In the Start menu, under the Programs folder, there is the accessories folder with a collection of basic utilities such as the calculator, the notepad and the paint to draw and also some lesser known tools, less used but sometimes really useful. In Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10 then some other accessories are really hidden, in the sense that there is no visible connection to start them.
In this list, we see some of the less used and lesser known Windows tools and, although it might seem like a "beginner's" article, I'm ready to bet that even the most experienced, at least one of them didn't know existed.
Although Windows 7 has been out for some time now, you can be surprised by the accessories integrated in the system that do not require you to download additional programs.
1) Of the capture tool in Windows 7 I had already written about how easy it was to use to take screenshots and images from the desktop screen.
With it, you can take 4 types of screenshots: full screen, only a window, rectangular or free-form.
On each captured image you can also pass a highlighter and a colored marker.
2) Also of Sticky Notes I had written an article with the collection of the best programs to write Post-it on the computer desktop to take notes and keep them as if they were sticky notes to the monitor.
Windows 10 Sticky Notes has become a really powerful app, synchronized between PC and smartphone.
3) Windows IExpress I am sure it is a tool that does not know anyone also because it is not mentioned even in the Windows 7 guide.
By writing the word iexpress on the search bar of the Start menu, you can launch a wizard (among other things not translated into Italian) that leads to creating a self-extracting archive .
You know, when you download a program to install, where you see that by launching the .exe file, many other files related to the program are extracted "> magnifying glass to zoom in the presentations
5) The sound recorder I think in Windows 7 has remained identical to that of Windows 98
The big limitation of the sound recorder in Windows is that it only saves WMA files and does not create MP3s.
In the article on the best programs to record audio and sound from Windows an anonymous comment pointed out how the sound recorder included in the accessories of the Microsoft system is configurable.
6) The Wordpad of Windows 10 and 7 is more powerful than the Wordpad of the other Windows versions and many do not know that this program for writing and reading text documents opens not only the .doc files but also the .docx written with Word 2007 or 2010.
7) Remote assistance is another of those accessories that are never used and that instead could be taught to parents or friends who always ask for support.
Without downloading additional programs, in Windows 7 you can launch, from the search bar of the Start menu, remote assistance
You will be asked to choose whether you are giving or intend to receive help.
Those who need assistance can therefore create an invitation file to be sent via Email which, if opened from another computer, starts a remote desktop session.
If you click the option to give assistance, you can use Easy Connect to connect remotely using the password code that you receive from those who asked for help.
In Windows 10 the remote assistance app has become significantly better.
Remote assistance, however, only works if the PC has a public address or within a sub-network (as in the office).
Other remote assistance programs can also be used easily via the internet (see Teamviewer)
8) If remote assistance is not sufficient or possible, you can then use the " Windows 7 pass recorder ".
This accessory allows you to record what is done with the computer but not by creating a video but by generating a web page with Italian text and images .
Practically, a tutorial worthy of the best technological blogs is created which shows the screens of each step (opening programs, clicks on buttons, changing options, etc.) and saves them in an MHT file that can be opened with Internet Explorer, Firefox or any other browser web.
You can also add comments to each step.
To execute it, type in the search box " steps " and then press on " Record steps to reproduce a problem ".
9) The malware removal tool is a valid computer security accessory.
You can start the tool by writing in the search bar, mrt .
You can choose to do a quick scan, a full scan or a custom one by choosing the paths where you fear a virus may be hiding.
The malware removal tool is only a preliminary protection that cannot replace the antivirus.
10) The Windows disc image burner is another fairly hidden accessory that is found only by right-clicking on an ISO file and choosing " Open ", if you do not have any other program to burn installed, or on " Open With ".
It is a program for burning the contents of an ISO image onto a CD or DVD.
11) The Voice assistant can be started among the accessories for the disabled ( Narrator ) and allows you to make the computer read everything that is written on the screen.
You can set the Italian language only by downloading and installing it as indicated in the post on the Google Chrome voice assistant with Italian voice.
12) To this list I also add the Windows Journal of which I spoke a short time ago, which serves to write by hand with the mouse on a spreadsheet as you would with a touchscreen tablet.
13) The Custom Character Editor is an accessory available in Windows 7 and Windows 10, to be searched from the Start menu search bar.
This hidden tool, little publicized and very little used and known, is used to create a new character map.
Given the little flexibility of the tool, it can be more useful to create logos and symbols or single characters that you want to type often with the keyboard.
Windows 7 hides many other utilities inside, many of which have already been treated in the past such as, for example, Bitlocker, ReadyBoost, the secret menu with Shift-right button, jumplists, gadgets, the complete "GodMode" control panel, the virtual wireless router and XP Mode.
Some of these accessories can be very useful, especially on a new computer where nothing has been installed yet.
So, did you already know them all or were I able (indeed Windows managed) to surprise you?
