Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

Introduction

To upgrade your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7, you'll need to select the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. A custom installation doesn't preserve your programs, files, or settings. It's sometimes called a "clean" installation for that reason.

A custom installation is more complex, and it can sometimes take a couple of hours to complete. We created this five-step tutorial to help guide you through the entire process each step of the way.

What you need

• An external hard disk. You'll need to move your files off of your PC before you install Windows 7. To make this easier, we recommend a free download called Windows Easy Transfer, which will require an external hard disk. They're readily available at electronics and office supply stores, and they provide an easy way to add additional storage space to your computer.
• The original installation discs or setup files for the programs that you want to use with Windows 7. You'll need to reinstall your programs by hand after installing Windows 7. When you run Windows Easy Transfer you will get a report that lists the programs that you are currently using with Windows XP.

32-bit or 64-bit: Which version of Windows 7 to install?

Both 32-bit and 64-bit installation discs are included in the Windows 7 package. 64-bit operating systems can handle large amounts of memory—typically 4 gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM) or more—more efficiently than 32-bit operating systems. However, not all computers are 64-bit capable. For more information, see 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7.

You'll probably need the 32-bit version, but to make sure, click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

• If you don't see "x64 Edition" listed, then you're running the 32-bit version of Windows XP. Step 1 of this tutorial will show you how to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, which can let you know if your computer is capable of running the 64-bit version of Windows 7.
• If "x64 Edition" is listed under System, you're running the 64-bit version of Windows XP and can run the 64-bit version of Windows 7.

Next: Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

Step 1: Make sure that your programs and devices will work with Windows 7

To help find potential compatibility problems with your computer's hardware, devices, or programs that might affect installing Windows 7, download and run the free Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. It provides a report listing any issues that it finds and gives recommendations on what to do before you upgrade to improve your PC's compatibility with Windows 7.

A report lists any actions needed to prepare your computer for Windows 7.

Download and install Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Follow the steps below to download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

1. Go to the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor webpage.
2. Click Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
3. Click Download, and then save the installation file to your PC.
4. Double-click the installation file saved to your PC.

   If you're asked to install .NET 2.0

5. If you agree to the license terms, click Install.
6. Click Close.
   If you see a preselected check box, clicking Close will run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

Run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

1. If Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor isn't already running, double-click the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor shortcut on your PC's desktop.
2. In the security warning dialog box, click Yes.
3. Click Start check. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will scan your PC's hardware, devices, and installed software. This might take a few minutes. When finished, it will provide you with a compatibility report that you can print or save for your reference.
4. Read the report carefully, and make note of any issues that the Upgrade Advisor finds and what the recommended steps are to fix these issues.
5. If you want to save the report and print or refer to it later, click Save Report, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.
6. Click Close.

You can scan your PC more than once. We recommend running the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor again after taking any of the recommended steps or making any changes to your PC's hardware, devices, or installed software before upgrading to Windows 7. Be sure to save your updated report.

Next: Use Windows Easy Transfer to save your files and settings.

Step 2: Moving files and settings, and gathering your program discs

We recommend using Windows Easy Transfer, a free download, to help you move your files and settings to another location before you install Windows 7. Then, you can use Windows Easy Transfer again to move your files and settings back to your PC after Windows installation is completed.

If you don't use Windows Easy Transfer, you'll need to copy your files manually to an external location, such as CDs, DVDs, an external hard disk, or a USB flash drive before installing Windows 7, and then move them back after Windows installation is completed.

Windows Easy Transfer helps simplify moving your files and settings.

Windows Easy Transfer creates a single file containing your files and settings. The file could be quite large depending on the amount of data you have, which is why we recommend using an external hard disk.

As you prepare to move your files off of your computer to an external storage device, remember the following:

• Windows Easy Transfer doesn't move your programs, only your files and settings. You'll need to reinstall your programs by hand after Windows 7 installation is complete. Windows Easy Transfer will provide you with a list of programs that you are currently using with Windows XP.
• Don't use the File and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP to move your files. It isn't compatible with Windows 7, and if you use it, you won't be able to restore your files in Windows 7. Use Windows Easy Transfer instead.
• Windows Easy Transfer can't transfer files from a 64-bit version of Windows to a 32-bit version of Windows. If you're running a 64-bit version of Windows XP, but you plan to install a 32-bit version of Windows 7, you'll need to copy your files manually to an external location before installing Windows 7, and then move them back after Windows installation is completed.
• Windows Easy Transfer moves your music and video files, but doesn't migrate the licenses for content protected by digital rights management (DRM). This means that you'll need to re-obtain rights to DRM‑protected files from the online store that provided them after you finish installing Windows 7 and restoring these files to your computer. For more information, see Step 4: Moving your files and settings back to your computer.

