Tech Strategy Trends » GodMode

More Hidden Windows 7 Features

Tony Bradley — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:07:19 +0000

Aside from the original “godmode” and the pantheon of additional “godmode” text strings, there are some other worthwhile features hidden beneath the surface of Windows 7.

Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle recently pointed out a couple other Easter Egg-style discoveries. First of all, if you know where and how to look you can uncover a variety of international wallpaper and themes that exist on your hard drive, but are not made readily available by default.

Silverman also describes a different way to use the Aero functionality of Windows 7. Aside from being able to maximize a window or slam it to the left or right half of the screen, you can also get the window to simply fill the width it already has but occupy the full height of the screen by grabbing the top or bottom of the window and stretching it all the way to the top…or bottom, as the case may be.

Got any other favorite features or Easter Eggs we should know about? Feel free to comment here or send them to me.

The Many “GodModes” of Windows 7

Tony Bradley — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:56:36 +0000

I wrote earlier about an Easter Egg in Windows 7 that grants access to a vast array of configuration settings by simply entering a secret string of text at the end of a folder name when creating a new folder in Windows Explorer.

It turns out that Windows 7 is polytheistic–it has many gods. According to an article from CNet’s Ina Fried:

“In an e-mail interview, Steven Sinofsky, Windows division president, said several similar undocumented features provide direct access to all kinds of settings, from choosing a location to managing power settings to identifying biometric sensors.”

I haven’t found many practical uses for most of the “godmode” text strings, but its still sort of fun to try them out and see what secret power each reveals.

Here is a list of the various “godmode” strings. Simply create a folder of any name, and add a period followed by one of these text strings to create a uniquely-endowed “godmode” folder:

{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}
{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}

Playing “God” in Windows 7

Tony Bradley — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:21:00 +0000

It won’t get you legions of followers willing to part with their hard-earned cash, or grant you the ability to throw lightning bolts, or turn lead to gold or anything, but there is an Easter Egg that has been uncovered in Windows 7 that implements a “GodMode”.

It’s all in the name. By simply renaming a folder in Windows Explorer with a specific string of text, the folder will instantly be transformed into a Control Panel of sorts with access to a diverse array of configuration settings that weren’t previously available.

It won’t make you a god, but it will grant you more god-like control of your Windows 7 environment.