Tired of chasing your mouse? Use keyboard shortcuts

Tired of chasing your mouse? Use keyboard shortcuts
You can use your keyboard instead of your mouse to do these three tasks:


• Start a program

• Navigate menus

• Minimize, maximize, and close windows


Start a program using a keyboard shortcut


The Start menu is great for finding programs, but its multiple levels of folders can be time consuming to navigate. If there is a program you start frequently, you should set a keyboard shortcut for it so that you can start the program without taking your hands off the keyboard.

To set a keyboard shortcut to start a program

1.Click the Start menu, and then click All Programs. Right-click the program that you want to start with a keyboard shortcut, and then click Properties.

2.Click in the Shortcut key box. Now press the letter on your keyboard that you want to use to start the program. Make it easy to remember—for example, press I for Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Note: You can use either uppercase or lowercase letters when creating your keyboard shortcuts—and when accessing them later. In the Shortcut key box, Microsoft Windows XP automatically adds Ctrl + Alt + before the key you pressed. When you want to start the program, hold down both the CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously, while also pressing the letter you chose. This way, your program won't start every time you type that letter.

3. Click OK.

4.Now test your shortcut. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys, and then press the letter you chose. If you find it difficult to hold down two keys at once, read Turn on the Sticky Keys feature. Your program should start.

Here Is a fast Cheat Sheet
Control windows using your keyboard


If you like to keep four or five windows open while you work (or play) on your computer, you'll appreciate knowing these keyboard shortcuts. You can quickly switch between your Web browser, e-mail, instant message windows, and other programs without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Action Shortcut

Minimize a window to your taskbar

ALT, SPACEBAR, N

Maximize a window so it takes up your whole desktop

ALT, SPACEBAR, X

Restore a window so it's visible but doesn't take up your whole desktop

ALT, SPACEBAR, R

Close a window

ALT+F4

Switch to the last window you had open

ALT+TAB

Switch to any window

Hold down the ALT key, and press TAB until the window you want is active

Programs often start up in a "restored" state, where the window takes up only part of the screen. To maximize the window so that it takes up the entire screen, press the ALT key, press the SPACEBAR, and then press X. This will feel natural after you do it a few times, and you will feel much more efficient while using your computer.





This also helps if your mouse is wireless and getting weak on power.



1. To activate mouse keys all you do is press Alt+Left shift key (the one below the caps lock key) and the Num Lock key.

To deactivate just press the above combination again.

All you do is use your numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer.



Here are some tips that might improve the Mouse Keys experience:

- You might want to set your options to something like the following (to change the options just double click on the mouse icon in the systray and click on settings)

1) Select ‘Hold down Ctrl to speed up Shift to slow down’ (this might be helpful if you want to go to a point quickly with your cursor)

2) Change the option to ‘off‘ where it says ‘Use Mouse Keys when NumLock is:‘ (this way you can use your numeric keypad to key in numbers)



And here are the functions that you can do with the Numeric Keypad:

5 = a left click on your normal mouse

Press 0 and navigate the pointer= Selecting the text in a normal keyboard

Pressing * or - and then pressing 5 = right click on your normal mouse (to use 5 to perform the left click action press the / key).

To scroll up and down you can either use arrow keys or the Page Up and Page Down keys. You can also use the spacebar to get to the bottom of the page.