Press ‘windows’ + tab, and the focus jumps to the taskbar. The cursor moves from one program to another, and the ‘context menu’ key gives you the context menu (duh)…no more right-clicking the taskbar for me!!!
(The things that entertain a geek :dubious: )
Took me a while to work out how those two seperate things would be useful. Then my brain woke up and said ‘use them in combination’ ahh I see.
The recently learned most useful one for me is Windows Key + ‘e’. to open windows explorer.
And the most used that I’ve only known in say the last 10% of my total computing ‘career’ has been ctrl-v and ctrl-c
If you really want to be entertained in this way, try a “No Mouse Day”. I used to do that every now and then when GUIs first started to become popular. It is fun to discover that you can actually survive without your mouse.
For instance, can you shut you computer off if you monitor is disconected?
Windows Key + D = show desktop…that one’s saved me SO much time.
Windows + R = Run…handy for the geeks.
And while typing this, I find through Google that Windows + Break gives the ‘system properties’ dialog!! I haven’t pressed a ‘break’ key in over a decade!!!
It seems there’s others too, but they’re not as much fun.
I use shortcuts as much as possible, simply because I have a family history of carpal tunnel syndrome. I also switch between mouse and trackball constantly for the same reason.
Rather having several windows open on different sites, they are in tabs that run along the top of the main window.
One neat thing in Firefox using tabs: you pull down your favorites menu and if you have a folder of sites that you visit every day, click on “Open in Tabs” and all the sites will open at the same time!
I’ve found the quickest way to power off in Windows is Win, U, Enter. And it’s certainly the easiest way to explain to people new at Windows how to do it, especially over the phone.
It certainly should be possible…at least using gasp IE. Microsoft’s “designed for windows” requirements for software include that it can be operated through keyboard commands alone. (My guess is that this is to do with compatibility with everything from voice recognition through to paraplegics using an attachment on their forehead to press keys)
Font on the screen too small? In Firefox, CTRL and the + button will make it bigger. As will CTRL and scrolling the mouse button which enlarges/decreases in smaller increments.