Windows 7 provides a number of new features, such as advances in touch and handwriting recognition, support for Virtual hard disk, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, Direct Access and kernel improvements. Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards (Heterogeneous Multi-adapter), a new version of Windows Media Center, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, improved media features. Windows 7 comes with the XPS Essentials Pack and Windows Power Shell and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion.

Induction of new items to the Control Panel, including Clear Type Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display. Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action Center which encompasses both security
and maintenance of the computer. Windows 7 also supports Mac-like RAW image viewing through the inclusion of WIC-enabled image decoders. It enables raw image thumbnails, previewing and metadata display in Windows Explorer, plus full-size viewing and slideshows in Windows Photo Viewer and Window Media Center.

Besides Windows7 brings some visual changes, such as aero peek (Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop) and easy to access mode “Quick Launch toolbar” has been advanced with pinning applications to the taskbar. Buttons for pinned applications are integrated with the task buttons. These buttons also enable the Jump Lists
feature to allow easy access to common tasks. The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons. To the far right of the system clock is a small rectangular button that serves as the Show desktop icon. This button is part of the new feature in Windows 7 called Aero Peek. Bio sensation is an important feature of Windows7. Biometric Framework has been developed in windows7 to such an extent if you want to put your palm as password you can do. Hence it’s much fascinating. With just your finger movement you can command the program.

Additionally, there is a feature named Aero Snap, which can maximize or minimize the window as per screen requirement as well you can view two windows simultaneously. This also allows users to compare them. When a user moves windows that are maximized, the system restores their previous state automatically. You can operate all this with keyboard shortcuts. Unlike in Windows Vista, window borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized with Windows Aero applied. But, they remain transparent.

Windows 7 includes 13 additional sound schemes, titled Afternoon, Calligraphy, Characters, Cityscape, Delta, Festival, Garden, Heritage, Landscape, Quirky, Raga, Savanna, and Sonata.

A new version of Virtual PC, Windows Virtual PC Beta is available for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. With the help you can run even the programs which are not supported.

Four applications bundled with Windows Vista — Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Calendar and Windows Mail — are not included with Windows 7, this is available as a free package in Windows live essential.

The Top 7 Tools in Windows 7

Windows 7 has got plenty of attention from the users, but much of the focus has been on interface changes, such as the new taskbar, and new file management features, such as libraries.Some enhancements are less obvious like the new or enhanced tools that are included with the Windows. Here we discuss 5 of these cool tools that make the computing experience easier.

1. Action Center: Windows 7 provides you a one stop shopping location where you can go to deal with security issues, troubleshooting, and recovery, instead of finding out separate appletsfor each. It’s all combined in an easy to use Control Panel applet, where you get maintenance and security messages and can view performance information, change UAC settings, and many more.

2: Problem Steps Recorder: One of the new utility in Windows 7 is the Problem Steps Recorder (PSR), made for those of us who offers tech support to Windows users. Doesn’t matter how hard they try, users often have problems accurately describing the problem they’re experiencing or the steps they took before or after experiencing it. Sure, Remote Assistance can
be a godsend in those situations. But you can’t always connect to the user’s computer in real time. That’s when the PSR comes in handy.

3. ISO burner: An ISO image is a kind of archive file that is frequently used to distribute software. In Windows 7, Microsoft addressed something that’s been on the wish list of many users for a long time: Now you don’t need to download and install a third-party program to burn an ISO file to disc.

4. Biometric device management: In previous editions of Windows, biometric authentication and management of biometric devices fingerprint sensors required third-party software that might or might not integrate well with the operating system. Now it’s default. Windows 7 offers the Windows Biometric Framework, which provides developers an API (Application Programming Interface) they can use to build biometrics into applications. Makers of fingerprint sensor hardware, such as UPEK and Authen Tec, worked with Microsoft on the development of the Framework. Biometric devices are managed through a Control Panel applet.

5. Credential Manager: The Credential Manager is another awesome feature in Windows 7. It looks similar in some ways to the password management feature in Vista’s User Accounts applet but is more complicated. You can control Windows credentials for various machines that you sign onto, certificate-based credentials, and other generic credentials for e-mail accounts, Web accounts, etc… These are all stored, by default, in the Windows Vault.

6. Windows Easy Transfer helps you to move system or application settings and data. The tool assists you in copying your files, photos, music, emails, settings, and more from a computer running Windows XP to a system running Windows 7.

7 Better backup utility: No doubt, previous versions of Windows had a backup utility, but this tool has been significantly improved in Windows 7. Vista’s backup program was user friendly but not very user friendly. Windows 7 provides you more control over what you want to back up.

You can access the Backup and Restore applet from Control Panel or by typing Backup in the Search box on the Start menu. You can back up your files to a local hard drive, a removable disk, a DVD, or another system on the network.