Warning

Some online stores don't restore rights to their DRM‑protected files. For details about store policies, refer to your store's customer support or Help information. If your music or video was obtained from a store that's no longer in business, you won't be able to restore your rights to that content.

You'll also need Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher. If you're not sure of what you have, click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. Under System, if you see "Service Pack 2" or "Service Pack 3," you can use Windows Easy Transfer. If you're not running Service Pack 2 or 3, go to the Service Pack Center to update your PC.

Download and install Windows Easy Transfer

1. Download Windows Easy Transfer from the Windows website. If you're running a 32-bit version of Windows XP, under For Windows XP, click Download 32-bit. If you're running a 64-bit version of Windows XP, click Download 64-bit.
2. On the Microsoft Download Center webpage, click Download, and then click Run.
3. In the Security Warning dialog box, click Run.
4. In the Software Update Installation Wizard, click Next.
5. If you agree to the license terms, select I Agree, and then click Next.
6. After installation is complete, click Finish.

Open and run Windows Easy Transfer to save your files and settings

1. Make sure your external hard disk or other storage device is connected to your computer.
2. Click Start, click All Programs, and then click Windows Easy Transfer for Windows 7.
3. Click Next.
4. Select An external hard disk or USB flash drive.
5. Click This is my old computer, and then wait while Windows Easy Transfer scans the computer.
6. Clear the check boxes next to any user accounts that you don't want to transfer data from, and then click Next.
7. Enter and retype a password, and then write it down and keep it in a safe place; or leave the boxes blank, and then click Save.
8. Browse to the external hard disk or other storage device where you want to save your Easy Transfer file, and then click Save.
   Warning

   You must save the Easy Transfer file to your external hard disk or other storage device, and not to the default location My Computer. If you don't save the Easy Transfer file to your external hard disk, the file you just created will be deleted during the custom installation of Windows 7.
9. Windows Easy Transfer will begin saving your files and settings. Do not use your computer during this time.
10. When you see the message These files and settings have been saved for your transfer, click Next.
    Windows Easy Transfer displays the file name and location of the Easy Transfer file you just created. Write down the file name and location so you can easily find it when you're ready to transfer files to Windows 7.
11. Click Next, and then click Close.
12. Ensure that the file is saved to your external hard disk or storage device, and then disconnect the device from your computer.

Gather your program discs and setup files

It's important to remember that the Custom installation option doesn't preserve any of your programs, so you'll need to reinstall the programs that you want to use in Windows 7.

• Make sure you have the installation discs for the programs you want to keep using in Windows 7.
• You might have downloaded some programs from the Internet. If you still have the installation files on your computer (often called setup.exe, install.exe, or similar), copy those setup files to your external hard disk as well. If you don't have the installation files, you'll need to download them again after Windows 7 installation is complete.
• If you're running a 64-bit version of Windows and plan to install a 32-bit version of Windows 7, programs that were designed to run only on a 64-bit operating system might not work. Check the software manufacturer's website for more information, or go to the Windows 7 Compatibility Center on the Microsoft website. You can search the Compatibility Center for product names or browse many different categories of hardware and software tested to be compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7.

Next: Install Windows 7 using the Custom option.

Step 3: Installing Windows 7

When you choose the Custom option during installation, you install a new copy of Windows on your PC.

The options for Windows 7 installation

Note

Formatting your hard disk during Windows 7 installation isn't necessary. If you want to format your hard disk, and you're using an upgrade version of Windows 7, don't use a program from another software manufacturer to reformat your hard disk prior to installing Windows 7. Instead, start your PC using the Windows 7 upgrade installation disc or a USB flash drive, click Custom (advanced), and then click Drive options (advanced).

