Why this page exists

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I love efficiency and one way to increase it is through the use of tips and tricks.  Therefore, I have created this page in an attempt to collect them an display them in a useful way.  Note that right now, the tips and tricks are mostly computer related; I am perfectly happy branching out as well.  I'm sure other pages like this exist; this is sort of a conglomeration of them.  I'll split it up into multiple files if it gets much larger.

I'd love to hear of tips and tricks that you've come up with, or corrections to the below!  Contact me here.

Windows Key

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Here's an image of where the Windows key is located.

• + E
  opens Windows Explorer
• + M
  minimizes everything
• + D
  minimizes everything and brings the desktop to the front (some programs don't minimize)
• + R
  same as Start | Run
• + L
  locks the computer (NT+)
• + F
  Windows Explorer Find
• + Break
  brings up System Properties (same as right-clicking "My Computer" and selecting "Properties")
• WinKey
  this program allows you to assign more windows key shortcuts

Windows 2K, XP

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• ctrl + numpad "+"
  automatically resizes columns to fit in Windows Explorer and some other programs
• alt + escape
  sends the current window to the "rear" of all your open windows
• alt + space, n
  minimize the current window
• alt + space, x
  maximize the current window
• ctrl-shift-esc
  activate Task Manager
• double-click title bar
  maximizes or restores the window
• Windows Explorer: shift + delete
  permanently deletes a file (no recycle bin)
• Windows Explorer: shift + yes/no
  yes/no to all instances of a prompt during a mass copy
• Windows PowerToys
  get them here
• no delete file confirmation
  right-click "Recylce Bin" | Properties, then the bottom checkbox
• numpad *: recursively expand tree views
  can come in quite handy
• error messages/dialog boxes: ctrl + C
  copies the content of the dialog box to plaintext
• delete files that refuse to be deleted
  open notepad, File | Open, and delete the file from that dialog
• shift + F10
  opens up a context menu
• Outlook: ctrl + #
  switch between windows in Outlook

Text Manipulation

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• ctrl + delete/backspace
  delete a "word"
• ctrl + [shift] left/right
  move a "word", selects that word if shift is depressed
• home, shift + end
  select an entire line of text

Internet Browser

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• alt + left
  navigate backwards
• alt + right
  navigate forwards
• F5
  refresh
• escape
  stop loading
• IE: shift-click a hyperlink
  opens the webpage in a new window
• Firefox: middle-click a hyperlink
  opens the webpage in a new tab or window, depending on your settings
• ctrl + scroll wheel
  change the font size
• address bar: ctrl + enter
  prepends "www." and appends ".com" to what is currently in the address bar
• alt + d or F6
  takes you to the address bar, at least in IE and Firefox

Google

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• define:word
  get a definition
• unit conversion: 10 mm to microns
  there's not a whole lot more to say about that...
• site:caltech.edu
  add this to your Google search to restrict results to a specific website
• site:.edu
  restrict results to .edu websites
• Google search operators
  very useful
• (555) 555-5555
  punctuation and spaces not required: looks up the owner of the phone number
• 10 MB / 30 KB/s
  how long will it take to download that file?

Screen Dumps

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• PrtScn
  next to scroll lock (ScrLk), copies your entire screen contents to the clipboard
• alt-PrtScn
  copies only the currently selected window contents to the clipboard

Start -> Run

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• cmd
  command prompt
• msconfig
  see what programs are run when your computer is booted
• dxdiag
  lots of system information
• mspaint
  Microsoft Paint
• iexplore
  Internet Explorer
• regedit
  Registry Editor
• calc
  Windows Calculator
• mstsc
  Remote Desktop Client
• sndvol32
  volume control
• magnify
  Windows Magnifier
• winword
  Microsoft Word
• excel
  Excel
• eventvwr.msc
  see the system, application, and security events that have occurred
• services.msc
  see what services are running, as well as start/stop/disable them
• http://labreuer.caltech.edu
  can also start with www.; opens the webpage in your default browser
• msconfig
  see what programs are run when your computer is booted
• lusrmgr.msc
  Local Users and Groups
• gpedit.msc
  Group Policies (lots of goodies here)
• devmgmt.msc
  Device Manager
• compmgmt.msc
  Computer Management (can defrag from here)
• control
  opens up the control panel
• appwiz.cpl
  Add/Remove Programs
• desk.cpl
  Display Properties
• firewall.cpl
  Firewall Properties (SP2 only)
• sysdm.cpl
  System Properties

Winamp

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• F3 or numpad "."
  search your playlist

The More Common Shortcuts

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• ctrl + Z
  undo
• ctrl + X
  cut (remove and place on clipboard)
• ctrl + C
  copy to clipboard
• ctrl + V
  paste from clibpard