Windows XP [Electronic resources] : Visual Quickstart Guide, Second Edition نسخه متنی

Managing Shortcuts

I've covered creating, editing, and deleting shortcuts in the Start menu and Quick Launch toolbar. Shortcuts also can appear on the desktop and in folders. A shortcut can link to a program, document, folder, disk, printer or other device, web address (URL), or system folder (such as My Computer). When you double-click a shortcut, its linked file opens. You can create and modify a shortcut to any item and store it anywhere; it's a tiny file.

Windows offers two types of shortcut files:

Windows shortcuts (.lnk files) and

internet shortcuts (.url files). A shortcut shares the icon of the original but adds a small boxed arrow in one corner (Figure 2.44 ).

Using the Start Menu" earlier in this chapter.

To create a shortcut:

1. Locate the item (icon) that you want to create a shortcut to.

2. Right-drag the icon to a destination (typically, the desktop or a folder); then choose Create Shortcut(s) Here from the shortcut menu.

or

Right-click the icon; then choose Send To > Desktop (Create Shortcut) (Figure 2.45 ).

or

Right-click the icon; then choose Create Shortcut.

This method creates a shortcut in the same location as the original. You can move the shortcut anywhere.

or

Alt+drag the icon to a destination.

or

Ctrl+Shift+drag the icon to a destination.

Tips

If you want to create a shortcut to a program (.exe file), look for programs supplied with Windowssuch as Notepadin the \Windows or \Windows\System32 folder. (The Windows folder is named WINNT on some systems.) For other programs, look in a folder nested in \Program Files.

If you create a shortcut to a shortcut, the new shortcut points to the original target.

To display system-folder shortcuts on the desktop:

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop; then choose Properties.

2. Choose Desktop tab > Customize Desktop.

3. In the Desktop Icons section, check the boxes for the shortcuts that you want on the desktop (Figure 2.46 ); then click OK in each open dialog box.

Tip

The Desktop Icons dialog box lets you change system icons. Select the icon; then click Change Icon to choose a new icon. (To restore the original icon, select the icon; then click Restore Default.)

To rename a shortcut:

1. Right-click the shortcut; then choose Rename.

or

Select (highlight) the shortcut; then press F2.

or

Click the shortcut's title (not its icon) twice slowly; don't double-click.

2. Retype or edit the name; then press Enter (Figure 2.47 ).

You can use the Cut, Copy, and Paste keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V) while editing.

Tips

Shortcut names can include letters, numbers, spaces, and some punctuation marks but not these characters: \ : / * ? "> < |.

You can rename a shortcut in the General tab of the shortcut's Properties dialog box.

To delete a shortcut:

Right-click the shortcut; then choose Delete.

or

Select (highlight) a shortcut or multiple shortcuts; then press Delete.

Chapter 5.

To view or change a shortcut's properties:

Right-click the shortcut; then choose Properties.

or

Select (highlight) the shortcut; then press Alt+Enter (Figures 2.48 and

2.49 ).

Tips

Privacy tip: An internet shortcut's Web Document tab (refer to Figure 2.49) shows the number of times that you've visited the page.

Some targetsprinters and My Computer, for examplecan't be modified.

Shortcut keys work only for desktop and Start-menu shortcuts, and they won't work at all if they conflict with program-defined or other shortcut keys.

Run Maximized is useful for programs that "forget" to run in full-screen mode when you start them from the shortcut.

If you use Run Minimized for Startup-folder icons, programs will start automatically as taskbar buttons, and your logon desktop won't be cluttered with windows.

You can update the target (path) of the object that a shortcut points to, but usually it's easier to create a new shortcut.

Shortcut Properties

Information in a shortcut's Properties dialog box depends on what the shortcut represents. Here are some common properties.

Target is the name of the item that the shortcut points to. A shortcut to a file needs the full path to its location (unless the file is in a Windows system folder).

Start In is the folder in which the program looks for files to open or save, by default.

Shortcut Key specifies the keyboard shortcut with which to open (or switch to) the program. Press any key to make Ctrl+Alt+key appear here. You can assign Ctrl+Alt+E to Windows Explorer, for example, to open it without hunting for its shortcut. A shortcut key requires at least two of Ctrl, Shift, and Alt but can't use Esc, Enter, Tab, spacebar, Delete, Backspace, or Print Screen.

Run tells the program to open in a normal (restored), minimized, or maximized window.

Comment provides the descriptive text (tool tip) that appears when your pointer hovers over the shortcut.

Find Target opens the folder containing the file that the shortcut points to. The file will be selected in the folder window that appears.

Change Icon allows you to change the default icon of a shortcut, which is the same as that of the target. Changing this icon doesn't change the target's icon.

URL displays the address (URL) of a web page in an internet shortcut as though it were the target of a Windows shortcut.

Make This Page Available Offline for Internet Shortcuts allows you to download the web page for offline viewing. See "Browsing Tips" in Chapter 13.