Restore run
If you miss the Windows XP
Run option, which was used by many to launch programs quickly, right-click the
‘Start’ orb, select ‘Properties >Customise’, check the Run Command and click
‘OK’, and a Run option now appears on the start menu.
Many of our tips feature
the Run command and if you love sneaky shortcuts, it’s very easy to start using
Windows faster. You can launch it directly. To run Device Manager, for example,
click ‘Start’, type Device in the search box and Windows should display
a Device Manager link for you. Windows also responds to vague searches, so if
you type partition, the disk management tool will be listed.
You can also type the
applet’s executable file name, such as devmgmt.msc (Device Manager). Services.msc
(Services), dfrg.msc (Disk Defragmenter), diskmgmt.msc (Disk
Management) and compmgmt.msc (Computer Management Console).
Open websites with a
keypress
If you miss the Windows XP
Run option, which was use by many to launch programs quickly, right-click the
‘Start’ orb, select ‘Properties >Customise’, check the Run Command box and
click ‘OK’, and a Run option now appears on the Start menu.
Many of our tips feature
the Run command and if you love sneaky shortcuts, it’s very easy to start using
Windows faster.
Launch applets fast
Don’t waste time browsing
to the Control Panel for the right tool for making changes to your computer
when you can launch it directly. To run Device Manager, for example, click
‘Start’, type Device in the search box and Windows should display a Device
Manager link for you. Windows also responds to vague searches, so if you type
partition, the disk management tool will be listed.
You can also type the
applet’s executable file name, such as devmgmt.msx (Device manager), services.msc
(Services), dfrg.msc (Disk Management), and compmgmt.msc
(Computer Management Console).
Open websites with a
keypress
Click ‘Favourites’,
right-click the Favouritefor particular site, and select ‘Properties’. Click in
the ‘Shortcut Key’ box and press the key combination you’d like to launch the
site – [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [G] for Google, say. Close your browser, press your
default browser opens to display the site. This also works for any Windows
programs and is a great way to get things done a lot faster.
Access network files faster
To work on network files even
when that PC isn’t connected (in Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or
Enterprise) there’s an easy fix. When the network computer is available, browse
to the file or folder you need, right-click it, select ‘Always Available
Offline’ so that it’s checked and Windows makes a local copy available for you.
Find the right file
If you occasionally need
to search the contents of files that haven’t been indexed, just start your
search with ‘content’. This will tell Windows to look inside your files for the
right information, even if Windows Search hasn’t gone through and done it already.
As this happens only a couple of times a day, new files might not be indexed,
so it’s well worth doing. Typing content:zebra into any search box
locates files that have Zebra in their contents, for instance.
Save time on swapping
printers
To have Windows switch
your default printer as you change networks, click ‘Start’, type ‘Devices’ and
click ‘Devices and Printers’. Choose a printer and click ‘Manage Default
Printers’. Select ‘change my default printer when I change networks’, choose a
network and a default printer you’d like, and click ‘Add’. Repeat for other
networks and pick a default printer. Now when you connect to a network, Windows
will set a defined printer.
Save space by dumping crash
data
Run regedit
Run REGEDIT by hitting the ‘Start’ orb and running a search.
Windows 7 keeps files on
your last 50 crashes. However, if you’ll never look at this data it’s a waste
of hard drive space, so you’re better off getting rid of it. Run REGEDIT by
hitting the ‘Start’ orb and running a search.
Make the change
Double-click MiniDumpsCount and change the Value data
Browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl. Double-click
the entry called ‘MiniDumpsCount’ and change the Value data according to how
many crash files you want saved – five is enough.
Faster machine
Ideal for both older machines with small drives and new solid
state drive laptops
When you restart your PC,
you’ll have reclaimed some free drive space on your hard drive, which is ideal
for both older machines with small drives and new solid state drive laptops,
which have equally tiny discs.
Windows key shortcuts
The Windows key has many
uses. Here are just a few:
[Windows] + Left Arrow: docks the
current window left
[Windows] + Right Arrow: docks the
current window right
[Windows] + Up Arrow: maximise the
current window right
[Windows] + Down Arrow: minimise the
current window right
[Windows] + [M]: minimise all
windows
[Windows] + [Shift] +[Windows]
+ [V]: minimise windows
[Windows] + [Space]: make all windows
transparent
[Windows] + [L]: lock your
desktop
[Windows] + [B]: move the
focus to system tray
[Windows] + [E]: launch My
Computer tray
[Windows] + [F]: open the Find
dialog
[Windows] + [Ctrl] +F: open the Find
Computer dialog
[Windows] + [Pause]: display
System Properties
[Windows] + [+]: zoom in on
the screen
[Windows] + [-]: zoom out from
the screen
[Windows] + [U]: open Ease of
Access Centre
[Windows] + [T]: cycle through
taskbar items
[Windows] + [Tab]: cycle through
open windows
[Windows] + [R]: open the Run
command
[Windows] + [L]: lcok your
Windows PC
[Windows] + [F1]: open the help
folder
