Essential Windows 7 Tweaks: Part 1

Every person has different tastes when it comes to their installation of Windows.  Through the years that have been many things that I do right off the bat when getting my install “just right”.  In the XP days, the first thing I would do was to stretch the taskbar, enable Quick Launch, add an address bar, unlock it, then move those around a bit.  If my taskbar wasn’t set up this way, I HATED IT… in fact, I would move other people’s around when I worked on their computers!  Windows 7 is no different for me, however, the list isn’t as exhaustive yet. This is a multipart series, so stay tuned for more.

1. Display file extensions

Unfortunately, some file extensions can easily be spoofed and what may look like readthisdoc.txt may actually be readthisdoc.txt.exe and execute a malicious program.  If you display file extensions, you can easily see this.

This is a big one in my book… A file name extension is a set of characters added to the end of a file name that determine which program should open it. Follow these steps to choose whether Windows displays these file extensions.

1. Open Folder Options by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Folder Options.
2. Click the View tab, and then, under Advanced settings, do one of the following:
   • To hide file extensions, select the Hide extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK.
   • To display file extensions, clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK.