Using the System Utilities

98 Chapter 3 Using the System Utilities
Windows 7 includes a wide range of system utilities in Control Panel and in Administrative
Tools. A thorough knowledge of these utilities can help you manage, tune, and improve your
system. Some of the more advanced tools are Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins.
A snap-in is the standardized format for creating system management utilities in Windows 2000
and later versions of Windows.
This chapter provides an overview of Control Panel applets and Administrative Tools. There
is also a description of the Microsoft Management Console. As well, there is in-depth coverage
of how to manage hardware components, configure power management, configure the display,
and use Task Scheduler.
Control Panel Overview
As with previous Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 includes Control Panel as a central
location for management utilities. Windows 7 uses the same Control Panel design as Windows
Vista with a few new management applets. An applet is a small application or utility that is used
to perform management tasks in Windows 7.
By default, Control Panel uses the Category view, as shown in Figure 3-1. This offers an
intuitive way for less experienced computer users to find the Control Panel applet necessary to
perform a specific task. Some applets appear in multiple categories because they perform functions
in multiple categories. For example, Ease of Access Center appears in the Appearance and
Personalization category and the Ease of Access category.
Figure 3-1 Control Panel Category view
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
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