Teacher: Allison, What does a dog say?
Allison: Woof.. Woof..
Teacher: Very good !!
Teacher: Rick, What does a cat say?
Rick: Meow...
Teacher: That is correct !!
Teacher: Robbie, What does a mouse say?
Robbie: .........
Teacher: Come on Robbie.. You know it.. Say it.. Robbie: Click.. Click.. Teacher: ???? :(
Thats right.. This tiny little computer gadget has become so common that, we don't think of the poor rodent.. unless one starts nibbling your dresses (or of course you watch Ratatouille).
When I first started using it with Windows 3.1, I was dazzled by this little device's capabilities, by how it made "working" on the computer (though, back then, it was mostly playing Prince of Persia) a new experience. Suddenly the monitor screen became accessible at the pixel level rather than lines of text. Many people I know will be stuck if their mouse stops working.
But like every other gadget, this device has its own disadvantage.. It slows you down. And the time you lose increases drastically, the more time you spend on the computer. I usually find it frustrating to move my hands away from the keyboard every time I need to access the mouse. So here we go.. a list of keyboard shortcuts that will get most things done without having to ever move your hands away from your keyboard.
Navigation in Windows:
The Windows Key:
This single key, one on each side of the Space Bar (next to the Alt button) serves more purpose than just irritating you by popping up the Start Menu when you accidentally hit it:
Allison: Woof.. Woof..
Teacher: Very good !!
Teacher: Rick, What does a cat say?
Rick: Meow...
Teacher: That is correct !!
Teacher: Robbie, What does a mouse say?
Robbie: .........
Teacher: Come on Robbie.. You know it.. Say it.. Robbie: Click.. Click.. Teacher: ???? :(
Thats right.. This tiny little computer gadget has become so common that, we don't think of the poor rodent.. unless one starts nibbling your dresses (or of course you watch Ratatouille).
When I first started using it with Windows 3.1, I was dazzled by this little device's capabilities, by how it made "working" on the computer (though, back then, it was mostly playing Prince of Persia) a new experience. Suddenly the monitor screen became accessible at the pixel level rather than lines of text. Many people I know will be stuck if their mouse stops working.
But like every other gadget, this device has its own disadvantage.. It slows you down. And the time you lose increases drastically, the more time you spend on the computer. I usually find it frustrating to move my hands away from the keyboard every time I need to access the mouse. So here we go.. a list of keyboard shortcuts that will get most things done without having to ever move your hands away from your keyboard.
Navigation in Windows:
The Windows Key:
This single key, one on each side of the Space Bar (next to the Alt button) serves more purpose than just irritating you by popping up the Start Menu when you accidentally hit it:
Windows Key + R: Launch the Run dialog box (Start Menu - Run)
- Windows Key + D: Show Desktop (Minimize or restore all windows)
- Windows Key + E: Launch Windows Explorer
- Windows Key + F: Launch Search for Files
- Windows Key + Ctrl + F: Launch Search for Computers
- Windows Key + F1: Launch the Windows Help and Support Center
- Windows Key + Pause/Break: Launch System Properties dialog box
- Windows Key + M: Minimizes all open windows.
- Windows Key + Shift + M: Undo minimize all windows
- Windows Key + U: Launch the Utility Manager
- Windows Key + Tab: Cycle through the buttons in the Task Bar.
More to come.....
