When you do, a BitLocker Drive Encryption dialog box appears, presenting you with the opportunity to password-protect the drive. You will then either save or print the BitLocker recovery key, and then BitLocker goes to work, encrypting your drive so that only someone with the recovery key can access it.
STICKY NOTES
They might not be as technically sophisticated as BitLocker, but Windows 7’s “sticky notes” are a useful little feature that will come in handy for many. Sticky notes will be familiar to many computer users: the stereotypical “geek” generally has these pasted all over the computer monitor. Thanks to Windows 7’s implementation of electronic sticky notes, you can throw those paper ones away once and for all.
Just open the Windows 7 Start menu, and type “sticky” to call up the shortcut that launches Sticky Notes. There’s hardly any learning required to begin using them. Just type your notes onto the yellow sticky that appears. The note will stay stuck to your monitor until you specifically close the application. If you end up with a lot of sticky notes, you can make them different colors by right-clicking a sticky and choosing a color other than yellow. Keeping “to do” lists has never been so much fun.
GUEST ACCOUNTS
If you occasionally share your computer but do not want others to be able to alter anything, you’ll probably love the new Windows 7 Guest Account feature. If you activate Guest Accounts, you essentially allow anyone to log on to your PC as “guest.” A guest will have his or her own desktop and settings — and yours will be kept completely private. Guests are not allowed to install any software or change any system settings. Nor are they allowed to write files to any directory outside of their special guest area. No doubt this concept will be very appealing to families in which kids.
SECURITY ESSENTIALS
While not officially a Windows 7 feature, Microsoft’s free Security Essentials add-on (www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/) is a must-have for Windows 7 users who are tired of handing over hard-earned cash for subscriptions to commercial antivirus and anti-spyware packages.
Security Essentials is the successor to Microsoft’s first foray into the antivirus world, the now-discontinued OneCare product. Security Essentials appears to be every bit as unobtrusive and reliable as OneCare. Plus, with the backing of the Microsoft Malware Protection Centre (MMPC), Microsoft appears to be engaging full-throttle in the competitive antivirus software arena. Given Security Essential’s price (free), Microsoft’s name, and the product’s apparent competence, Security Essentials removes any remaining excuses Windows users might have about not implementing security software.
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