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Windows XP & Vista
Note for the sake of this article, the
Classic View is used for Control Panel.
View all files in Windows
Explorer
By default, Windows Explorer
hides a lot of files from the
user. It's easy enough to turn
them back on, and if you want to
poke around your system it's the
only way to fly.
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Go to the Tools
menu, and select
Folder Options....
- Select the View
tab, and under
Hidden Files and Folders,
select Show hidden
files and folders.
- Beneath this, deselect
Hide extensions for
known file types.
This means you should now be
able to see whether a file
is a .JPG or a .PNG for
example.
- You can optionally
deselect Hide
protected operating system
files (Recommended)
under this, however most
people won't need this, and
unless you really want to
see a Desktop.ini file in
every folder, it's best to
just leave it off.
Make sure you can see all
your files, not just the
ones Microsoft wants you to
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Stop that annoying click
sound
Windows by default plays a
"click" sound every time you
click on a folder in Windows
Explorer, or a link in Internet
Explorer. It's superfluous and
annoying, given the mouse
already clicks for you. To turn
it off in Windows XP:
- Click on the
Start button
- Mouse over
Settings and select
Control Panel,
then open Sounds and
Audio Devices
- Click on the
Sounds tab
- Under Program
events, scroll down
to Start Navigation
- Under Sounds
at the bottom of the dialog,
change the drop down box to
(None).
- Click OK
To turn it off in Vista:
- Click the
Windows button, and
click Control Panel
-
- If you're using the
default view, click the
green Hardware
and Sound link,
then under the
Sound category,
click the Change
system sounds
link.
- If you're using
Classic View,
just double click the
Sounds icon.
- Click the Sounds
tab
- Under Program,
scroll down to Start
Navigation
- Under Sounds
at the bottom of the dialog,
change the drop down box to
(None)
- Click OK
For the love of all things
silence — stop clicking!
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Reduce crash recovery time
If you're not a sysadmin,
there's a good chance you're not
going to use logging or even
understand a kernel dump. With
that in mind, we can turn both
features off when a blue-screen
or crash happens, so you can
restart things quicker.
- In the Control
Panel, open
System. If you're
using Vista, you have one
more step: on the left hand
side of the pane that opens,
click the Advanced system
settings link.
- Click the
Advanced tab, and
in the Startup and
Recovery section
click the Settings
button.
- Deselect Write
an event to the system log,
Automatically
restart and set
Write debugging
information to
(None)
- Click OK,
then OK
again.
Keeping crash time to a
minimum
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Turn off security warning
when running files
Needless to say you do this one
at your own risk. If you
download an executable or file
that's seen as a security risk,
Internet Explorer tags it so the
operating system asks for your
confirmation before running. The
behaviour also extends to
running files off a network, and
we've seen cases where it can
continue asking this even after
you've told it not to.
Here's how to limit how much
this not so lovely feature
annoys:
- Click the Start
button, then click
Run — if you're
using Vista, just click the
Windows
button
- Type gpedit.msc
and hit enter
- The Group Policy editor
has now loaded. On the left,
expand User
Configuration
- Expand
Administrative Templates
- Expand Windows
Components
- Click on
Attachment Manager
- Double click
Inclusion list for low file
types, and set the
radio button to
Enabled. In the
field that appears below,
enter the filetypes causing
you issues, separated by
semicolons. For example:
.exe;.doc;.ppt;.xls.
Click OK
when you're done
- Restart your machine for
it to take effect
If you'd prefer to leave the
feature on, but just unblock one
file:
- Right click the file and
click on Properties
- Click on the
Unblock button and
click OK
Yes. We're sure we want to
run it. That's why we
clicked on it, right?
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Keep your desktop icons in
order
Simple one this — right click on
the desktop in an empty spot. In
Windows XP, mouse over
Arrange Icons By, and
make sure Auto Arrange
and Align to Grid
are selected. By deault this
orders all icons on the left
hand side in alphabetic order,
although you can also choose
from Size, Type and Modified
order. Or for the ultimate clean
desktop, simply deselect
Show Desktop Icons.
In Windows Vista, it's a little
different. Right click on the
desktop in an empty space, and
mouse over View.
Here you have the same
Auto Arrange,
Align to Grid and
Show Desktop Icons
options, however gone are the
arrange options, instead giving
access to Large Icons,
Medium Icons
and Classic Icons.
You can find the extra order
options under the Sort
By menu, below
View.
Get those desktop icons to
do what you want
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Know your keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can make
using your PC a heck of a lot
quicker. Listed below are some
of the essentials — note that a
plus symbol (+) indicates
striking keys simultaneously.
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Universal shortcuts |
 |
Opens
Start menu. You can also
use CTRL
+ ESC |
|
+ R |
Open
Run dialog |
|
+ E |
Open
Windows Explorer |
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+ D |
Show
desktop |
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+ L |
Lock
computer |
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+ PAUSE
or BREAK |
Load
system properties |
|
+ B |
Make
the system tray active.
