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There are times when your operating system needs to tell you something. It may need to let you know that something needs to happen, such as updating certain components. This is usually managed in an ad-hoc manner, without a central location to receive these messages. That has changed with Windows 7, and their new Action Center.

The Action Center is a one-stop place where you will find your system maintenance information, and even your security information. You’ll also be able to troubleshoot any computer problems you may have from within it, as well. Microsoft took the Security Center from Vista, and made it into something much more useful with the new Action Center. It notifies you when there are important messages, so that you can take any actions that may be needed. The notifications themselves are informative and easy to understand, giving you the capability of knowing about any potential problems instantly. Some people may be annoyed by these messages, and that’s ok – you can turn off notifications if you choose.

You won’t ever have to go into the Action Center unless something goes wrong, or something you are tracking needs to get your attention. The rest of the time, the Action Center will just have a small white flag icon down in your system tray. That white flag lets you know that everything is running well, and you don’t need to do anything. If there’s any type of problem, that flag icon will change into a red X, and a window will pop up to alert you. Again, this is all configurable within the Action Center application.

So there you have it. Hopefully the Action Center will help you stay more organized, and help you keep better track of what is going on in your computer. It’s definitely a very welcome addition. The more that Windows does to help average users manage problems – the better off all of us will be.

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Windows 7: Action Center Utility