Windows Learning Snacks

The Windows 7 client operating system offers innovative technologies that improve performance, reliability, security, and compatibility. It also offers new capabilities that help organizations improve user productivity, enhance security, and reduce operating costs. Because Windows 7 is built on the same platform as Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the investments you make in Windows Vista readiness—application testing and hardware assessment—will help speed the adoption of Windows 7 in your environment.

The User Account Control (UAC) feature was first implemented in the Windows Vista operating system to protect computers from malicious software and unauthorized system changes. Based on feedback from users and administrators, the Windows team significantly enhanced UAC in Windows 7 to give users greater control of their computers and provide administrators with more granular configuration settings. This Learning Snack explains how UAC works and shows you how to configure UAC security settings. It also describes the key UAC enhancements in Windows 7.

Every organization needs to keep its business-critical data secure and impervious to theft. This Learning Snack describes the BitLocker and AppLocker features in Windows 7, which give you more control over sensitive data. It demonstrates how BitLocker protects hard drives and the data on laptops, and how BitLocker to Go secures removable storage devices. This Learning Snack also shows you how to implement application control policies with AppLocker to protect the computers on your network from unlicensed and malicious software.

This Learning Snack describes the new desktop and taskbar features in Windows 7 that help you effortlessly manage your applications, folders, and windows. It also demonstrates how to use features such as Aero Peek and Aero Shake to manage open windows. This Learning Snack shows you how to create taskbar icons to easily access frequently used applications and Jump Lists to save files on your desktop without the clutter.

If you have more than one computer in your home, you can create a home network so that you can easily share and access files and printers across the network. This Learning Snack describes the HomeGroup feature in Windows 7, which will help you create a home network quickly and easily.

Typically, when users have computer issues, they call Help desk to resolve them. But if users have Windows 7, they can take advantage of its new tools to solve their computer problems without calling Help desk. This Learning Snack explores new ways to manage and troubleshoot common computer problems in Windows 7 by using the troubleshooting platform, which includes Action Center and Problem Steps Recorder.

Windows 7 includes several tools that simplify desktop deployment, including Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). DISM combines the functionality of several image-management tools that were available in Windows Vista. With the help of DISM, IT professionals and desktop configuration administrators can deploy Windows images to computer systems efficiently and quickly. This Learning Snack describes the DISM tool and demonstrates some of the commands that administrators can use while preparing and servicing Windows images offline.