I was actually surprised to find out that build 6801 of Windows 7 has the so called “Super Bar” hidden within. The first time the public got a glimse of the new toolbar was at PDC, in a later build than the one they gave out. To access it we need to trick the OS into thinking we’re authorized Microsoft employees with permission to access the hidden stuff, and this is done via a patch which I’ll mirror here for x86 and x64 but do check out the author Rafael’s site for the latest version first.

A lot has been said about the superbar so I won’t bother writing anything new except to say it’s damned awesome, especially how it shows the recently opened files in an application from the taskbar or windows menu, and logical grouping which makes sense.

The original version of Windows 7 that I reviewed was build 6780 32 bit, but today I finally got my hands on the 64 bit version of the same build. All instabilities with bluescreens have gone which must mean they were caused by 32 bit drivers. With a stable Windows 7 running I was disappointed to only have 30 days to try it properly. It was around then I recalled that I helped Microsoft beta test Windows Vista before it came out (hey I even reported a few bugs which were ironed out, though probably not because of my efforts). I remembered that I hit refresh when it displayed my key that time causing the website to spit out a second key (a well known flaw in their website), so I thought what the hell I’ll try out that second key I got from Vista with 7.

Oh my god it actually worked. I now have a fully activated and updated copy of Windows 7 x64 legally, with no stupid 30 day time limit and no need to use the classic re-arm trick. If you helped out test Windows Vista and have a key give it a go, it could just work!

Today I’m going to share a great technique I use all the time. Have you ever wanted to share a list of files in a folder on your computer (for example your music collection or documents) with somebody else but couldn’t find a better way than resorting to some shareware application which isn’t even compatible with the latest versions of Windows? As it turns out Windows (and possibly DOS though I’m not sure) has a useful command accessible through the Command Prompt. For those who are familar with the Command Prompt (formerly known as MS DOS) I won’t explain how to get to the folder you want, but for those who don’t know you do by:

In Windows XP and earlier click on start then run. In the run box type in cmd and hit enter. This will bring up a black box. Now you need to navigate to the folder you want to list. This is done by typing “cd ..” (without quotes) to keep dropping back a directory and “cd foldername” to enter a folder. You can type “dir” to view a list of folders if you’re not sure what it’ll be called, or you can type dir and hit tab a few times until the folder you want pops up next to the word cd. Once you’re in your folder that you want to list proceed to the step below the Vista instructions.

Running Windows Vista? That makes things a LOT easier. Microsoft added a cool feature which allows you to open the command prompt from any windows explorer folder. Open the folder you want to list, hold down shift (either one) on your keyboard and right click on some empty space. Click on “Open Command Window here”. Now it’s open and ready to create the list.

How to create the list of files? Just type in (without quotes) “dir > anythingyouwant.txt”. This will create a txt document in your folder with the name you specify.

I’ve got my hands on the pre beta build of Windows 7 which was handed out at PDC, build 6780. The reason for a micro review? There’s no point doing a write up of the new features, what’s changed and what’s not working as it’s been covered all over the place, so I’ll just share my thoughts from what I’ve tried so far and what I do and don’t like.

Hit the link below to read my write up and view some more images

Although these screenshots are from the pre-Beta PDC build of Windows 7 it’s still fascinating to see what may end up looking like our next major operating system release from Microsoft.

The other significant part of the Windows UI is Explorer. Windows 7 introduces a new concept named Libraries. Libraries provide a view onto arbitrary parts of the filesystem with organization optimized for different kinds of files. In use, Libraries feel like a kind of WinFS-lite; they don’t have the complex database system underneath, but they do retain the idea of a custom view of your files that’s independent of where the files are.

Give the article a read here via ars technica.

In a first for a Windows product, Windows (Codename) 7 will be named Windows codename 7 (Vista was known as Longhorn and XP as Whistler before their releases, Wikipedia for a full list). Very creative, Microsoft, I have to say. To me this is starting to feel like what Vista was supposed to be, or perhaps this will be the Windows ME of 2009? I really hope not, but it’s entirely possible considering the amount of money spent trying to get people to let go of XP and make the move to Vista. Does this mean when 7 ships and a service pack is released for it, it’ll become Windows 7.1?

You can read Mike Nash’s blog post here where he reveals this piece of information to the world.