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How to use the Windows inbuilt Application Launcher

By Martin English | August 28, 2008

When was the last time you actually used Internet Explorer as the default browser on one of your Windows computers ? Why bother? Well, instead of installing a program launcher like Launchy you may just want to use the features Windows has already given you to work with.

One of the most usefull feature of Internet Explorer is the favorites menu. Most of us forget that you can add local programs, drives, and folders to your favorites as well.

Since the Favorites menu appears on any explorer pane with the standard menus, you can add things like your downloads, documents, portable applications, c:\windows\fonts, or anything else you use on a daily basis.

For example, I’m an inveterate fiddler, and download and demo lots of little applications, so I have links to appwiz.cpl, my C:\Program Files\revouninstaller \revouninstaller.exe and my C:\Documents and Settings\myuser\My Documents\My Downloads. It’s a lot easier than trudging through my folders to get at them.

If you customize your start menu to display your favorites as well, you’ve got a single location to make navigating your directories less bothersome.

Topics: Microsoft, Productivity, software | Comments

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  • I use the address bar very similarly. I have shortcuts on my desktop names how I'd like them (eg. Remote Desktop is rdc) so I just jump into the address bar and type rdc and I have my remote desktop window. This also works very well for putty (if you have the executable on your desktop) as you can type putty into the address bar and be taken straight there. Increased my productivity 2 fold once I started using it.
  • @ Brentoe:

    Hi brendan,
    Thanks for the comment - it triggered another thought (or series of thoughts).

    you don’t have to store these shortcuts or executables on your desktop. ANY folder will do, so long as you have added that folder to your PATH in the Environment variables.

    The next bit relies on the fact that Windows is smart enough to launch a .lnk (shortcut) file from the run box without the extension. Modifying the path variable to include your 'shortcuts' folder means it’ll launch without the path as well.

    So, if your 'shortcuts' folder has a file called called uninst.lnk
    and it points to C:\Program Files\revouninstaller \revouninstaller.exe
    then going 'Window Button'+'r' - the run command - typing uninst and pressing enter
    will run C:\Program Files\revouninstaller \revouninstaller.exe

    hope this helps !!
  • I use a combination of yLaunch (my own launcher app, which can run multiple related progs from a macro) and a self-hiding Windows Toolbar. In XP, just create an empty folder on the desktop (e.g. Toolbar) and then drag it to the side of the screen. Set it to auto-hide, and then drop other desktop icons onto it. It'll pop out from the side like a KDE panel, and you can run relatively often-used bits and pieces from there.
  • @ Simon:

    Hi Simon,
    Thanks for the response - I've built something similar to what you described, using the Windows Toolbar.

    First i loaded up a folder QK on my desktop with a bunch of shortcuts. Then I made that folder a toolbar ....
    <img src="http://www.martin-english.com/whatsup/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/launch-00.png" alt="Make the folder on your desktop a Toolbar">

    The image below shows me selecting the folder to use as a toolbar

    </img><img src="http://www.martin-english.com/whatsup/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/launch-01.png" alt="Make the folder on your desktop a Toolbar">

    The image below shows using the toolbar, to Launch Applications



    </img><img src="http://www.martin-english.com/whatsup/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/launch-02.png" alt="Make the folder on your desktop a Toolbar"></img>
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