Thursday, February 21, 2008

Work Efficiently with these Quick & Easy-to-Remember Keyboard Shortcuts

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:

  • Windows logo Windows Key + R: Launch the Run dialog box (Start Menu - Run)
  • Windows logo Windows Key + D: Show Desktop (Minimize or restore all windows)
  • Windows logo Windows Key + E: Launch Windows Explorer
  • Windows logo Windows Key + F: Launch Search for Files
  • Windows logo Windows Key + Ctrl + F: Launch Search for Computers
  • Windows logo Windows Key + F1: Launch the Windows Help and Support Center
  • Windows logo Windows Key + Pause/Break: Launch System Properties dialog box
  • Windows logo Windows Key + M: Minimizes all open windows.
  • Windows logo Windows Key + Shift + M: Undo minimize all windows
  • Windows logo Windows Key + U: Launch the Utility Manager
  • Windows logo Windows Key + Tab: Cycle through the buttons in the Task Bar.
More to come.....

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Welcome to Tech-Munchies

Welcome to Tech-Munchies !! If you are a computer savvy person spending more than a couple of hours in front of your home computer (excluding browsing) or if you consider yourself a computer geek or you hate computers, then this blog is not for you. But, if you want to learn a few tips and tricks which will make your comp-time easier (and in some cases secure) then you might find this page useful.


The tips I outline in this blog may be very basic for many of you.. because that is how it is meant to be. Some of the topics might just be a consolidation of what I have learned from more than a couple of sites out there. As I mentioned above, this page is meant to make your comp-time a little easier. On we go..

1. Get things done faster with these Quick and Easy-to-Remember keyboard shortcuts.

coming soon..
2. Why Firefox is better than Internet Explorer.
3. Setting up a wireless network in your home is not as complex as it sounds.
4. Bored of using windows? Wanna try something different just for an hour or two?