Windows 7 and Windows 8 offer many tools with which to manage different aspects of the operating system and, as we see in different posts of this blog, there are also several external programs that can be used to configure many features and settings. Windows, since the XP version and then on all subsequent ones, has however included the best of these tools in the system which is called " Computer Management ".
Computer Management is a configuration window that allows you to change key settings regarding how Windows uses the PC on which it is installed.
It is a complete collection of the administration tools whose meaning is important.
In both Windows 7 and Windows 8, you can open Computer Management from Control Panel -> System and Security - Administrative Tools .
You can also quickly launch the Computer Management console by writing, in the Run or Search box, the command compmgmt.msc
The most important system tools in the Computer Management panel are divided into three main sections: System Tools, Storage, Services and Applications .
The most important part is that of the System Utilities where there are the most useful and, sometimes, fundamental tools.
- The first is the scheduler to manage Windows automations and therefore launch automatic actions when a particular event occurs.
For example, here you can schedule maintenance activities on the Windows PC or create reminders on Windows.
the scheduler is based on triggers and actions.
The trigger is the cause / event that triggers the action, for example, starting the computer or entering an idle state can be a trigger while the execution of a program can be the action.
- The second tool is the Event Viewer, often a little obscure to the less experienced but very important to understand what's wrong.
From the options on the right side, you can create a customized list of events, perhaps linked to the operation of a specific application to monitor its use.
A specific guide has been written on this to correct Windows errors from the event viewer
- The third tool and that of shared folders, to view all the folders that are being shared on the network, the active sessions and the files opened by other users in those folders.
It is important for computer security to check that you are not sharing personal or important data on the network.
- Another useful tool is that of Users and local groups to manage groups of users defined on the computer and individual accounts in order to configure permissions and permissions on what they can do.
In another guide, it explains how to create accounts on Windows 7 (XP-Vista) and manage computer users.
Note that this tool is not available in the Home and Starter editions of Windows 7 and not even in the basic edition of Windows 8 or Windows 8 RT.
- The fifth tool is the Performance Monitor which in Windows 7 provides a complete overview of computer performance.
In another article we saw how to use a performance analyzer extension, Resmon (Resource Monitor) in Windows 7 to analyze active processes.
- The last tool of the System Utilities section is the Device Manager, with which you can quickly view the components that make up your computer and if there are problems with missing or non-functioning drivers.
The list lists all the devices recognized by Windows and, possibly, also those not recognized, highlighted by an exclamation mark.
A specific guide explains how to download the right drivers in the case of an unknown device.
The second section of Computer Management, called Archiving, is very important to manage the disks present in the PC.
It is an advanced tool that can be used to manage all hard drives, USB sticks and external memories.
From this screen you can hide or unmount a partition in Windows, format a disk, change its letter and create hidden or locked hard disk partitions as virtual drives.
The third section is the Windows service management utility, from which you can stop or disable services.
Although it may not be easy to understand the meaning of Windows services, in another article a guide has been written to speed up the PC by disabling the background services.
As you can see from this post, Computer Management is the real control and administration panel for Windows, with all the tools included in a single window.
