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Windows 7 Has Lots of "God Modes"
An anonymous reader writes "Those intrigued by the 'GodMode' in Windows 7 may be interested to know that there are many other similar shortcuts hidden within the operating system — some going back to Vista or before. Steven Sinofsky, Windows division president, said several similar undocumented features provide direct access to all kinds of settings, from choosing a location to managing power settings to identifying biometric sensors." Update: 01/07 23:46 GMT by CT : Link updated to source.
This has always been the case and is nothing new. This was already possible on 2k/XP and was actually abused by hackers like this:
1) Create directory and add a string that makes it look like the recycle bin (the folder will actually link to the recycle bin when clicked on by the user that tries to view the map and take on the same icon).
2) In that dir put whatever you want to be hidden from the operators of said computer
3) ???
4) Profit
Check the datestamps. Cnet's article was posted the day before.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
I guess the more relevant factor is not that the developers created all kinds of shortcuts for themselves, but that a subset of the users found them and think they're really useful.
As you point out, that doesn't necessarily mean your design is bad, but it's a pretty good indication that you might want to consider the possibility.
Personally I think Windows has gone way too far with the wizards. I was trying to connect to a shared printer the other day and kept going in circles, bouncing from wizard to wizard. Things like the TCP/IP settings and wireless connection wizard seem to keep popping up when you're trying to use Network Neighborhood, which has always seemed to be broken, and manually connecting only works if you know the address AND share name.