We tech geeks love to discover hidden features in our tech toys. And we love it even more those hidden features are actually useful. An Easter egg that has been making the rounds among Windows 7 users is Windows 7 "God Mode." At its simplest level, what Windows 7 God Mode does is simple – it puts a myriad of configuration options at your fingertips, in one list. Beyond that, users have discovered additional "god modes" that open up more Windows 7 configuration options. Read on for more on God Mode.
To access God Mode in Windows 7, follow these steps:
1. Create a new folder (Right-click on your desktop, and select New > Folder).
2. Give the folder the following name:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
(You actually can replace the word "GodMode" with a word of your choosing, so long as it is followed by the "." as in the above example).
Like magic, the folder icon will change to a new icon:
There seems to be some dispute in tech circles about whether God Mode actually offers access to any new settings, or whether it just consolidates already-available settings in one place. Either way, it is convenient to not have to dig through nested menus in the control panel, and to see various settings on one list (the Start Menu search box can help you avoid this, too, if you know what terms to use in the search).
In addition to the "main" God Mode settings, users have also discovered additional God Mode folders for Windows 7, and some for Windows Vista and later. These include folders for Biometrics, for Backup and Restore, for Font Settings, and more.
Try God Mode at your own risk, especially if you’re using Windows Vista. I haven’t run into any trouble on any of my Windows 7 machines, but I have seen reports of this completely borking Vista 64 bit machines.
Have you tried out God Mode, or any of the additional tricks? Do you find them useful, or do you prefer to use the Start Menu search box?
Kosmo @ The Casual Observer says:
Um. What exactly is the point of hiding useful functionality from users? I appreciate the fact that God mode may offer some neat stuff for Windows 7, but why the need to jump through hoops to get to it?
.-= Kosmo @ The Casual Observer´s last blog ..Hall of Fame Reactions =-.
January 12, 2010 — 9:40 pm
Bobby Travis says:
Likely it has everything to do with blackboxing to not overwhelm users with functionality. No different from power user modes in all operating systems and in many programs. I like to turn things like this on, just because I like to have access to it just in case — but the likelihood of me actually using it is fairly slim — at least on any regular sort of basis. And I am a power user of sorts — but more on the light end: I like having the power, not necessarily wielding it… :P
January 13, 2010 — 4:28 pm
Kosmo @ The Casual Observer says:
Yeah, I understand the reasons to put certain functionality at the power users level … but, seriously, updating a registry entry to enable it?
.-= Kosmo @ The Casual Observer´s last blog ..Attack of the Silver Carp =-.
January 13, 2010 — 11:37 pm
Bobby Travis says:
Heh — can’t really argue with that — unless it is just a “competence check” to make sure you are the sort who knows what you are doing before opening Pandora’s Box.
January 14, 2010 — 2:10 pm
Evan Kline says:
Good points all around. I’m guessing they had to draw the line somewhere between making it available, but not something that the “ordinary” user would stumble upon. No matter where they drew that line, someone might have an issue with it. I think it comes down to whether there are options in there different than what you can find in the Control Panel. If there are, and if they have the potential to muck things up, I can understand why they’d make it hard to find. If, on the other hand, this just presents already-available options in one menu, then I agree they should have made it easier to find.
January 14, 2010 — 2:26 pm