Use Enter to simulate a
double click, or use the
arrow keys to select the
icons |
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+ TAB |
Windows
XP: Cycle forward
through applications in
the taskbar
Windows Vista: Cycle
forward through Flip 3D
+ T
cycles the taskbar
forward in Vista |
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+ SHIFT
+ TAB |
Windows
XP: Cycle backward
through applications in
the taskbar
Windows Vista: Cycle
backward through Flip 3D
+ SHIFT
+ T
cycles the taskbar
backward in Vista |
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ALT +
TAB |
Cycle
forward in task switcher |
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ALT +
SHIFT +
TAB |
Cycle
backward in task
switcher |
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CTRL +
ALT +
DEL |
Bring
up the Windows Security
dialog, allowing you to
log out, change
password, lock the
computer, shutdown or
run the Task Manager |
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CTRL +
SHIFT +
ESC |
Load
the Task Manager |
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PrintScreen |
Take a
screenshot, and copy it
to the clipboard. To
retrieve it, you'll need
to paste it into an
imaging program like
Paint and save it |
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Windows Vista Only |
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+ any number |
Hotkeys
for the appropriate
entry in the QuickLaunch
bar. For example,
+ 1
will execute the first
shortcut,
+ 2 the
second, and so on. |
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File
operations in Windows
Explorer |
|
CTRL +
C |
Copy
the file |
|
CTRL +
X |
Cut the
file |
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CTRL +
V |
Paste
the file. If you
previously performed the
copy shortcut, the file
will be copied to the
chosen location. If you
previously performed the
cut shortcut, the file
will be moved to the
chosen location |
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CTRL +
Z |
Undo
the previous file
operation |
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Holding CTRL
when click dragging a
file |
Upon
release of mouse button,
force the file to copy
to the new location |
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Holding ALT
when click dragging a
file |
Upon
release of mouse button,
create a shortcut to the
file in the new location |
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Holding SHIFT
when click dragging a
file |
Upon
release of mouse button,
force the file to move
to the new location |
ALT +
ENTER
or
ALT +
double left
click on icons |
Load
the properties dialog |
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SHIFT +
DEL |
Delete
file immediately,
without sending it to
the Recycle Bin. |
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SHIFT +
arrow keys, or
HOME/END |
Group
select/deselect multiple
sequential files |
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CTRL +
left click |
Select/deselect multiple
specific files |
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F2 |
Rename
file |
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F3 |
Open
search Explorer bar |
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F4 |
Go to
address bar |
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F5 |
Refresh
contents |
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Numpad * |
Expand
entire selected folder
tree |
|
CTRL+
A |
Select
all files in current
window |
or numpad + |
Expand
current folder |
 or
numpad - |
Collapse current folder |
|
BACKSPACE |
Go up
to parent folder |
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Shortcuts with text |
CTRL +
or
|
Place
the cursor at the
beginning or the end of
the current word. |
CTRL
+ END
|
Send
the cursor to the end of
the document |
|
CTRL +
HOME |
Send
the cursor to the
beginning of the
document |
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Double click |
Quick
select the clicked word |
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Triple click |
Quick
select the clicked
paragraph |
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SHIFT +
arrows, HOME,
END,
PAGE UP
or PAGE DOWN |
Select
text |
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Navigation without a
mouse |
|
SHIFT +
F10 |
Same as
right clicking a file |
|
TAB |
Navigate menu elements
forward |
|
SHIFT +
TAB |
Navigate menu elements
backward |
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ALT +
F4 |
Close
the current application |
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ALT +
SPACEBAR |
Display
application system menu |
|
ALT +
Underlined letter in
menu |
Open
that menu |
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SPACEBAR |
If a
checkbox or radio box is
selected, activates
this. If a button is
selected, clicks it |
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ENTER |
Click
the default button
(usually OK) |
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ESC |
Equivalent to clicking
the CANCEL
button |
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Turn on QuickEdit mode in
Command Prompt
If you use the Command Prompt a
bit, this little tip can be
invaluable, allowing you to
select text by clicking and
dragging with the left mouse
button, copy it by right
clicking when text is selected,
and pasting using the right
mouse button when nothing else
is selected.
- Open Command Prompt
(usually found in
Start >
Programs >
Accessories >
Command Prompt)
- Click on the icon in the
top left, and click
Properties
- Check the box that says
QuickEdit Mode,
click OK
- A pop up will appear.
Select Modify
shortcut that started this
window
QuickEdit in action
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Maximise/restore window
quickly
To maximise or restore a window
quickly, simply double click on
the title bar.
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Expanded context menu
To get extra options when right
clicking on a file, hold down
SHIFT first.
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Turn on the Quick Launch bar
So many don't even know it
exists! The Quick Launch bar is
a handy little toolbar into
which you can drag application
shortcuts that you regularly
use. This way you can click once
to launch them, rather than
having to go through the Start
menu.
- Right click on an empty
spot on the taskbar, and
mouse over Toolbars.
Click Quick Launch.
- If the little handle
doesn't appear for you to
resize the Quick Launch bar
(in case you need more room
for your shortcuts), right
click on an empty spot on
the taskbar and make sure
Lock the taskbar
is unticked. If it's not,
simply click on it to unlock
the taskbar. You may choose
to relock it once you're
done resizing.
- You can delete icons
from here by right clicking
on them and choosing
Delete; can reorder
them by clicking on them and
holding down the left mouse
button, then dragging; or
add new icons simply by
dragging them from elsewhere
in Windows. You can also
drag icons from the Start
menu — but make sure to hold
down CTRL at the same time
so it copies the shortcut
rather than moves it.
The Quick Launch bar
gives you quick access
to your applications.
The vertical line the
two arrows are pointing
to is the handle, which
by left clicking on and
dragging you can adjust
the size of the bar
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