1. Does Windows 7 Have Task View
  2. Windows 7 Task View
  3. Task View Windows 7 Download

You may consider yourself a Windows master, but chances are even you've forgotten some of Windows' awesome built-in features. Here are seven of our favorite forgotten Windows features—and the cool things you can do with them.

  1. Learn how to use the taskbar features in Windows 10. If the app is already open, locate the app's icon button on the taskbar, press and hold the button, and then swipe up until the App list appears.
  2. Windows 10 'Task View' Features I don't know about you, but I am absolutely ecstatic that Windows 10 is including Task View! I've been fond of multi-desktop environments since I started experimenting with a third-party software tool called 'VirtuaWin' a few years ago on Windows 7.
  3. How to Hide or Show Task View Button on Taskbar in Windows 10 Windows 10 introduces a new feature called Task View.Task View is a virtual desktop manager that allows you to quickly switch between all of your open apps on multiple desktops.

You can beef up your Windows PC with cool downloads, but there's something to be said for exploiting an awesome trick built into Windows. Some of them you may have forgotten, some you may have never known about in the first place. Others you may know about and just haven't realized their potential. Even if you're a Windows expert, there's probably something new to learn, so check out our seven favorite forgotten features below.

The Task scheduler is a great tool in Windows, which provides the facility to schedule and run tasks on particular intervals. Task Scheduler stores the tracked events for each task and the entries are stored in the Microsoft Windows Task Scheduler event log. Method 2 – Turn Off Aero in Windows 7/8/10. Here, you want to create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value called ExtendedUIHoverTime and give it a value of 10000 or higher. Basically, this is the number of milliseconds it waits before showing the taskbar previews. You can set it to 20000 for 20 seconds, 30000 for 30 seconds, etc.

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Task Scheduler: Automate Just About Anything

One simple key to staying productive in the digital age: Automate everything. Windows' built in Task Scheduler can relegate boring, menial tasks to the OS and run them on a schedule (as the name implies). You can create tasks both simple and complex, ranging from starting a program and sending an email to running complex scripts under specific conditions, all with just a few clicks.

To use Task Scheduler, just open up the Start menu, type 'task scheduler', and press Enter. You'll see a window with all your currently scheduled tasks in it, which could have been created by other programs on your system—like a task for updating certain software, or starting a program when you log in. Expand the Task Scheduler library on the left to see tasks in other categories and what they do.

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To create your own task, just click 'Create Task' in the right window pane. You can give it a name, description, and add a few security options. The other tabs help you create the task itself:

  • The Triggers tab lets you set when the task will run. This can be on a timed schedule (like every day or once a week), every time your computer boots, or something more complicated.
  • Actions is where you set what the task actually does. This could be launching an application, sending an email, displaying a message, or running a command line command. See 'Clever Uses of Task Scheduler' below for ideas.
  • Under Conditions, you'll be able to set certain exceptions for the task. For example, you can set it to run only if the computer has been idle for a certain amount of time, set it to wake your computer from sleep, and more. This is particularly handy, so comb through these options every time you create a task to make sure it runs the way you want.
  • The Settings tab is similar to Conditions, but mainly deals with what happens if your task doesn't run (or takes too long). You can set it to run ASAP if it's missed, stop it if it runs too long, or let multiple instances of the task run at once.

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You can also go to File > Create Basic Task if you want a simpler wizard to guide you through the process.

Clever Uses for Task Scheduler

System Restore: Save Yourself from 'Oh S#!+' Moments

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Sometimes, you install a program or update a driver that causes more problems than it solves. Windows' System Restore feature is designed for just such an occasion: open it up, and it'll roll back your system to exactly the way it was right before you installed that program or driver. It isn't a replacement for a full, bulletproof backup—System Restore only copies certain registry and system files—but it can be great for when you just want to undo a small mistake.

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To use System Restore, just head to the Start menu, type in 'System Restore', and press Enter. System Restore will then show you all your most recent 'restore points', or points in time to which you can roll back. By default, it automatically creates a restore point every time you install new software or drivers, so you don't even have to set it up to take advantage. If you notice a problem, just fire up System Restore and roll back. For a more detailed look at how to use the tool, check out our Complete Guide to Windows System Restore.

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Make System Restore More Powerful

  • Use System Restore to recover individual files (remember, though, you should still have a real backup in place too)

Libraries: Organize Your Files, Make Windows Search Better

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Libraries were one of Windows 7's best underhyped features when it came out, and they're more powerful than they look. If you aren't familiar with libraries, they essentially collect the contents multiple folders from around your system and put them in one place, organized by what's inside. For example, if you have your music collection strewn about three different folders on your system, you can add each of those to the 'Music' library. Then, when you open up Music from the Libraries window, you'll see all your music in one place, as if they were all in the same folder.

