Just Ask, and Windows 7 Can Tell You What Day of the Week It Is

Q: It has always puzzled me that the little digital clock tucked into a corner in the extreme right side of the system tray only shows the time and the date. If I want to know what day of the week it is, which I would find very helpful, I’ve got to hover my cursor over the time and date. I tried to add the day of the week by right-clicking on the date, but all I could change was the time, the time zone plus add an additional time zone (see screenshot below), which can be useful, but I’d still rather see the day of the week. Can you help?

A: The short answer is yes, but only with Windows 7. You can customize the time/date format in multiple ways, but first you’ve got to find where those controls are situated. They are in the Control Panel under Region and Language. However, Microsoft does provide a tiny clue to the location. If you look very carefully at the Control Panel listings, you’ll see an itty-bitty clock on the left side of the Region and Language label (see screenshot at right).

A click on the Region and Language label opens to the default Formats tab (see screenshot below), where you can design any combination of date, day and time.

See screenshot below for how I set mine. For help in selecting the code to create your favorite combination, click on What does the notation mean?