MaximumPC 2003 12

Switch Tasks a Whole New Way

DECEMBER 2003 MAXIMUMPC 85

Pressing Alt + Tab is the quickest way to change between

different windows, but how do you know which of the

five Internet Explorer windows is the one you really

want? If you’re using the Alt-Tab Replacement Power

Toy from Microsoft, it’s easy. Instead of seeing the appli-

cation’s icon in the Alt-Tab window, you see an actual

image of the app that you’re switching to. Very cool.

Head to http://www.microsoft.com and search for “Windows XP

Power Toys.” You should find a page with 10 separate Power

Toy installers. Grab the Alt-Tab replacement, install it, and

alt-tab your way to a new life.

Run Command-Line Apps Fast, Fast, Fast

If you frequently run command-line applications, you’ll want

to know the Address bar’s dirty little secret: Not only does the

Taskbar’s Address bar give you a quick way to launch your

favorite web sites, but you can also run applications by typing

the program’s name into the Address bar.

Putting the Address bar onto the Taskbar is as easy as right-

clicking the Taskbar, going to Toolbars, and selecting Address.

You can drag the bar to an empty, convenient place on your

Taskbar, where it will live forever.

Don’t know what to type to open your program? It’s easy

to find out. Right-click on the shortcut you use to open the

program, go to Properties, and look in the Target box. All you

need is the app’s name, which usually ends with .exe, .com,

or possibly .bat.

Shortcuts, Shortcuts Everywhere

WinXP includes literally hundreds of handy keyboard shortcuts, but

we bet you don’t know about the Windows key shortcuts that make

the 104th key on your keyboard worth fooling with.

Windows key + Pause/Break: Opens System Properties

Windows key + l: Locks your workstation

Windows key + d: Minimizes all windows

Windows key + e: Opens Windows Explorer

Windows key + r: Opens the Run dialog

Windows key + f: Opens the Search Window

Optimize Your Disks at Will

One of WinXP’s best tricks is that it places commonly used files
on the faster sections of your hard drive to minimize load times.
The catch is that it does this only every three days. If you want to
kick-start the operation, go to the Start menu, then choose Run,
and type Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks.
You should see some hard drive activity as your apps are rear-
ranged on your platters.

Save Yourself from ALL CAPS

Accidents

Writing in ALL CAPS is the written equivalent of screaming

at the top of your lungs. If you accidentally press the

CapsLock key, you can inadvertently scream at whomever

you’re e-mailing. To avoid this unintentional faux pas,

hold down the NumLock key for five seconds to enable

ToggleLock. ToggleLock is a handy, dandy built-in Windows

feature that makes your PC beep whenever you toggle

CapsLock, NumLock, or Scroll Lock on or off. NOW YOU

HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR YELLING AT PEOPLE!