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However, it gets a lot more powerful when you create your own libraries or add network locations, both of which we went through in our original primer on Windows 7 libraries. However, the best part about libraries are their integration with Windows Search. Windows Search can be kind of crappy out of the box, since it won't search your whole system. However, if you want to index a folder, just add it to one of your libraries, and Windows Explorer will be able to search it with lighting-fast speed. It's just one of the ways you can make Windows Search a million times better.

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Other Cool Ways to Tweak Libraries

  • Use them to share data across multi-booting Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs

Homegroups: File Sharing Made Simple

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If you have more than one computer in your house, you probably want to share files between them often, whether its documents you're currently working on, music you want to listen to, videos you want to watch on the other side of the house, and so on. A Homegroup is the easiest way to do that, letting you have constant access to any file you want to share across the network. You can even share printers, so you don't need a printer in every room of the house.

All you need to do is search for 'Homegroup' in the Start menu and fire up the Create a Homegroup wizard. From there, you'll be able to choose which libraries you want to share (which you're hopefully using thanks to the above tips) and you're good to go. Join that homegroup on your other computers and you have instant access to any file you add to those libraries. For a more detailed how-to, check out our guide to setting up Windows 7 Homegroups.

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Windows homegroups are also great for setting up a geeky media center that non-geeks can actually use. Of course, if you have no use for homegroups, you canturn the feature off, too.

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Jump Lists: Your Favorite Features Just a Click Away

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Jump Listsare another great underhyped feature that give you quick access to recent items, popular menu items, and other things right on your taskbar. Each application in your taskbar has its own jump list (provided it's designed to work with Windows 7), so you can get the best features of each program in two clicks.

Wedding slideshow download. To access a jump list, just right-click on a taskbar icon. A menu will slide up from the taskbar, and you'lll be able to open a recent document in Word, start up private browsing in Chrome, and control your media in Winamp or foobar2000. You can also pin certain items, like saved Windows Explorer searches, to jumplists, making them more useful for the things you do day in and day out. For a full rundown of how to use them, check out our guide to Mastering Windows 7 Jump Lists and Boosting Your Productivity.

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More Customizations and Clever Uses for Jump Lists

  • Jumplist Extender customizes any Jump List entriy in Windows 7—perfect for apps that don't have jump list support
  • Jumplist Launcher launches multiple programs from one taskbar slot through jump lists—perfect for overflowing taskbars

Resource Monitor: See What Your Programs are Actually Doing

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Windows' Task Manager has some nice little resource charts built-in, where you can see if certain programs are misbehaving. However, it has another tool called Resource Monitor that gives you a much more detailed look at CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, so you can see what's really going on under the hood.

To use it, just head to the Start menu and type in 'Resource Monitor'. Press Enter when it pops up, and you'll be greeted with its Overview tab, showing you a brief rundown of your CPU, disk, network, and memory activity. Clicking on the other tabs will show you more detailed charts and graphs of each resource—for example, Memory will show you a graphic of how much memory is in use, in standby mode, or free. From here, you can find your program that's acting up, slowing down your machine, or taking up too much network bandwidth.

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Of course, if you always want this information in your line of sight, we recommend creating an attractive, customized desktop HUD using our favorite system monitor, Rainmeter.

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Reliability Monitor: A Must When Things Go Wonky

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If you've been noticing the same error message, crash, or problem for a few weeks but don't quite know how to fix it, the lesser-known Reliability Monitor tool is here to help. It keeps track of every application failure, Windows failure, warning message, and other important information, putting them on a timeline so you can see exactly when everything happened. That way, you can look back and see when an error first started popping up, and see if there are any patterns in when it decides to cause you pain.

To use it, launch the Start menu and type in 'view reliability history'. Press Enter, and you'll see a graph of your most recent problems. Click on a column for more information about what happened that day, and you'll see a list of the failures, warnings, and other messages in that column. You can view the graph by days or weeks, check for solutions to problems, and view other details of anything that went wrong. In short, when something's wonky with your computer, check out the Reliability Monitor to get the troubleshooting information you need.

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These aren't the only forgotten Windows tools we love, but they are some of our favorites. Honorable mentions go to the Problem Solution Recorder, which records your screen so you can get help troubleshooting; the Mobility Center, which lets you customize essential laptop settings with just a keyboard shortcut; and the Compatibility Troubleshooter, which helps you get programs running that may not work with newer versions of Windows.

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If you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 but don’t love what you see, there are ways to make Windows 10 look and act like Windows 7. That way, you can get the familiar interface you love while still taking advantage of Windows 10’s other useful features.

Get a Windows 7-like Start Menu with Classic Shell

RELATED:Bring The Windows 7 Start Menu to Windows 10 with Classic Shell

Microsoft sort of brought the Start menu back in Windows 10, but it’s been given a big overhaul. If you truly want the Windows 7 Start menu back, install the free program Classic Shell. You can even download images of the Windows 7 Start orb and use that on the Taskbar for the Start menu. Not only is it more similar to Windows 7’s start menu, but it’s insanely customizable, so you can get the Start menu of your dreams.

