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to the Unleashing Windows Index It never ceases to amaze me to see users work diligently to cram as many TSR's in DOS as they can, while starting Windows without anything in the Startup group. I've also seen many users jump back and forth between program groups to run applications that they use constantly. In this article, I plan to outline some simple steps that can help make Windows more productive and easier to use.
The first tip I would like to talk about is the startup group. I have seen many users working in their favorite (or company-mandated) word processor, then realize they need to do a quick calculation. In almost all cases, they grab their desktop calculator. Not that this is really bad, but if they use a calculator regularly, why not have the Windows calculator handy in the background?
The same can be said about most of the applications in the Accessories group. The Accessories group is actually a very useful set of applications, but is probably some of the least used of all the groups. Most people argue that this is because there are better and more powerful programs out there. This is true, but you probably don't want to have all those bigger programs loaded in the background. The combination of the Startup group and the Applications group helps make Windows closer to an actual desktop with commonly used "gadgets" nearby.
Of course, all this talk about the startup group is useless without an easy way to get to those gadgets. This brings me to my next tip: using the "switch" keys. Windows has two ways to switch between applications. The first is called the Task List. The Task List can be accessed by hitting the <Ctrl> and the <Esc> keys simultaneously, clicking on the Control Box (the gray box in the topmost left-hand corner) and choosing Switch To..., or by double-clicking on the Windows desktop. The Task List displays all of the running applications in a list format. From there, you can switch to or close an application.
The next method is by holding down on the <Alt> key and pressing the <Tab> key. Each time you hit the <Tab> key, Windows cycles though the open applications. This is usually faster than the task list. If you skip past an application accidentally, hit the <Shift> and the <Tab> keys while holding down on the <Alt> key (actually easier done than said) to cycle in reverse order. This make jumping to any startup applications just a few keystrokes away! In my case, this is an easier way to find a calculator than digging though all the clutter on my desk.
I also mentioned people opening many different groups to find the applications they use for a project. When you install a Windows application, it usually creates a program group of its own. However, if you use different applications for a task or project, it is faster to have all of those programs located in the same group. Since icons can be copied into a group, you can create a group just for a particular project and still keep the original group. That way, when the project is done, you can delete the entire project group, and still have access to the applications though Program Manager. To copy an icon to another group, hold down on the <Ctrl> key and drag the icon into the new group.
Most projects have certain data files that they always use. This is where file associations come in. Windows has the ability to know what applications a data file "belongs to." For example, the Windows "knows" that all filenames with the extension of .CRD are data files of the Cardfile application. With file associations, you could have an icon representing your client list and another representing your vendor list. When you double-click on the icon, the Cardfile application is run, and the data file is automatically loaded.
To associate an extension with an application, double-click on the File Manager icon in the Main group. Find a file with the extension that you want to associate with an application. Choose File from the menu, and then choose Associate. A dialog box will then be displayed listing the applications found in the Windows directory. Select the application or move to the directory with the application you want to associate with this extension. If this is done correctly, the icon beside any file with the associated extension will have an icon that looks like a piece of paper with blue lines on it. You'll probably notice Windows has already associated some extensions with applications.
To create an icon for an associated data file, bring up the Task List and click on the Tile button. Now, Program Manager and File Manager are tiled on the screen. Simply drag the data file from File Manager to a group in Program Manager. The data file will have its filename as the icon text and its icon will be the same as the application's icon. Of course, these can be changed though the File, Properties items on the Program Manager menu.
These are just some tips to help improve the way you work with Windows. An example of some of these things in action, is how a secretary used Windows where I used to work. Since we were on a Local Area Network (LAN) with E-Mail, she had a Phone Message icon in her Startup group. If she was working on a word processing document and the phone rang, she could use <Alt><Tab> to "jump" to the phone message application, take the message, E-Mail it to the appropriate person, and switch back to her word processor without missing a beat. Hopefully, you can find an example where some of the things I've discussed can help you work more efficiently in Windows.