Programs running or pinned on the taskbar can be rearranged. files used by a process) and loaded modules (files required by an executable file, e.g. Users can disable many more Windows components than was possible in Windows Vista. whereas Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, and Home Premium editions support only 1. Snap functions can also be triggered with keyboard shortcuts.

Any screen with a resolution below this displays the same startup screen that Vista used. A new button to toggle the Preview Pane has been added to the toolbar. Since Solid state drives (SSD) differ from mechanical HDDs in some key areas (no moving parts, write amplification, limited number of erase cycles allowed for reliable operation), it is beneficial to disable certain optimizations and add others, specifically for SSDs. Also, while browsing a media library, a new column appears at the top named "Shared." Windows 7 is powerful software and it requires equal power from the PC it runs on. [117] In addition, experts reported a Microsoft security vulnerability, CVE-2019-1162, based on legacy code involving Microsoft CTF and ctfmon (ctfmon.exe), that affects all Windows versions from the older Windows XP version to the most recent Windows 10 versions; a patch to correct the flaw is currently available.

[195][196] According to Net Applications, Windows 7 reached a 4% market share in less than three weeks; in comparison, it took Windows Vista seven months to reach the same mark. [49] Microsoft announced that Windows 7, along with Windows Server 2008 R2, was released to manufacturing in the United States and Canada on July 22, 2009. [85] Geo-tracking capabilities are also available in Windows 7. In Windows 7 however, computer-savvy users can do so by editing Windows Registry and/or desktop.ini files. [186][187] Windows Vista Ultimate users wanting to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 had to either pay $219.99[188] to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate or perform a clean install, which requires them to reinstall all of their programs. Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors (Heterogeneous Multi-adapter), a new version of Windows Media Center, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, improved media features, XPS Essentials Pack and Windows PowerShell being included, and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes … Do you know the specs of your computer? Icons can be dragged between this window and the notification area. You can access all the Control Panel utilities from there. This approach falls short if the computer is connected to more than one network at the same time (as for a computer with both an Ethernet and a wireless interface). A number of features were cut from Longhorn. Type "dxdiag" in the search box and click on the result. [125], In January 2016, Microsoft announced that it would no longer support Windows platforms older than Windows 10 on any future Intel-compatible processor lines, citing difficulties in reliably allowing the operating system to operate on newer hardware. To the far right of the system clock is a small rectangular button that serves as the Show desktop icon. Windows 7 also supports images in RAW image format through the addition of Windows Imaging Component-enabled image decoders, which enables raw image thumbnails, previewing and metadata display in Windows Explorer, plus full-size viewing and slideshows in Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Media Center.

[193] After 36 hours, 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions sold out in Japan.