Customizing Your Windows 7 Installation With Ultimate Windows Tweaker

If you have been using Windows for any real length of time, you may be familiar with the popular utility known as TweakUI. TweakUI was released for Windows XP, and allowed users to modify the visuals of their Windows installation. It gave you access to options to remove the arrows from desktop shortcuts, display the current Windows version number on the desktop, and even the ability to modify or disable animations throughout the user interface.

Windows 7, the incredibly popular follow-up to Windows Vista, does not have an edition of TweakUI to call its own. For Windows 7 users, there is a free tool called Ultimate Windows Tweaker. UWT gives the Windows 7 user access to a large number of the options and settings available to Windows XP users via TweakUI.

Using Ultimate Windows Tweaker

When you start UWT, you may be a little overwhelmed at first. There are a large number of check boxes with a lot of text. Some of it may be confusing, but what you will soon learn is that it can be very simple to use. Let’s look at some of what I consider to be two of the best features that are packed with UWT, and how to find those settings in the pool of black on white text.

1. Disable Shortcut Arrows in Windows 7 :

To disable shortcut arrows on the Windows 7, first open up your copy of UWT. Once it is up and running, find the Additional Tweaks on the left hand side. Once in the proper pane, you can find the Remove arrows from Shortcut Icons checkbox under Some additional tweaks.  The photo above shows you exactly where to find the setting.

2. Disable Start Menu Highlighting of New Programs :

One of the most annoying features of Windows 7, in my opinion, is the highlighting of newly installed applications in the start menu. You can disable this feature very easily with UWT. To do so, select the Personalization tab from the left hand pane, and find the Customize Start Menus. In that section you will find a check box that reads Disable highlighting newly installed programs. Click that check box, and your new programs will no longer be highlighted in the Start Menu. See the photo for a visual representation of where to find the setting.

Windows Customization Made Easy: Ultimate Windows Tweaker

UWT makes taking control of your Windows Installation incredibly easy. For power users who miss TweakUI, UWT is a great alternative for Windows 7. I fully approve of this free application, and use it to its fullest.

What are your thoughts? Do you have a favorite feature in UWT? Please let us know in the comments below.