Xp Annoyances

...and use the keyboard.

Symptom: Your hand aches from gripping the mouse for hours (especially adjusting photos and other graphics intensive work)

Solution: Learn some basic keyboard shortcuts to commands that are buried under layers of menus. The letters are shown as capitals as they are on the computer keyboard. Just press the key without having to make it a capital.

Commonly used Windows keyboard shortcuts:

Shortcut

Function

Help

F10

Activate the menu bar; type the underlined letter in a menu title; type the underlined character to choose a menu item

Shift+F10

Open a shortcut window; the same as right-clicking an object

Ctrl+C

Copy

Ctrl+X

Cut

Ctrl+V

Paste

Ctrl+Z

Undo (really useful this one)

Ctrl+A

Select all items in the window

Alt+Backspace

Undo

Ctrl+P

Ctrl+N

New window

Ctrl+O

Open

Ctrl+B

Bold (in word processing)

Ctrl+U

Underline

Ctrl+I

Italic

Ctrl+F

Find/Search

Ctrl+G

Go To

Ctrl+Esc

Open the Start menu; then press the Tab key to jump to the taskbar

Alt+Spacebar

Display the main window’s System menu, a shortcut with options to restore, move, size, minimize, maximize, or close the window

Alt+F4

Close Window

Alt+Tab

Switch among open programs

While the above shortcuts apply mainly to Microsoft programs over the last 10 years, most Windows programs emulate these keyboard commands to a greater degree. When a newer version of the product comes out, I am sure that you won't have to learn a whole new set. These ones will continue to work fine.

There are several newer shortcuts, however, which are just as useful but less well known. These shortcuts use the Windows logo key (

), which was introduced on Microsoft’s Natural Keyboard several years ago and is now found on most brands of PC keyboards. This key may also have the word "start" on it. The following table lists these special keyed shortcuts:

Windows (Logo Key) Shortcuts:

Shortcut

Function

Start Menu

Display the desktop (minimizing all open windows) or restore all open windows

Open "My Computer"

Open a "Search Results" window

Ctrl+

Open a Search Results - Computers windows

+F1

Open the "Help and Support Center" window

Open the "Run Command" dialog box

+Break

Open the "System Properties" dialog box

Minimize all open windows

+Shift+M

Undo minimize all open windows

+Tab

Navigate the taskbar buttons

Ctrl+

+Tab

Toggle among the Start menu, the Quick Launch toolbar, and the notification area

Lock the workstation (and switch to the Logon screen if Fast User Switching is enabled)

Open the Utility Manager, which manages such accessibility programs as Magnifier and Narrator

Happy keyboard skills!

Hate #3: Quit "Mousing Around"...

...and use the keyboard.