It doesn’t matter if you are a new Microsoft Windows user or a seasoned pro. Whatever your skill level is, you probably want to learn more and become even more proficient with Windows 7. Presently the operating system that operates on the most computers worldwide, additionally tips and tricks that could make you an even stronger user are surely welcome.

There truly are a lot of Windows tips and tricks. To find out every cool feature, fast shortcut and all of the ins and outs that power users know about, you would be reading for days and days. These are, however, the top five tips for Microsoft Windows 7 to help you become a faster, more efficient, increasingly proficient computer user.

1.) Use keyboard shortcuts to work faster and more efficiently.

There isn’t a keyboard shortcut for everything, but there is for nearly everything you do on your PC. Almost every application or program you run on your PC will also have great keyboard shortcuts that can make your life even easier.

If you are just getting started with using keyboard shortcuts, you probably would do best if you keep it nice and basic.  If you press “Ctrl” and “B” at the same time, you turn on and off the bold feature for typing. “Crtl” and “I” turns the italics on and off. “Ctrl” and “U” does the same with underline. If you want to take this to the next level, do a quick internet search there are plenty of comprehensive guides to every shortcut under the sun.

2.) You don’t need additional software to burn discs.

Previously if you wanted to burn a CD or DVD, you had to download additional software, and this often meant paying a lot of money or downloading malicious software onto your system. With Windows 7, this software is already loaded onto your PC. Just look toward the top of any Window containing files and folders, and you will see a link labeled “Burn.” Start by clicking there, and you will have your copy created in no time.

3.) You have full control over AutoPlay.

With Windows 7, you can completely configure your AutoPlay settings for all types of media. To do this, you first visit your “Control Panel” and click “Hardware and Sound” and finally “AutoPlay.” You can turn AutoPlay on and off for all or some devices, and you can change almost everything about this feature to your liking so you can select from the utilities included with Microsoft Windows 7 or with appropriate third party programs.

4.) Pin all of your favorites to the Start Menu.

Windows 7’s Explorer features jump lists that can show you most recently visited files and folders, but you can manually bookmark some of your favorite or most visited files at the top of the list. If the file or folder you want to hold onto is already present in the jump list, you simply have to click the push pin that shows up to the right of the item to pin it to the list.

Manually bookmarking other favorites is a bit trickier, but still super easier. Right click a folder on the desktop or in an open Explorer Window and drag it to the Explorer folder icon in the Taskbar. The folder will then appear in a pinned section of the jump list, and you can unpin it easily with a quick click of your mouse.

5.) Make your Desktop Dazzle.

One of the best things about Microsoft’s Windows 7 is the great amount of customization options. This includes the appearance, such as the desktop images.

Windows 7 comes fully loaded with an awful lot of new wallpaper choices and themes, and there are many, many, many more to choose from for free at the Microsoft website. This can make it a little too tough to choose one, but that’s okay, you don’t have to. You can elect to show a desktop slideshow.

To get this feature up and running, right click an empty bit of desktop and select “Personalize” then “Desktop Background.” You can select any number of different wallpaper images for your desktop to rotate through, and you can even change how often you want the images to change and other personalization options to give your display more pizazz. See a video showing desktop and taskbar tips and tricks for Windows Seven.

This guest post is by Dave Ritchie, a freelance technical writer interested in disk cleaner reviews and Clean my Mac software.