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Windows does not always do what you think it's supposed to be doing when you drag items from one place to another.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

More tips and tricks for Windows users


Aug. 8, 2000

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, The Syracuse Newspapers

   Every now and then I like to jot down my favorite little tricks in Windows. Here's my latest list.
   RENAME USING F2: Rename a file or folder by highlighting it, pressing F2 and typing the new name. The usual method of clicking on the item and holding the mouse button down until the rename function activates itself is awkward.
   MAKE YOUR OWN LAUNCH KEYS: Right click on any shortcut icon and choose "Properties." Click the "Shortcut" tab. Click once on the "Shortcut key:" line and press a letter or number key. Windows will assign modifier keys. Take note of what they are, then click OK. Press those keys (all at once) to run the program or open the folder that the shortcut represents.
   STOP THE MINDLESS CD HUNT: Windows checks the CD drive for the presence of a CD every second or so, wasting your computer's energy. Stop this automatic checking by right clicking "My Computer" and choosing "Properties," then clicking the "Device Manager" tab. Double click the CD-ROM icon, then double-click the icon under it named for your CD-ROM drive. Click "Properties" at the bottom of the window and click the "Settings" tab. Uncheck "Auto insert notification." Note: Once you do this, you'll have to manually run programs that are supposed to startup automatically when you insert a CD. You'll also have to play audio CDs manually.
   GET TOOLED: File and folder windows show up in Explorer without toolbar buttons unless you turn on the toolbar. I could never figure why Microsoft made such a wonderful feature optional. Open an Explorer window (double-click "My Computer" if you're not sure how to do that) and click the "View" menu, then click "Toolbar." You'll see many helpful buttons. Try them all.
   SEE THE DETAILS: If you think my comments on the hidden Explorer toolbar were unkind, you ain't heard nothing yet. How about the way Microsoft keeps most Windows users from realizing how great the quick-sort buttons are? They're invisible unless you turn them on. Do this: Open an Explorer window, click "View" and then "Details." You'll now see the column headers, starting with "Name." Click any column header to force Windows to sort the contents by that column. Click again to reverse the sort order.
   CAPTURE THE SCREEN: Want to save an image of what you see on the screen? Run WordPad and leave the document window blank. Minimize WordPad to get it out of the way, then arrange the screen display the way you want it. Press the Print Screen key, then click inside the WordPad document window and press Ctrl-V to paste the screen image into the document window. (You can also use the "Edit" menu to do this.) Save the WordPad document. You can also print it.
   CAPTURE PART OF THE SCREEN: Do everything described in the previous entry EXCEPT this: Press Alt-Print Screen instead of Print Screen. This makes an image out of the foreground window.
   SAVE YOUR WRIST: This works only under Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows ME. Click the Taskbar entry of any program to restore it to the main desktop. Click the Taskbar entry again to bring the program back down to a minimized status on the Taskbar.
   MAKE SURE WINDOWS IS IN SYNC: After making any changes to window positions or toolbar settings, click on a blank area of the desktop and press F5. This forces Windows to record the current state of things.
   SOUNDS EASY: Double click on the yellow speaker icon in the system tray (near the clock) to open a window with various audio controls.
   SHOULDER THE LOAD: If you are dragging an icon from one window to another, you don't need to drop the icon inside the window. Dropping it on the shoulder of the window (the area just below the title bar) will do fine.
   SHIFT THE BURDEN: Windows does not always do what you think it's supposed to be doing when you drag items from one place to another. Instead of moving something, Windows might be copying it. Or it might be creating a shortcut - a costly error if you are making backups before wiping out files. Cure this oddity this way: Hold down the Shift key while you drag an item to make sure Windows moves it. Hold down the Ctrl key while you drag an item to make sure Windows copies it. (Remember: "Ctrl" starts with "C" and that means "Copy.") When in doubt, click and drag with the right mouse button and choose from the list that appears when you drop the item.
   DOCUMENTARY: The "Documents" item in the Start Menu is actually a list of shortcuts to recent documents Windows knows about. Clear the list this way: Click "Start," then "Run." Type "recent" (without quotes) and press Enter. Press Ctrl-A and then press the Delete key.
   I have more tips, but they'll have to wait for another opportunity.