September 20, 2004Archives Archives Click here to see a list of previous articles.
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What made it do that?
One of the best ways of navigating in Windows is using the keyboard. The mouse definitely has its place, but there is just no getting around the speed and efficiency of using the keyboard. A few years ago, I was impressed with the speed at which a friend of mine used his mouse. I mentioned this to him and was quickly informed at how faster the mouse was than using the keyboard. I balked. "You're fast with the mouse, but there is no comparison." I told him. A few months later he deferred. "Ya know... you were right about that keyboard thing."
The reason the keyboard is much faster is, of course, because of what some people call "hot keys" or "shortcut keys". You will notice that virtually every program, even within Windows, has menu items that have an underscore below a certain letter. If it doesn't, try pressing the ALT key; sometimes they hide until you press the ALT key. This is because by pressing ALT and the letter with the underscore, you can activate that menu or option. For example, ALT-F in virtually any program with a FILE menu will drop down the file menu. ALT-E will drop down the EDIT menu. ALT-T works for the TOOL menu. Try it out for the various menus you see in your programs.
Also, most keyboards these days have a Windows key. That is, the key between the CTRL and ALT that has the logo of Windows on it. With that key, alone, you can accomplish many things, though the shortcuts do not stop there. For example, if you ever have a few programs open and you want to get back to your desktop, what do most people do? Click the minimise button for every program that is open. Some programs aren't maximised so the location of the minimise button differs. What happens is their mouse is wandering around various parts of the screen, slowly as they wait for the program to minimise, then repeat the process. What if you could minimise everything at once? Would you be as giddy as a little school girl? I know I was. If you have the Windows key, try this: To minimise everything, press the Windows key and, while it's still being held, press D (for Desktop). Then press it again. It will bring your programs back up and return you to this program. Do it 4 or 6 times. They key to remembering these shortcuts is by doing them repeatedly. You don't even have to let go of the Windows key while you press D four times, or however many. For those without a Windows key, I did this for many years. It's not as simple, but it's hardly a stretch: Press Ctrl-Esc, then Alt-M (for minimise). Unfortunately, we do not have the reverse effect that pressing Alt-D has, but that's okay because when we want to minimise, it's to get to the desktop, so chances are, we're not going to be returning to our previous program that soon. This is one of many shortcuts for Windows.
Another very handy keyboard shortcut is Windows key-E. That brings up Explorer. You know how you have to either find Windows Explorer in the Programs menu or double-click My Computer just so you can double-click Local Drive? Windowskey-E will bring up Explorer no matter where you are. Try it. Keep in mind if you press Windowskey-E repeatedly, like you did with Windowskey-D earlier, you will have many windows of Explorer open. Try it anyway. Press Windowskey-E four times(then close all the Explorer windows).
With that, I will give you a quick overview of some shortcuts you can try. Some of these may have nothing to do with your interests, but it's always nice to know they're there...just in case. There are so many of these, that I recommend that you go over the descriptions to see if it suits your environment first. Otherwise, it will seem pretty overwhelming. You can always keep this document for future use. Go to to your browser's File menu and select Save As, then save it where you will remember it.
To open the SEARCH program, type Windowskey-F (for Find.)
To LOCK Windows so you need a password to continue working on it, press Windowskey-L. You just use the same password you logged in with to continue working. This is excellent if you're working with sensitive information in an accessible area and want to step away from your computer without having to shut everything down.
Windowskey-M will minimise your programs, but unlike Windowskey-D, you will not be able to restore your program by pressing it again.
As many of you know, pressing and holding down ALT and then repeatedly tapping the TAB key will cycle you through the various programs you have open. If you use the Windowskey-TAB combination, you will cycle through the programs listed on your taskbar. Try it out.
System Properties -- there are at least two ways of getting to this:
When you are in Windows Explorer(not to be confused with Internet Explorer, nor the desktop, also called Explorer), these keys are virtually a must to know:
Next week, I'll be talking to you about something that will really help you use these shortcuts: Understanding the file structure of your computer. Ever lose a file but know you didn't delete it? Or ever wonder how to find a file? Understanding how your file structure works will take you to new levels of understanding your computer and the great thing is: It's pretty dang easy to understand. When you're finished reading next week's newsletter, you'll feel like you've had an epiphany. Or, at least, be less likely to commit serious harm to your computer.
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