Learn Windows 7 - The Action Center

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Mahalo Windows expert Sean Hewitt gives a tutorial on the Windows 7 action center.

The Action Center
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Windows Action Center is the notification center in Windows 7. It will notify you of any instances on your system which require you to do something before they can proceed further. The Action Center lets you review your computer status and resolve issues. For example, if your computer needed to do an update or if your firewall was off, Windows Action Center would notify you. 

Opening the Action Center
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To open Windows Action Center right-click on the flag on the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Then click on Open Action Center. You can also click on the Start Menu, select the Control Panel and under System and Security, click Review your computer's status. From the Action Center, your action items will be shown and divided into two categories: Security and Maintenance. 

There are three categories within Security: Network firewall, Windows Update and Virus protection. 

1. Firewall - In this tab you can view your installed firewall. It doesn't particularly matter if you are using Windows Firewall (which is the default) or a third-party firewall such as McAfee Firewall. Each of these will require some degree of your attention to manage. There really isn't much issue as to what firewall you are using, the important thing is that you have an active firewall. 

2. Windows Update - This area just lets you know if your system is set to get updates automatically or if your system is turned off. If you have your Update set to off, it is advisable that you update manually. 

3. Virus protection - It is very important to have virus protection and the security system will notify you whether or not you have adequate protection. If you do not have a virus protection program, you can download
Microsoft Security Essentials for free. 
*Note that when downloading security essentials, be sure to download the right version for your computer. To find out what version you should download, use the
keyboard shortcut Windows+Pause to display your computer's specific details. Now you can see your system type and whether or not you have a 32-bit or 64-bit system. 
For
spyware protection, Windows 7 comes with Windows Defender. Feel free to use another form of protection, as long as you make sure that your computer is protected and that you scan for spyware on a regular basis. You can also take action on your Internet Security settings. To do so, type "Internet security" in the Search field of the Start Menu and raise your security settings as prompted. You can move the slider bar to increase (or decrease) your protection levels. 
This setting is modifiable in case of instances where you might want more freedom in controlling what can be downloaded onto your computer. It is advisable to leave your computer at its default protection settings. But if you find the pop-up warning windows to be bothersome, you have the option of changing your protection to a lower setting.

Network Access Protection is a setting applicable only to accessing office networks and may not be applicable to you if this is your home computer. This setting dictates whether or not your computer is granted access to the network according to how your system meets the network access requirements. 

The Check for solutions to report problems setting will dictate whether or not your computer will automatically try to find and solve any issues within itself.

The Backup reminder dictates whether or not your computer automatically tracks if you've been performing backups to your computer. 

Lastly, Troubleshooting System Maintenance keeps you notified to how often you've performed various forms of computer maintenance, such as
disk defragmentation. 

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