Windows 7 in a nutshell

Microsoft plans to roll out annoying full-screen alerts to Windows users who refuse to upgrade after Jan. Apparently, this is meant to underscore the urgent danger Windows 7 loyalists face if they refuse to move forward.

These alerts will be included as part of the final Windows 7 security patch, which went out to users Dec. Following this patch, no additional free security updates will be available for Windows 7. Windows 7 has been around long enough for hackers to poke numerous holes through it. And truth be told, Windows 7 is much more dangerous to use than it used to be. A large amount of malicious software exists specifically to target Windows 7 users, and several security flaws have been found in software like Internet Explorer.

The United States government is also urging users to upgrade in an attempt to mitigate large-scale cyberattacks. Tap or click here to see why the NSA wants Windows users to get caught up on updates. Nonetheless, upgrading will make you current with the most secure, recently patched version of Windows.

This will protect you against the most common types of malware and will make your computer more compatible with new software that may not have worked on your PC before. Luckily, Microsoft did offer the ability to upgrade free a few years ago, and the method remains active today. Common Controls 2.

Files, Folders, and Disks 2. Disk Names 2. Pathnames 2. Paths to Network Resources 2. Short Names and Long Names 2. File Types and Extensions 2. Using Windows Explorer 2. Keyboard Accelerators in Folder Windows 2.

Advanced Drag-and-Drop Techniques 2. The Command Line 2. Online Help 2. Shutting Down II. Nutshell Reference 3. The User Interface 1. Controlling the Interface 4. Working with the Filesystem, Drives, Data, and Search 5.

Internet Explorer 5. Windows Mail 7. Networking, Wireless, and Mobility 7. Networking 7. Networking Terminology 7. Planning Your Network 7. Setting Up a Network 7. Implementing Network Security 7. Setting Up Wireless Encryption 7. Setting Up a Bluetooth Device 7. Wired and Wireless Connections, Management, and Configuration 7. Sharing Resources and Files 7.

Sharing Public Folders 7. Sharing Other Folders 7. Sharing Printers 7. Mapping Drives 7. Network Applications 7. Mobile Computing 7. Networking and Internet Command-Line Tools 8. Security 8. General Security 8. Internet Security 8. The good news is that everything in MLE is free. But again, as with Security Essentials, consumers will need a valid copy of Windows installed in order to download and install. Live Family Safety should speak for itself, providing means to block questionable content from younger surfers.

Here's a must-have for any Windows user: Daemon Tools. Alright, now we admit, at first glance, the software looks to promote piracy. After all, it can install virtual optical drives in My Computer and allow users to "mount" burned disc images--a popular mechanism for distributing large apps. However, this virtual drive feature is actually helpful if consumers have previously ripped images from their physical media collection, and for some reason the original CD or DVD can no longer be read by the drive.

With that said, Daemon Tools makes for an awesome disc backup solution, enabling users to store images on external HDDs or USB drives for later retrieval and virtual mounting. As indicated, Daemon Tools can now back-up Blu-ray discs, it can work with images that were created by other burning programs, and it also supports a variety of image types. The Lite version is free to download and use, however its options are limited compared to the Pro Standard and Pro Advanced--the latter sports all the available features, including up to 32 virtual SCSI drives and four virtual IDE drives.

Download: Daemon Tools 4. This is a handy tool for those who want to convert their favorite movies into something more suitable for the iPhone, iPod Touch, or to just have a digital copy in MP4 and MKV format. The drawback to this free software is that it can't rip the actual VOB files from an encrypted DVD--these files would have to already be on your hard drive before they can be converted, hopefully as a backup to movies you've already purchased.

Still, despite that single setback, HandBrake is a necessary part in the overall conversion process. But things have changed since its initial release--the latest build rips out many of the presets found in older versions: PSP, PS3, Xbox , Film, Animation, and Television. Instead of a confusing series of content-targeted presets, there is now a single, constant-quality, High Profile preset with automated filtering and all of the H.

As the developer indicates, HandBrake is all about H. Download: HandBrake 0. While CCleaner could be the best tool for cleaning Windows, it's not ideal for the novice user since it tampers with the system's registry. Users need to have some idea of what they're doing with CCleaner before making changes that could cause significant problems in Windows 7. In a nutshell, CCleaner could be considered a bundled software package, offering a plethora of options, including removing unused and old entries in the registry, cleaning out browser history and local cache, eliminating stored temp files, and more.

It's also quite fast and is spyware- and adware-free, making it an ideal tool to download for Windows 7. Download: CCleaner 2. GIMP could be considered the poor-man's or perhaps smart-man's version of Photoshop, a powerful free-to-use graphics toolset without the hefty Photoshop price tag. Although Microsoft did a fairly decent job updating its native Paint program in Windows 7, it doesn't compare to this graphics editor.

GIMP users can manipulate images via a robust toolbar that offers Photoshop-like abilities. The program even has a layer function for rendering multiple effects. This is extremely helpful when combining and editing multiple images in one compilation. Need to eliminate the barrel distortion of a camera lens?

There's a tool for that. Need to fix the image's perspective? There's a tool for that, too. GIMP even supports various devices right out of the "box," including pressure- and tilt-sensitive tablets.

Even better, users don't have to spend loads of money for an awesome photo-editing toolset.