# No windows button, what now? **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401 **Category:** Factual Questions **Created:** [March 26, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401 "2003-03-26T23:53:11Z") **Posts on this page:** 10 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki) #### Post date: [March 26, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/1 "2003-03-26T23:53:11Z")
My laptop has no windows-key. Very strange and incredibly annoying when I am so used to win-E and win-R etc. On a laptop it’s especially annoying because I have to use the little “sandpaper clit” to get down to the start button etc. What options are available to me. Please do not suggest changing OS, using external mouse, keyboard, etc. Thanks 🙂 ---
### Author: ![Armilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@Armilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Armilla) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/2 "2003-03-27T00:20:57Z")
Ctrl+Esc will open the Start menu. Ctrl+Esc, then R will open the Run dialogue. As for the Win-E shortcut, try placing a shortcut to explorer.exe on your desktop. Click on the properties for it and assign a shortcut key. You can then use Ctrl+Alt+\ to start it. I usually have quite a few of these set up anyway. ---
### Author: ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/3 "2003-03-27T00:22:34Z")
\+\ does it. ---
### Author: ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/4 "2003-03-27T00:34:11Z")
You could bind shortcuts to programs. Make a shortcut to that item, then right click it, and in the shortcut area do something like… shift +f8 or something. I’d probably store them somewhere like c:\shortcuts or something so as to not clutter my desktop. In addition i’m almost positive there are programs that’ll automate this. I personally use a logitech elite keyboard, so it has shortcut capable buttons built in. ---
### Author: ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/5 "2003-03-27T02:31:56Z")
There’s always [www.apple.com](http://www.apple.com) - I don’t know what a “windows button” is. ---
### Author: ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/6 "2003-03-27T03:50:11Z")
As **Harmonix** said, customized shortcuts are probably your best bet. Unfortunately they have to be located on the desktop to be launched by a keyboard combination. ---
### Author: ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/7 "2003-03-27T10:37:49Z")
Doh number’s right. Anyway, did a quick search. I didn’t try it, but this looks like it’ll do the trick. [http://www.windowspc.com/start.pl?page=/desktop/HotKey.htm](http://www.windowspc.com/start.pl?page=/desktop/HotKey.htm) ---
### Author: ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/8 "2003-03-27T14:22:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stockton \* > \*\*There’s always [www.apple.com](http://www.apple.com) - I don’t know what a “windows button” is. \*\* And the rest of us don’t know what that little four-looped symbol on the keys on either side of the space bar on a Mac are for, either. ---
### Author: ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/9 "2003-03-27T21:29:20Z")
So a Windows key is the PC equivalent of a Command key? I thought y’all used the Control key for that. ---
### Author: ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix) #### Post date: [March 27, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-windows-button-what-now/164401/10 "2003-03-27T21:35:17Z")
We do, but the windows keys brings up additional shortcuts. It also brings up the start menu where ever you are.