Before you begin

• Connect your PC to the Internet so you can get installation updates during the installation process. (If you don't have an Internet connection, you can still install Windows 7.)
• Update your antivirus program, run it, and then turn it off. After you install Windows 7, remember to turn the antivirus program back on, or install new antivirus software that works with Windows 7.
• If you have a Windows 7 installation package, choose either the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 installation disc, depending on whether you want to install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 7.
• If you want to install a 64-bit version of Windows 7 on a PC running a 32-bit version of Windows XP, follow the instructions in "To install a 64-bit version of Windows 7 on a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows XP" at the bottom of the page. For more information, see 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions.
• Find your 25-character Windows product key. You can find it on the installation disc holder inside the Windows package—or in a confirmation e‑mail if you purchased and downloaded Windows 7 online.

Perform a Custom installation of Windows 7

1. With your computer on and Windows XP running, do one of the following:
   • If you've downloaded Windows 7, browse to the installation file you downloaded, and then double-click it (often identified as an Application file under the Type column).
   • If you have a Windows 7 installation disc, insert the disc into your computer. Setup should start automatically. If it doesn't, click Start, click My Computer, open the Windows 7 installation disc on your DVD drive, and then double-click setup.exe.
   • If you've downloaded Windows 7 installation files onto a USB flash drive, insert the drive into your computer. Setup should start automatically. If it doesn't, click the Start button, click Computer, double-click the drive, and then double-click setup.exe.
2. On the Install Windows page, click Install now.
3. On the Get important updates for installation page, we recommend getting the latest updates to help ensure a successful installation, and to help protect your computer against security threats. Your computer will need to be connected to the Internet during Windows 7 installation to get these updates.
4. On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms, and then click Next.
5. On the Which type of installation do you want? page, click Custom.
6. Choose the partition containing Windows XP (this is often the computer's C: drive), and then click Next. (Do not select your external USB hard drive.)
7. In the Windows.old dialog box, click OK.
8. Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account. You can use the same names that you used in Windows XP, or choose new ones.

To install a 64-bit version of Windows 7 on a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows XP

Next: Move your files and settings back to your computer.

Step 4: Moving your files and settings back to your computer

After you've installed Windows 7, now you're ready to run Windows Easy Transfer again and move your files and settings back to your computer.

Be sure you run Windows Easy Transfer before you reinstall your programs. That's because Windows Easy Transfer moves your files back to where your old programs will expect them to be when you reinstall them.

User accounts from Windows XP are moved to Windows 7.

Move files and settings back using Windows Easy Transfer

1. Make sure your external hard disk or other storage device that contains your Windows Easy Transfer migration file is connected to your computer.
2. Click the Start button , click Computer, and under Hard Disk Drives, double-click your storage device.
3. Browse to the location where you saved the Easy Transfer file, called Windows Easy Transfer – Items from old computer, and double click the file.
   If you gave the file a different name when you originally created it, browse to that file and double-click it.
4. If you entered a password when creating the Easy Transfer file, type the password, and then click Next.
   Note:If you receive an error that you don't have enough free disk space to migrate your files back to your computer using Windows Easy Transfer, you can use Disk Cleanup to delete temporary files left over from your Windows 7 installation and free up additional disk space. To learn how to do this, read the "Post-install clean up (optional)" section at the end of Step 5: Reinstall your programs and update drivers.
5. On the Choose what to transfer to this computer page, you can decide how the user accounts from Windows XP are transferred to Windows 7.
   • To accept the current account mapping, click Transfer.
   • To change how the Windows XP accounts are mapped in Windows 7, click Advanced Options.
6. On the Your transfer is complete page, click See what was transferred to view a list of the user accounts and files that were moved from Windows XP to Windows 7. Click See a list of programs you might want to install on your new computer to view what was previously installed on Windows XP.
7. Click Close. If you are prompted to restart your computer, click Restart now.

If you transferred more than one user account, you might be prompted to change the password the next time you log on. If you're prompted to do so, click OK, and in the dialog box that appears, do one of the following:

• If you want to give the user account a password (recommended), type a new password, retype it, and then press Enter. There's no need to type the old password from Windows XP.
• If you don't want to give the user account a password, leave the boxes empty, and then press Enter.

Moving DRM‑protected content

Next: Reinstall your programs and update drivers. 

