My Most Used Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Making use of the dm1z trackpad (or any laptop trackpad/pointer nub) is just too slow and too much of a pain for common tasks. You need to know and use Windows keyboard shortcuts. The shortcuts I'm talking about are more than just the ubiquitous Ctrl+C, Home, Page Up and so on; I need to open apps, close apps, close tabs, bring up search, etc. To that end I am trying to increase my every day use of Windows keyboard shortcuts. Here's the ones I'm using the most and they are roughly in the order of what I think are the most important to leverage to boost your overall Windows efficiency:

+ 1…0:	Launches/focus program pinned to the Taskbar indicated by the number.
Alt + Tab:	Cycle forward though open windows old-school way and not via Windows Flip 3D
+ D:	Show/Hide desktop
Alt + D:	Selects the address bar (useful when in a browser like Chrome)
Alt + F4:	Close current window. If in desktop context open the Shut Down Windows dialog.
Ctrl + Tab:	Move forward through tabs (as in Google Chrome/IE tabs)
Ctrl + Shift + Tab:	Move backward through tabs (as in Google Chrome/IE tabs)
F3:	Open search (i.e. in page search when in Chrome)
F5:	Refresh the page
Ctrl + F4:	Close tab (doesn't close entire app, just the IE tab that is in focus)
Ctrl + T:	Open new tab (open new tab in Chrome/IE)
Ctrl + Shift + Esc:	Open the Windows Task Manager
+ Up Arrow:	Maximize current window
+ Down Arrow:	Minimize/restore current window
+ Left Arrow:	Tile window to left side of screen
+ Right Arrow:	Tile window to right side of screen
:	Open Start Menu
+ Shift + 1…0:	Launches new instance of program pinned to the Taskbar indicated by the number.
+ Ctrl + 1…0:	Access the last active instance of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
+ T:	Cycles through the items on the Taskbar
+ Tab:	Use Windows Flip 3D to cycle forward through open programs
+ Shift + Tab:	Use Windows Flip 3D to cycle backward through open programs
Alt + Shift + Tab:	Cycle backward though open windows old-school way and not via Windows Flip 3D
Alt + Esc:	Cycles between open programs in the order they were opened
+ M:	Minimize all Windows
+ Shift + M:	Restore all minimized windows
+ L:	Lock the computer
+ Spacebar:	Preview desktop
Ctrl + Shift + N:	Create a new folder
Tab:	Cycle forward through elements in a window or dialog box
+ X:	Open Windows Mobility Center
+ '+':	Activate Windows Magnifier to zoom in/out of screen
+ Esc:	Exit Windows Magnifier

Lenovo doesn't offer 5GHz WiFi card for x120e?

Prior I had mentioned that "Lenovo offers Thinkpad x120e option for 2.4GHz/5GHz 2x2 a/b/g/n wireless LAN adapter for $20".

But this option is now gone?!? I just checked the Lenovo site today and it is not there.

I think Lenovo has been tweaking their x120e offerings and the site now shows just three configurations. You can somewhat customize each one but none of them offer the 5GHz WiFi upgrade option that I saw prior.

The Lenovo tech specs PDF document for the x120 show this:

WLAN (for x120e)

• ThinkPad AGN (Broadcom) 2x2 AGN
• ThinkPad BGN (Realtek® - Stockton) 1x1 GN

I assume the x120e supports a 5GHz wireless LAN adapter as a 2x2 card is listed. But what's offered on the Lenovo site now is only "Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: ThinkPad b/g/n". I'm guessing that's the 1x1 Realtek and not the dual channel Broadcom card.

HP is not offering a 5GHz option for the dm1z at this time on their site. The HP Pavilion dm1 Notebook PC Maintenance and Service Guide on page 18 notes these two adapters:

WLAN module (for dm1z)

• Broadcom 4313 802.11b/g/n 1x1 WiFi and 2070 Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Combo adapter - (BT3.0+HS ready)
• Ralink RT5390 802.11b/g/n 1x1 WiFi and BC8 Bluetooth 3.0+HS Combo adaptor - Rashi2

These are both 1x1. It appears there are no officially supported 2x2 modules for the dm1z yet.

Offering a 5GHz upgrade was one real differentiating factor for the x120e over the dm1z if you ask me. The x120e lists a 2x2 option so the unit supports one, this is better than the dm1z which lacks any official support for a 2x2 card currently.

I guess it doesn't matter if the x120e supports 5GHz or not since you can't get an x120e with one installed. An advantage the x120e had over the dm1z currently does not apply it seems.

Do I call it a dm1z or a dm1?

The product number for my unit is XL303AV and I'm pretty sure my laptop is the dm1z-3000 variety. However, the laptop itself says it is a "Pavilion dm1" while he HP site says "HP Pavilion dm1z series" when you go to buy the system. I am assuming the 'z' in dm1z is for the dual-core AMD E-350 Zacate processor. There's probably models with Intel Atom so they're just dm1.

So what's really the proper name for this laptop, dm1 or dm1z? And why is HP not making this 100% clear? I'll be calling it a "dm1z", that's what everyone is calling it even though that label is not actually printed on the unit.

dm1z Battery Meter Reporting Can Be Misleading

I consistently get 5+ hours of battery life on the dm1z on max performance setting. I haven't actually timed this so this is merely my observation. Overall I am satisfied with battery life for the HP dm1z as it has met my minimum criteria.

The reported charge from the Windows system tray battery meter does fluctuate and I have seen this matter reported in dm1z reviews. This does make it difficult to know accurately how much charge is left. It fluctuates from 6 hours to 4 hours to 5 hours so it can be a bit all over the place. You do get a warning when there's 10% charge left, about 30 mins or so, and this has been generally accurate as far as I can tell. If I'm out and about with the dm1z I have my power plug with me, so when I see the 10% warning I know I need to think about plugging in soon.

Disable Vari-Bright on the dm1z to stop brightness fluctuations

My dm1z screen display brightness seemed to spontaneously change at times so I wanted to resolve this. The dm1z has Vari-Bright to help maximize battery life by tweaking how bright your screen is. A good thing but I'm sure this causes the brightness fluctuation I observe. I'll just lower brightness manually when needed, no problem. So I disabled Vari-Bright:

Start Menu > All Programs > Catalyst Control Center > CCC > Power > PowerPlay > and untick Enable Vari-Bright option.

dm1z Laptop Fan noise, a non-issue

I've read reviews about the dm1z fan saying it was too noisy while others say they hardly heard it. I have had my dm1z for three weeks now and I hear the fan occosianally, but when I do it's not loud. Fan noise is a non-issue with the dm1z if you ask me.

dm1z 2.4 GHz WiFi only, Lenovo offers Thinkpad x120e option for 2.4GHz/5GHz 2x2 a/b/g/n wireless LAN adapter for $20

From the Lenovo site you can customize a x120e with a 2.4GHz/5GHz 2x2 a/b/g/n wireless LAN adapter for $20 extra:

Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters

• ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n [base]
• ThinkPad 2x2 a/b/g/n [$20 upgrade]  

This is a good option and you should get the upgrade for sure if you're buying the x120e. I was looking closely at a x120e but went with the dm1z. I did not realize the dm1z wirless adapter didn't support 5GHz at the time of my purchase decision. 5GHz WiFi is the way to go even though it is not as common right now. Not sure why HP cannot add a similar option for the dm1z. I would've paid $20 extra for this had it been offered. I'm looking at 5GHz wireless adapter options for the dm1z now. I do still highly recommend the dm1z but this is a factor in any buy decision if you're comparing these two units.

[UPDATE]
Lenovo no longer offering 5GHz WiFi card option for x120e