NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, April 2011
The Seventh Son of Windows
The Windows 7 Control Panel

By Lee Reynolds, Contributing Editor,
Boca Raton Computer Society, FL January 2011 issue, Boca Bits

http://www.brcs.org
leetutor (at) exploringwindows.com (click to email author)

Introduction
The overall look of Control Panel in Windows 7 hasn't changed that much from Vista, but there are a number of under-the-hood differences.

First, there is no "Classic View" link in the left pane of Control, as there was in Windows XP and Vista. Instead, you click on the "View by" dropdown listbox and select "Large icons" or "Small icons."

Now as you compare all the items in Vista and Windows 7, you will see that there are a number of missing applets, a number of new applets, and a number of modified applets. Missing Or Replaced Applets Some of the missing applets in Windows 7 are: Add Hardware, People Near Me, and Windows Sidebar Properties. The Welcome Center applet of Vista has been replaced in Windows 7 by one called Getting Started.

Since there are still Gadgets in Windows 7, but no Sidebar to mount them on, the Windows Sidebar Properties applet of Vista has been replaced by Desktop Gadgets. The Printers applet of Vista has been replaced by one called Devices and Printers. Besides printers, this new applet can also handle devices that are connected externally to the computer, including devices connected wirelessly or over the network, through USB cables, Bluetooth, Wireless USB, Wi-Fi or other wireless connections.

System Restore in Vista was one of the tasks in the left pane of the window for the System applet. Under Windows 7, it has its own applet called Recovery.

Windows Security Center is another applet in Vista that has been redistributed differently in Windows 7. Security Center enabled you to handle the Firewall, Automatic Updating, use of an Anti-virus program and the handling of malware by Windows Defender. It also allowed you to turn on User Account Control if it was disabled.

Vista also had an applet called Problem Reports and Solutions which allowed you to research and report problems in your computer. In Windows 7, most of this is handled in the new applet called Action Center.

New In Windows 7
There are a number of other new applets in Windows 7 with no counterpart in Vista, including: * ClearType Text Tuner, which helps make the text on the screen easier to read
* Credential Manager, which helps manage user names and passwords and other credentials used to log on to websites, other computers, etc.
* Default Location, which can be used to store your zip code, country/region, and latitude and longitude for use when there is no location sensor such as a GPS receiver attached to the computer
* Display, which allows a choice between Smaller, Medium, and Larger sizes for text and other items to make the screen easier to read
* HomeGroup, which is the new way of sharing data and other resources in a home network environment
* Notification Area Icons, which allows control of which icons and notification messages appear in the Notification Area of the Taskbar
* RemoteApp and Desktop Connections, which allows you to connect to desktops and programs at your workplace; this takes the place of the Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance capabilities of Windows Vista and XP
* System Icons, which allows control of the following icons and notifications in the Notification Area of the Taskbar: Clock, Volume, Network, Power, and Action Center
* Troubleshooting, which allows access to various troubleshooting wizards on computer problems under the following general categories: Programs, Hardware and Sound, Network and Internet, Appearance and Personalization, System and Security

Most of the other applets that Vista and Windows 7 have in common have either not changed at all, or have relatively minor differences.

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