 

Step 5: Reinstall your programs and update drivers

After you've run Windows Easy Transfer and your files and settings are back on your computer, you can reinstall your programs and check for new or updated drivers.

Windows Easy Transfer provides a report detailing the programs you used in Windows XP that you might want to reinstall. To reinstall your programs, you'll need to use the installation discs or setup files that you gathered earlier.

A report lists programs that you might want to reinstall.

If your computer came with several programs pre-installed, you might see programs listed in the report that you've never used before or rarely used. When you begin reinstalling programs, start with the ones that you know and use regularly, especially new antivirus software for your computer. If you don't have new antivirus software for your PC running Windows 7, you can look for new programs at the Windows 7 Compatibility Center.

If you have a program that you used in Windows XP that isn't compatible with Windows 7, try using the Program Compatibility troubleshooter. For more information, see Open the Program Compatibility troubleshooter.

If the troubleshooter can't fix the problem, you might be able to run the program using Windows XP Mode in Windows 7. For more information, see Windows XP Mode.

Note

Some programs such as Windows Mail and Outlook Express are no longer included in Windows 7. If you used Windows Mail or Outlook Express as your e‑mail program, you'll need to install a new e‑mail program to read your messages or to send and receive e‑mail. For more information about Windows Live Mail and instructions for importing your e‑mail, contacts, and calendar, see Importing your e‑mail, messages, contacts, and calendar into Windows Live Mail.

Update drivers

A driver is software that allows your computer to communicate with hardware or devices. Without drivers, the hardware you connect to your computer—for example, a video card or a printer—won't work properly.

In most cases, drivers come with Windows, or you can find them by using Windows Update and checking for updates. To do so, click the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.

If Windows Update doesn't have the driver you need, check out the Windows 7 Compatibility Center, which has direct links to driver downloads and manufacturer support pages. For more information, see Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly.

Netbooks and drivers

Some netbooks and laptops that were running Windows XP might not have specific Windows 7 drivers for features such as function buttons. If Windows Update doesn't find a driver, visit your computer manufacturer's website and search for a download or support page where you can search for drivers for your PC.

You can try to install a driver made for Windows XP onto your PC running Windows 7. If the Windows XP driver won't install, you can run the Program Compatibility troubleshooter to try and fix the problem.

1. Download or copy the driver installation file to your computer.
2. Right-click the file, and then click Troubleshoot compatibility.
3. Follow the steps in the Program Compatibility troubleshooter to change the compatibility settings for the driver.

Post-install clean-up (optional)

During Windows 7 installation, if you don't format the partition, files that were used in Windows XP are stored in the Windows.old folder. The type of files in this folder depends on your computer.

After you've used Windows 7 for a while, for example one or two weeks, and you're confident that your files and settings are back to where you want them to be, you can safely reclaim disk space and use Disk Cleanup to delete the Windows.old folder.

You can also delete the Windows.old folder if you receive an error during Step 4: Moving your files and settings back to your computer of this tutorial that indicates that you don't have enough free disk space to transfer your files and settings back to your computer.

Warning

Before you use Disk Cleanup, make sure that all of your files and settings moved correctly to Windows 7 where you expected them to be. Deleting the Windows.old folder can't be undone.

1. Click the Start button, and in the search box, type Disk Cleanup. In the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.
   If you're prompted to choose a drive, choose the drive you just installed Windows 7 on, and then click OK.
2. Click Clean up system files. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   If you're prompted again to choose a drive, choose the drive you just installed Windows 7 on, and then click OK.
3. Select Previous Windows installation(s) and any other categories of files you want to delete.
4. Click OK, and then click Delete Files.

How To Auto-Hide Or Completely Remove Windows 7 Explorer Command Bar (Toolbar)

The command bar (toolbar) in Windows 7 explorer is useful for novice users to quickly access various file and folder options with a click. However, there are some users who never use the command bar as most of the options in the command bar can also be accessed with keyboard shortcuts.

 

A few days ago, we showed you how to personalize the Windows 7 explorer command bar (toolbar) by adding and removing useful options to the command bar. This time around, we have an advanced tool to auto-hide or completely remove the explorer toolbar with a mouse click.

Windows 7 Command Bar Tweaker is a portable software to auto-hide the command bar or to permanently remove the command bar from Windows 7 explorer.

