Microsoft began eliminating Easter eggs when it launched the Reliable Computing Initiative in 2002. But you can still find a number of hidden features and strange bugs in Windows that are almost as good as real Easter eggs.
And while most Windows errors tend to be painful, some are actually quite interesting. Do you want to open them with us?
Windows 7 Windows 10 Easter eggs
Unless otherwise noted, the following Easter eggs will work on all current versions of Windows.
1. God mode
This hidden Windows feature was first introduced in Vista and remains one of the most useful. God 'mode
Also known as the Windows Control Panel Wizard, it opens up an unexpected overview of all Control Panel settings in one folder. If you still use the control panel on a regular basis, you will love this trick!
To enable God Mode, create a new folder and use the following character string as its name.
GodMode. {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
voilà , your main control panel is ready to use.
Note: You can replace the term "GodMode" with a term of your choice.
2. Star Wars CMD Code
The Star Wars CMD code is one of the coolest Easter Eggs command lines. And it works on all operating systems that support Telnet and have a terminal or command line, including Windows 10. However, before you can use the command, you need to enable Telnet.
In Windows 10, press Windows + Q, type telnet, and select Turn Windows features on or off from the results. Scroll down until you see Telnet Client enter the checkbox and click OK. Wait for Windows to complete the requested changes, then click close.
Now it's time to have some fun with Telnet! Press Windows + R to launch the Run menu, type CMD, and hit Enter to open a command prompt. Now run the following command:
Time to sit back and watch Star Wars in ASCII
3. Slide to turn off
Microsoft hid an EXE file named SlideToShutDown
in C: \ Windows \ System32 folder. This is an alternative way to shutdown Windows
was first introduced with Windows Phone and then moved to Windows 8. It's great to turn off tablets, but also lets you turn off Windows on the desktop.
When in tablet mode, try pressing the power button for 3-5 seconds and SlideToShutDown will automatically launch. If you are using Windows on your desktop, create a shortcut to launch this shutdown option.
4. Telephone dialer
Starting in Windows 95, Windows includes a dialer application that will allow you to place a call through the telephone port on your computer (if available). The only way to run this utility is to call the executable file directly. Press Windows key + R, enter dialer.exe, and click OK.
5. Windows calculator rounding
To get started, let's do some basic math together. Try to answer the two questions below first, then highlight the lines to see the answers.
What is the square root of four? It's two, isn't it?
What do you get if you subtract two of the two? Zero, right?
Now let's do the above calculation using the Windows calculator
, Enter 4, take the square root and subtract 2. What result does the Windows calculator give you? Do you see why they don't want you to use calculators in school?
This bug has existed since the birth of Windows. The software calculation method limits the precision of extended calculations to 32 digits. This means that a complex calculation like square root works with approximate numbers. For example, the calculator stores the square root of two as 1.99999… (with 32 instances of 9). This arbitrary precision arithmetic (that's its real name!) Can lead to tiny errors like the one we demonstrated above.
6. The number of the beast
Doom 95 was the first Windows version of Doom. The game used port 666 with reference to the "Number of the Beast". And port 666 remains reserved for the rest of the day.
To verify this, go to C: \ Windows \ System32 \ Drivers \ Etc and open the file named Services in notepad.
7. Exit Explorer
Windows 10 taskbar context menu
contains a hidden option called Exit Explorer.
Hold Ctrl + Shift while right-clicking an empty space on the taskbar. (If you're using Windows 7 or below, try right-clicking the Start menu while pressing Ctrl + Shift.) In Windows 10, you should see Exit Explorer as the very last item on the taskbar context menu. This option allows you to quit Windows Explorer without having to go through the Task Manager.
8. Naming and renaming folders
Windows Naming Renaming Folders
Try creating a folder named CON and you will see the following happen:
The same thing happens when you try to use any of the following names:
PRN, AUX, LPT # (with number #), COM #, NUL and CLOCK $
All of the above names are reserved for device names, which means that you cannot use them as file or folder names, regardless of the file extension. It is a relic from DOS that made its way through all versions of Windows, including Windows 7.