Tweak7 (previously TweakVista) is a

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

tool for

Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, released five years earlier, which was then the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft W ...

and

Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, ...

that allows modification of various OS-specific functions, most notably the settings surrounding the

Desktop Window Manager Desktop Window Manager (DWM, previously Desktop Compositing Engine or DCE in builds of pre-reset Windows Longhorn) is the compositing window manager in Microsoft Windows since Windows Vista that enables the use of hardware acceleration to render ...

User Account Control User Account Control (UAC) is a mandatory access control enforcement feature introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed

and startup programs. A beta version became available in July 2005, with a complete overhaul in June 2007. A Windows 7 version was released in October 2009. The program offers changes on two levels - a first level for non-technical users with descriptions in "plain language", and a second level for

power user A power user is a user of computers, software and other electronic devices who uses advanced features of computer hardware, operating systems, programs, or websites which are not used by the average user. A power user might not have extensive tech ...

s. It was recommended by ''

Personal Computer World ''Personal Computer World'' (''PCW'') (February 1978 - June 2009) was the first British computer magazine. Although for at least the last decade it contained a high proportion of Windows PC content (reflecting the state of the IT field), the m ...

'' as "a very useful tool that doesn’t require advanced knowledge."

ExtremeTech ExtremeTech is a technology weblog, launched in June 2001, which focuses on hardware, computer software, science, and other technologies. Between 2003 and 2005, ExtremeTech was also a print magazine and the publisher of a popular series of ho ...

called it "the mother of all control panels", praising its "ability to dig up useful and obscure information", but criticising "a lack of help for problems uncovered". Tweak7 was developed by

Stardock Stardock Corporation is an American software development Company (law), company founded in 1991 and incorporation (business), incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch t ...

and distributed as part of their

Object Desktop Object Desktop (OD; previously the Object Desktop Network or ODNT) is an online software subscription service created by Stardock for OS/2 and relaunched for Microsoft Windows, Windows in 1997. Object Desktop includes most graphical user interfac ...

suite. It was co-distributed by Advanced PC Media (Steve Sinchak), which held a trademark on the term TweakVista.

References

External links

Tweak7 home page
Utilities for Windows Windows-only proprietary software Stardock software {{windows-software-stub