How to use Command Bar Tweaker to disable the explorer Command Bar:

Step 1: Download the Command Bar Tweaker file from here and extract the RAR file to get Command Bar Tweaker.exe file.

Step 2: As we have mentioned earlier, this is a portable tool, which requires no installation. So, run the Command Bar Tweaker, click Auto Hide Command Bar button to temporarily hide the toolbar. When this option is enabled, you will need to move the mouse cursor to the default Command Bar position to view the command bar.

To remove the command bar permanently, click on Permanently Hide Command Bar button.

Step 3: Next step is to restart the explorer.exe process to apply the changes. Log off and then log on to see the changes. You can also restart the explorer process using the Task Manager.

Windows 7 Command Bar Tweaker is a freeware and is compatible with both x86 and x64

How To Create a Nameless Folder

 

 To perform the trick just follow the following steps:

Step 1 : First of all select any file or folder whom you want to assign no name.
Step 2 : Now right click on the file or folder and choose rename option.
Step 3 : Now the main part, press and hold the alt key and while holding the Alt key type numbers 0160 from the numpad. Here it is important to note that number 0160 should be typed from numpad and not from number keys present above character keys.
Step 4 : Press Enter and the nameless file or folder will be created. The file or folder that seems nameless is actually named with a single space.

 Now if you want to creat multiple nameless files and folders in the same directory that may cause a problem. But you can create another nameless file or folder in the same directory. You will have to rename the file with 2 spaces. Just follow the steps given below to successfully create another nameless file or folder.

Step 1 : Select any file or folder whom you want to assign no name.
Step 2 : Now right click on it and choose rename option.
Step 3 : Now the main part, press and hold the alt key and while holding the Alt key type numbers 0160 from the numpad. Now without doing anything else, again hold alt key and press 0160.
Step 4 : Press enter and you will have second nameless file in the same directory.
Step 5 : Repeat step 3 and 4 to create as many nameless files or folders as you want in the same directory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

Create Keyboard Shortcut for Any Program in Windows

Shortcuts are an easy way to run and access certain programs. We use them to initiate the programs and perform certain operations or functionality that is widely used during the execution of the program. It becomes very cumbersome when we have to start our most frequently used programs using the standard procedure where we have to click on the Start menu to select it. In such scenarios shortcuts can become handy and you can use your own customized set of shortcuts that can be used for the invocation of certain programs. In the tutorial we will teach you how to create shortcut combination for Mozilla Firefox, you can do these steps for any installed program.

The following tutorial will help you in creating a shortcut for certain programs in Windows 7 that you use frequently. Also note that this tutorial will work for Windows XP too.
1. On the icon of the desired program situated on the Desktop, right click on it and select Properties from the right click menu.
2. On the tab panel, select the Shortcut tab from it. Then click on the shortcut key box.
3. Now select a combination of Ctrl, Alt and Shift keys with any alphabet, number or symbol.

Now press the shortcut key combination and your program will be started.

Check Whether Your PC is Male or Female

Today I am going to discuss about an amazing trick using which you can easily find out whether your pc is male or female. To find out whether your computer is male or female just follow the steps given below.
Step 1 : First of all open Notepad.
Step 2 : Now type the code given below in notepad:
CreateObject("SAPI.SpVoice").Speak"i love you"

Step 3 : Now save the file as computer_gender.vbs. (you can save the file with any name like anything.vbs)

Step 4 : Double click the file to run it.
If you hear a male voice, your computer is a male and if you hear a female voice then your computer is a female. So what are you waiting for? Check now whether your computer is male or female and share your computer’s gender with us.

Beginner Geek: Add a New User Account in Windows 7

Beginner Geek: Add a New User Account in Windows 7

If you’re a home user who skipped the Windows Vista release and are moving from XP to Windows 7, one thing you might want to do is create new user accounts for other members of the household. Since the interface is laid out quite differently than XP, we will take a look at user accounts in the new OS.
Several aspects of the user interface have changed from XP to Vista and Windows 7. If your computer is shared by the rest of your family, it is nice to be able to give each person their own account. However, you probably don’t want to give the same functionality to each of them. Let’s take a look at how to add a new user account, an overview of each account type, and assigning the type to each user. 
Add New User
To add a new user open Control Panel and under User Accounts and Family Safety click on Add or remove user accounts.

www.windowslinux.co.in

Now click on Create a new account.

