mail from Microsoft contacts and contacts from your school or work organisation under Conversations.
Starting with the April Update Windows 10, version , in order to see new mail in the People app from these specific contacts, you need to be online, and you need to have signed in with either a Microsoft account or, for work or school organisation accounts, through the Mail , People or Calendar apps. For reading PDF files, Microsoft Edge is the recommended replacement app and offers similar functionality as well as additional features including improved accessibility support, improved Inking, and support for AskCortana.
Note that users of earlier Windows 10 versions can continue using the Reader app.