50 ways to make Windows Vista faster (part 2)

As promised, here are the next ten tips in our guide on how to make Windows Vista faster.

Today, we look at how customising the start menu, creating your own keyboard shortcuts, making the most of the Windows key and much more.

11. Distribute Files Quickly

Want to quickly fling files into their correct folders? Download the free Magic Folder Gadget – this creates a virtual folder into which you drag files. You can dump them all in a single folder, or set it up to move them to a specific location based on their file type.

The Magic Folder Gadget turns your sidebar into a drop-off point for files

12. Customise Start Menu

Right-click the Start button and choose Properties. Click Customize and you can set up the Start menu to your individual tastes, giving you quicker access to key parts of your system – our favourite tweak? Select “Display as a menu” under Control Panel.

13. Shortcut To Any Control Panel

If you frequently use a Control Panel applet, why not create a shortcut to it you can place anywhere on your system, including the Start menu?

a) Create Shortcut

Open the Control Panel and switch to Classic View. Right-click the Control Panel you want to shortcut to and choose Create Shortcut.

b) Place Shortcut

A new shortcut will appear on the desktop – you can drag it on to the Quick Launch Toolbar or place it on the Start menu as shown above for easy access.

14. Use the Windows Key

The [Windows] key is often overlooked as a keyboard shortcut, but you’re missing a trick by ignoring it. For example, to bring the Sidebar to the front, press [Windows] + [Space]. Laptop users can press [Windows] + [X] to access the Windows Mobility Center. And press [Windows] plus a number between one and zero to access any of the first ten shortcuts on the Quick Launch toolbar.

15. Program Your Keyboard

Many modern keyboards come with extra keys that you can configure to access programs and other key parts of your system quickly and easily. Open the Keyboard Control Panel and look for a tab that enables you to assign certain actions to different keys – if it’s missing, download drivers or software (such as Microsoft’s IntelliType) from the keyboard manufacturer’s web site.

16. Create Your Own Shortcuts

You can assign a shortcut key to any program shortcut, enabling you to open it quickly. Right-click the shortcut on your Taskbar, desktop or Start menu and choose Properties. Place the cursor in the Shortcut key box and press a letter. You’ll see [Ctrl] + [Alt] is assigned to it – click OK to finish.

17. Use The Start Menu’s Run Dialog

Press [Windows] + [R] to access the Run dialog – from here you can type in web addresses, folder locations or the names of key programs and utilities (for example, devmgmt.msc for Device Manager) to access them more quickly than browsing the Start menu.

18. Use The Address Bar

The Run dialog works in exactly the same way as the Address bar, which you can place permanently on your Taskbar for even quicker access to sites, folders and programs – right-click the Taskbar and choose Toolbars > Address to use it.

19. Jump To A File

If you’ve opened a folder packed full of files, save time by typing the first few letters of the filename you’re after – you’ll jump straight to the file.

20. Utilise The SendTo Folder

Type %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo into the Start > Run box or Address bar to open your personal SendTo folder. Drag a program shortcut into here (hold down [Ctrl] as you drag to ensure it’s copied rather than moved) and you can open a file in that program simply by right-clicking it and choosing Send to > Program name – perfect if, for example, you have a number of different image-editing tools installed on your PC and you need to choose a different one to the default.

The SendTo folder enables you to quickly open one file in another program

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five