Just type in the name of the user and select the type of account. Your best bet is to make them a Standard User so they cannot make changes to system settings, delete other users important files, or change security settings.

Now when you reboot the PC you will see the new users you created at the log in screen.

Standard users won’t be able to make any important system changes without the admin password.

Types of User Accounts
There are three types of user accounts and each provides the user with different levels of control over the computer.

• Administrator – The Admin account have complete control over the computer and its settings.
• Standard – Standard users can use most of the capabilities on the machine. They cannot install software, delete system files, or change settings. If you’re working in a Standard account and need to make system changes, the administrator password will be needed. 
• Guest – Let’s a user have temporary access to the computer. They cannot install software, make any changes, or create a password. This is a good choice for someone to use to check their email quick or type out a document.

Here is an example of what a user with a Standard account would see if they tried to monkey around with something they shouldn’t be.

The Guest user account it off by default but you just need to go in and turn it on.

The only changes available to the Guest account are changing the picture and turning it on or off.

User Account Tips
If you’re the administrator and installing software, remember to select if you want it available for all users or only yourself.

Keep in mind that if you shut down the machine while another person is logged in, they might lose all any data they have not yet saved. Even though you get a confirmation screen, it might be worth mentioning to other users so they are aware of it, especially in a busy household.

These basic tips should help create and configure user accounts so each member of the household has their own account when working on the computer.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts You Might Not Know

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts You Might Not Know

Mastering the keyboard will not only increase your navigation speed but it can also help with wrist fatigue. Here are some lesser known Windows shortcuts to help you become a keyboard ninja.

Global Windows Shortcuts

Win+1, 2, 3, 4, etc. will launch each program in your taskbar. It is helpful then to keep your most used programs at the beginning of your task bar so you can open them one right after another. This also works in Windows Vista for the quick launch icons.

Win+Alt+1, 2, 3, etc. will open the jump list for each program in the taskbar. You can then use your arrows to select which jump list option you want to open.

Win+T will cycle through taskbar programs. This is similar to just hovering over the item with your mouse but you can launch the program with Space or Enter.

Win+Home minimizes all programs except current the window. This is similar to the Aero shake and can be disabled with the same registry key.
Win+B selects the system tray which isn’t always useful but can come in very handy if your mouse stops working.

Win+Up/Down maximizes and restores down the current window so long as that window has the option to be maximized. It is exactly the same as clicking on the middle button on your windows.
Alt+Esc is like Alt+Tab but switches windows in the order they were opened and does not have the fancy window preview overlay.
Win+Pause/Break will open your system properties window. This can be helpful if you need to see the name of a computer or simple system statistics.

Ctrl+Esc can be used to open the start menu but will not work as a Windows key replacement for other shortcuts.
Ctrl+Shift+Esc will open the task manager without needing to hit Ctrl+Alt+Del first.

Alt+Space will open the window system menu which can be used to maximize (x), minimize (n), close (c), or move (m) the window which can be especially helpful if your window is somehow off-screen. This shortcut can also be helpful with windows that don’t close with the Alt+F4 shortcut such as the command window.

Windows Explorer Shortcuts

Here are handy shortcuts built into Windows Explorer which may have similar features in other programs too.
Alt+Up will navigate up one folder level since the up arrow on the menu bar was removed in Windows Vista. Alternatively, you can also make Backspace go up one folder level with a handy AutoHotKey script.
Shift+F10 opens the contextual or “right click” menu for a file/folder. This can be very handy for speed especially if you know which option you want to select. Look for an underlined letter in each option to know which letter you can press for faster access.

Shift+Del deletes a file without sending it to the recycle bin because who wants to empty their recycle bin anyway?
Ctrl+Shift+N creates a new folder in your current directory.
Alt+Enter opens the file properties so you can view file size, sharing settings, and creation date.

F2 renames a file or folder.
F3 will open explorer and select the search bar. If you already have an explorer window open it will highlight the search bar. In some programs it will also open the search dialog to search within that program.

F6 cycles objects in the current window. In explorer this will cycle between the location bar, options bar, left pane, and right pane. It also works with varying success in other programs.
F10 toggles the file menu in explorer.