Secret Windows 7 Features Cracked by Programmer

Secret Windows 7 Features Cracked by Programmer

Rafael Rivera, a programmer from Virginia, has unraveled various fragmentary features of Windows 7 that Microsoft temporarily kept from users until its completion.


Rivera posted a utility, also known as "Blue Badge", designed to fix nine system files embedded in the recently launched Windows 7. Among the files were "explorer.exe" and "shell32.dll." The tool deactivates the security program which Microsoft added to conceal some features that were still a work in progress.



Based on the programmer's assessment, Windows 7 checks the user's authorized domain and username, then decrypts the hidden features if it sees the user is a full-time worker. Blue Badge allows users to gain access to the operating system's new taskbar as well as other uncompleted attributes. The utility can be obtained from Rivera's blog in an edition compatible with  32-bit version of Windows 7. The tool to unlock the 64-bit version has been deferred.