I recently became aware of a special hack in Windows 7. It is called GodMode and can very simply be one of the easiest hacks that I’ve ever seen. I guess technically it’s not a hack because it is more or less a hidden feature. A feature which allows you to do just about everything you can do with Windows in one screen. Basically the screen is a bunch of links to run the applications themselves, but it is more-or-less a massive link list (see screenshot below). While in GodMode, you can create partitions, backup or restore your machine to an earlier point in time, manage your network connections, your auto play features, microphone or speaker settings, the list goes on and on and on…
Since there are so many applications available, it makes sense to filter what you are looking to do. Just enter something to filter by (search for) in the Search GodMode box in the top right corner.
Now, I bet you want to know how to “enable” GodMode right? I guess I’ll tell you. All that you have to do is create a folder. Let’s say on your C Drive. After you create the folder, rename it to this:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
You’ll see two things happen. First, the icon will change from a folder, to a something much like the control panel icon. Secondly, the label that is displayed for it is “GodMode”. If you place your cursor over the GodMode icon, it will give you a tooltip stating “See a list of ALL program tasks”. As I mentioned earlier, pretty much anything that windows has built will be available in the screen that opens up. If you are following along, go ahead and double click it to open it up.
Amazing is it not? Yeah… I’m easily impressed. If you have some great quick Windows 7 tips, please comment below. I hope that you have enjoyed this post. If you did, please take just a moment to rate it below! Also, if you don’t already, please be sure to follow me on twitter at @briankmcdonald. Also note that you can subscribe to an RSS feed of my blogs.
Brian K. McDonald, MCDBA, MCSD
Business Intelligence Consultant – Pragmatic Works
Email: bmcdonald@pragmaticworks.com | Blogs: SQLBIGeek | SQLServerCentral | BIDN
Twitter: @briankmcdonald | LinkedIn: http://tinyurl.com/BrianKMcDonald
