Unlock 6 top-notch hacks for Windows 7

Windows 7 has lots of options, overlooked by the average user, which can be unlocked to increase productivity and have a better overall experience.

•   Add a folder to Windows Explorer Favorites Section: this can be done by navigating to that folder in Explorer, right-clicking Favorites in the left navigation pane, and selecting Add current location to Favorites (Fig.1). This way, any time you need to save a file through File/Save As, you'll be allowed to choose your favorite folders as a destination. 
• Pin frequently used folders and programs to the Taskbar: by right-clicking one or more programs, you can pin them to the taskbar and add them to your Jump List (Fig. 2). This way you can easily and quickly access them anytime and from anywhere. You can do the same with folders but that requires some workaround (if interested, have a look here for more info).

• Open a program with a keyboard shortcut. This can be done by right-clicking the program icon and choosing Properties. From there you can open the Shortcut tab and click Shortcut Key to setup a keyboard shortcut for that program .

• Open Command Prompt in any folder: In Windows 7, if you press Shift while right-clicking on a folder, you can activate the Open Command Window Here option in the context menu. This also works on the desktop.

• Customize the Power Button: You can customize the power button by right-clicking on Start, selecting Properties, and choosing the action that you use the most (Shutdown, Restart, etc.)

• Search Internet from the Start Menu: You can enable Internet search from the Start Menu using your default browser. For this purpose, run GPEDIT.MSC from the Start Menu search box and start the Group Policy Editor. In the left pane, go to User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right pane, right-click Edit and enable the option Add Search Internet link to Start Menu.

Fig. 1 (Click to enlarge)

Fig. 2 (Click to enlarge)