Make File Explorer Look and Act Like Windows Explorer

RELATED:How to Make Windows 10’s File Explorer Look Like Windows 7’s Windows Explorer

There are a lot of changes in Windows 10’s File Explorer compared to Windows 7’s Windows Explorer. If you’re not happy with the changes, you can get the look and feel of Windows 7’s Windows Explorer back with a free tool called OldNewExplorer, along with some tweaks to the settings and registry that get rid of the ribbon, hide Quick Access, and lots more. Check out our full guide for all the tweaks.

Add Color to the Window Title Bars

RELATED:How to Get Colored Window Title Bars on Windows 10 (Instead of White)

The title bars on windows in Windows 10 are white by default. But that’s boring! Thankfully, the latest version of Windows 10 lets you add some color to the title bars in the settings, letting you make your desktop a little more like Windows 7. Just head to Settings > Personalization > Colors to change them. You can read more about the color settings here.

Remove the Cortana Box and Task View Button from the Taskbar

RELATED:How to Hide the Search/Cortana Box and Task View Button on the Windows 10 Taskbar

The Windows 7 Start menu included a Search box right on the menu. In Windows 10, that search box was moved to the Taskbar and integrated into Cortana (personal assistant) and the Task View (virtual desktops) button was added to the Taskbar as well. Neither Cortana nor Task View was available in Windows 7. So, to continue our conversion to a Windows 7-like experience, you can remove both of them from the Taskbar–you just need to right-click on the taskbar. De-select “Show Task View Button” and go to Cortana > Hidden.

View

Disable the Action Center

The Action Center is a new feature of Windows 10 that’s available by clicking the message bubble on the right side of the Taskbar. It’s handy for seeing all recent notifications you might have missed, and frankly, we think it’s worth keeping–it’s one of the more useful updates to Windows 10. But, if you really want to get rid of it, you can disable the Action Center by going to Settings > System > Notifications & Actions and clicking “Turn System Icons On or Off”. From there you can turn Action Center off with a simple slider.

You will still see popup notifications above your system tray. You just won’t be able to view them after the fact if you miss them.

Log In with a Local Account Instead of a Microsoft Account

As of Windows 8, your Windows account is tied to your Microsoft account by default, which means you log in to your computer with your Microsoft email and password. If you want to return to using a local account, like you did in Windows 7, you can revert your Windows 10 account to a local one using these instructions. You can also create a new local account that isn’t tied to your Microsoft account, if you prefer.

Play Games like Solitaire and Minesweeper Without Ads

RELATED:You Don’t Have to Pay $20 a Year for Solitaire and Minesweeper on Windows 10

Windows 7’s ever-popular free games, such as Solitaire and Minesweeper, were removed in Windows 8. Windows 10 includes the Microsoft Solitaire Collection app, but the game will show you banner ads and full-screen video advertisements, bugging you for $20 per year to get the ad-free versions. Thankfully, there are plenty of free (and ad-free) versions of these popular games out there. Check out this guide for a few of our favorites.

Disable the Lock Screen (on Windows 10 Enterprise)

RELATED:How to Disable the Lock Screen on Windows 8 Without Using Group Policy

The lock screen is pretty, but is really more of a touch screen-friendly feature. It isn’t really necessary or particularly useful on the desktop. It used to be the case if you were using any version of Windows 10, you could disable the lock screen. However, as of the Anniversary Update of Windows 10, you can only disable the lock screen if you are using Windows 10 Enterprise. So, if you’re using any other version of Windows 10, you’re stuck with the lock screen for now.

Easily Access the Classic Personalization Window

Does Windows 7 Have Task View

By default, when you right-click on the Windows 10 desktop and select Personalize, you are taken to the new Personalization section in PC Settings. However, the Personalization window from Windows 7 is still available in the Control Panel. You can add a shortcut to the desktop so you can quickly access the classic Personalization window if you prefer it.

Right-click on the desktop and select New > Folder from the popup menu.

Copy and paste the following text into the name of the folder and press Enter.

Windows 7 Task View

The icon changes to the personalization icon and the name of the folder also changes to Personalization. Double-click this icon to access the classic Personalization window in the Control Panel.

It isn’t as good as right-clicking, but at least you have a quick shortcut now.

Set the Windows 7 Wallpaper as Your Desktop Background

Last, but certainly not least, you can change the desktop background to the classic Windows 7 wallpaper. You can grab it right here–just right-click on the image and save it somewhere on your computer. Then, right-click on the image in File Explorer and choose “Set as Desktop Background.”

Now, you can pretend that you never upgraded to Windows 10, at least until Microsoft forces Windows 10 updates down your throat.

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Task View Windows 7 Download

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