Windows 7 Explorer Secrets is the second in a series of Windows 7 Tips and Tricks books compiled from the hundreds of columns written by Jack Dunning, pubisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. Each chapter comes from a column or article which has been retested, revised and updated with the latest techniques. Many new tips and tricks have been added to the e-book version of the series.

Each e-book in the Windows Tips and Tricks series addresses a specific area of the Windows 7 operating system offering an in-depth look at techniques which will increase your understanding of Windows 7 while improving your computing experience. In the following weeks and months, more e-books from the series will be released, each addressing a specific Windows topic.

Windows 7 Explorer Secrets

Windows Explorer is one of the most important tools in any version Windows. Used for navigation and opening files and launching programs Windows 7 Explorer has powerful new features for organization and sharing including Libraries and HomeGroup.

Chapter One: New Tools in Windows 7 Explorer “Windows Explorer has more power in Windows 7.”
Windows Explorer has always been the primary navigation tool for Windows. Now with the addition of Libraries and HomeGroup, Windows 7 offers new tools for getting organized and sharing over networks. Personalize Windows Explorer for your computing.

Chapter Two: Exploring the Details Pane in Windows Explorer “Viewing and adding hidden information (metadata) to Windows files.”
Windows Explorer has new features (first introduced in Vista) that help to identify and sort files. The Details pane displays metadata for viewing and editing of each file selected.

Chapter Three: Favorites in Windows Explorer “Save time by using Favorites in Windows Explorer.”
Many people ignore the existence of the Favorites feature in Windows 7 (called Favorite Links in Vista). However, if you take the time to play with it, you will most likely fall in love with this extra feature of Windows 7.

Chapter Four: Checking Out Libraries “New to Windows 7, Libraries can help you navigate the ever larger hard drives and networks.”
Libraries in Windows 7 are an important new file-management feature that deserves more attention. This Windows 7 tool is one of the most useful (and overlooked) features added to Windows.

Chapter Five: Favorites and Libraries Working Together “Windows 7 Favorites and Libraries complement each other.”
While some may find Windows' Favorites and Libraries annoying, they are handy and worthwhile data-management features. Here's how Jack uses them together in the weekly creation of ComputorEdge.

Chapter Six: Syncing Windows 7 Professional Libraries over Networks “Using Sync Center with Networked Computers is Another Reason to Switch to Windows 7 Professional.”
For some people, the simplicity and convenience of setting up files in Windows Libraries for copying and syncing with networked computers and drives using the "Always available offline" option may be enough motivation to upgrade to Professional.

Chapter Seven: Syncing Files without Windows Professional “Windows Briefcase for taking your work to another computer; SyncToy for easy synchronization.”
Windows Briefcase is a file-synchronization system that is helpful not only for Windows 7, but for all versions of Windows since 95. If you have the Home version of Windows Vista, Windows 7 (or Vista without the Windows Sync Center network capability), or Windows XP, then SyncToy could be a useful solution for many of your sharing and backup problems.

Chapter Eight: Windows 7 HomeGroup “Share Windows Libraries between Windows 7 computers with HomeGroup.”
Windows 7 has made sharing existing Windows Libraries with other Windows 7 users much easier through the implementation of Windows HomeGroup. Windows Libraries are integral to how HomeGroup works.

Chapter Nine: Mapping Network Drives in Windows - "Direct connections in Windows Explorer with mapped drives. Networking and a Windows Vista problem: The Case of the Disappearing Remote Computer."
If you are planning to regularly access remote computers on your network (or the Internet), it is a good idea to use drive mappings. Not only will they be more convenient, they will work when you find that Windows can't locate your remote Windows XP machine. Even with Windows Libraries available, there are times when you want to map remote drives in Windows 7.

Chapter Ten: The Windows Send To Feature - "Utilizing the Send To feature for moving and copying folder and files."
Send To is a hidden Windows file-manipulation tool that can help with your data, file and folder management.

Chapter Eleven: File Associations - "Setting File Associations to open programs"