Action Center— Displays a list of your computer’s current security issues and hardware and software problems.
Administrative Tools— Displays a window with more icons, each of which enables you to administer a particular aspect of Windows 7:
Component Services—
Displays the Component Services window, which you can use to
investigate Component Object Model (COM) and Distributed COM (DCOM)
applications and services.
Computer Management—
Enables you to manage a local or remote computer. You can examine
hidden and visible shared folders, set group policies, access Device
Manager, manage hard disks, and much more.
Data Sources (ODBC)— Enables you to create and work with data source names, which are connection strings that you use to connect to local or remote databases.
Event Viewer— Enables you to examine Windows 7’s list of events,
which are unusual or noteworthy occurrences on your system, such as a
service that doesn’t start, the installation of a device, or an
application error.
iSCSI Initiator— Displays the iSCSI Initiator property sheet, which enables you to manage connections to iSCSI devices such as tape drives.
Local Security Policy— Displays the Local Security Settings snap-in, which enables you to set up security policies on your system.
Performance Monitor— Runs the Performance Monitor, which enables you to monitor various aspects of your system.
Print Management— Displays the Print Management console, which enables you to manage, share, and deploy printers and print servers.
Services—
Displays a list of the system services available with Windows 7. System
services are background routines that enable the system to perform
tasks such as network logon, disk management, Plug and Play, Internet
connection sharing, and much more. You can pause, stop, and start
services, as well as configure how service load at startup.
System Configuration— Opens the System Configuration utility.
Task Scheduler— Runs the Task Scheduler console, which enables you to runs programs or scripts on a schedule.
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security— Enables you to control every aspect of Windows 7’s bidirectional firewall.
Windows Memory Diagnostic— Runs the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool, which checks your computer’s memory chips for problems.
Windows PowerShell Modules— Loads Windows PowerShell and installs whatever PowerShell modules are on your system.
AutoPlay— Opens the AutoPlay window, which enables you to configure AutoPlay defaults for various media.
Backup and Restore— Operates as a front-end for Windows Backup
Biometric Devices— Enables you to configure biometric tools such as a fingerprint reader.
BitLocker Drive Encryption— Turns on and configures BitLocker, which encrypts your Windows 7 system drive to protect it from unauthorized viewing.
Color Management— Enables you to configure the colors of your monitor and printer to optimize color output.
Credential Manager—
This new tool enables you to store and work with usernames and
passwords for servers, websites, network shares, and other secure
resources.
Date and Time—
Enables you to set the current date and time, select your time zone,
and set up an Internet time server to synchronize your system time. You
can also display extra clocks to monitor other time zones.
Default Programs—
Displays the Default Programs window, which enables you to change the
programs that are associated with Windows 7’s file types.
Desktop Gadgets—
Enables you to add and remove gadgets to and from the Windows 7
desktop. (In Windows 7, the Sidebar is gone and you just deal with
gadgets directly on the desktop.)
Device Manager— Launches Device Manager, which enables you to view and work with your system devices and their drivers.
Devices and Printers— Displays a list of the major devices connected to your computer. This is the same as selecting Start, Devices and Printers.
Display— Enables you to change the size of the screen text and perform other display-related tasks.
Ease of Access Center—
Enables you to customize input (the keyboard and mouse) and output
(sound and display for users with special mobility, hearing, or vision
requirements.
Folder Options— Enables
you to customize the display of Windows 7’s folders, set up whether
Windows 7 uses single- or double-clicking, work with file types, and
configure offline files.
Fonts— Displays the Fonts folder, from which you can view, install, and remove fonts.
Getting Started—
Displays general information about your computer and icons to common
Windows 7 tasks. This replaces the Welcome Center introduced with
Windows Vista.
HomeGroup— Enables you to join a home group, which is Windows 7’s new user account-free networking technology.
Indexing Options— Enables you to configure the index used by Windows 7’s new search engine.
Internet Options—
Displays a large collection of settings for modifying Internet
properties (how you connect, the Internet Explorer interface, and so
on).
Keyboard— Enables you to customize your keyboard, work with keyboard languages, and change the keyboard driver.
Location and Other Sensors—
Displays a list of the sensors attached to your computer. You use
sensors to detect your current location (for GPS-enabled programs) and
the current spatial orientation of your PC.
Mouse— Enables you to set various mouse options and to install a different mouse device driver.
Network and Sharing Center— Displays general information about your network connections and sharing settings.
Notification Area Icons— Gives you access to notification area customization options.
Parental Controls— Enables you to restrict computer usage for other users of the computer.
Pen and Touch— Displays the Pen and Input Devices dialog box, which enables you to configure your Tablet PC’s digital pen.
Performance Information and Tools— Displays the performance rating for your computer.
Personalization—
Offers a large number of customization options for the current Windows
7 theme: glass effects, colors, desktop background, screensaver,
sounds, mouse pointers, and display settings.
Phone and Modem— Enables you to configure telephone dialing rules and to install and configure modems.
Power Options—
Enables you to configure power management properties for powering down
system components (such as the monitor and hard drive), defining
low-power alarms for notebook batteries, enabling sleep and hibernation
modes, and configuring notebook power buttons.
Programs and Features— Enables you to install and uninstall applications, add and remove Windows 7 components, and view installed updates.
Recovery— Enables you to recover your system by restoring it to an earlier working configuration.
Region and Language— Enables you to configure international settings for country-dependent items such as numbers, currencies, times, and dates.
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections— Enables you to create a work with remote programs and desktops.
Sound—
Enables you to control the system volume, map sounds to specific
Windows 7 events (such as closing a program or minimizing a window),
specify settings for audio, voice, and other multimedia devices.
Speech Recognition— Enables you to configure Windows 7’s speech recognition feature.
Sync Center— Enables you to set up and maintain synchronization with other devices and with offline files.
System—
Displays basic information about your system including the Windows 7
edition, system rating, processor type, memory size, computer and
workgroup names, and whether Windows 7 is activated. Also gives you
access to Device Manager and settings related to performance, startup,
System Protection, Remote Assistance, and the Remote Desktop.
Tablet PC Settings— Displays settings for configuring handwriting and other aspects of your Tablet PC.
Taskbar and Start Menu— Enables you to customize the taskbar and Start menu.
Troubleshooting— Displays a collection of tasks related to troubleshooting various aspects of your system.
User Accounts— Enables you to set up and configure user accounts.
Windows CardSpace— Enables you to use Microsoft’s new CardSpace system to manage your personal online data.
Windows Defender— Launches Windows Defender, Windows 7’s antispyware program
Windows Firewall— Enables you to configure Windows Firewall.
Windows Mobility Center— Displays Windows 7’s Mobility Center for notebooks.
Windows Update—
Enables you to configure Windows 7’s Windows Update feature, check for
updates, view update history, and set up a schedule for the download
and installation of updates.
