QuickLaunch Heaven

For years I used Desktop Shortcuts . My desktop was a clutter of litter that glittered but was awkward to navigate. Then I installed Windows XP and discovered the serenity of the Quick launch bar.

My desktop is now absolutely free of icons:

(A different wallpaper appears each time I reboot, based on over 3,600 images selected according to the minute and second time of reboot).

For each frequent-use shortcut, I assign a item in the QuickLaunch folder.
Locating your QuickLaunch folder
Use Windows Explorer to locate the folder “C:\Documents and Settings” and look in there for your user folder, drilling down until you arrive at something like “C:\Documents and Settings\Chris.LAPTOP\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch”.
Building your QuickLaunch folder
Create shortcuts in the folder.

Typically I locate a program such as “C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.exe”.

I right-click on the file and choose Copy.

I right-click in an empty area of my QuickLaunch folder and choose Paste Shortcut.

Note the little curved arrow that identifies this icon as a shortcut.

Managing your QuickLaunch folder
If your QuickLaunch folder begins to crowd out everything from the bottom of your screen, consider building a folder tree in the QuickLaunch folder:

You could click on the folders in the QuickLaunch bar, but this will leave a trail of folders across your desktop, and we want a clean desktop.

Instead, hold down the Ctrl key while you click, and you’ll be rewarded with menus.

You can see that I’ve replaced the traditional icon “yellow folder” with another icon to distinguish it from the Windows Explorer icon.
So what’s in your Quick launch?

1 This shortcut points to Diary.DOC which contains a 3-column table in which I record everything that happens, several entries per day. Columns are , and . Next year I can retrive what I did this year, what I did today, the dialogue for any project. A handy tool.

2 This shortcut points to a DOS batch file which determines the date and fires up explorer pointing to a drive “B:” which is mapped to a date folder in my blotter. Today B: is mapped to C:\Blotter\20060605. I do most of my work from within Explorer. Explorer provides me a full-screen browse window, much bigger than any browse window from a File, Open command. My eyes/brain navigate much fatser than my fingers.

3 This shortcut points to my Mail program. Mozilla Thunderbird, since you ask!

4 This shortcut points to an MS-DOS command prompt. Batch files do repetitive processing, freeing me for other tasks.

5 This shortcut points to a restart routine which first calls up my timesheet billing file to turn off the meter on the current task, then issues a call to reboot the system. It’s what I do a lunchtime ….

6 This shortcut points to my contacts database. Just happens to be written in Microsoft Access.

7 This shortcut points to a folder containing maintenance tools, amongst them virus scanners, ferrets, clock adjusters and the like. Things I might do once a day. It also holds a shortcut to a shutdown routine which first calls up my timesheet billing file to turn off the meter on the current task, then issues a call to power off the system. It’s what I do at the end of the day ….

8 This shortcut points to my old DOS Batch file for invoking Microsoft Word. The batch file copies out the existing, possibly modified Normal.dot to a named file, then copies in a secure Normal.dot before invoking WinWord.EXE. Virus protection a la crème!

9 This shortcut points to the desktop. It’s what I one-click to minimize all application windows.

10 These shortcuts (!) points to my timesheet billing file and logs a datestamp at the end (see “The timesheet billing” at http://www.chrisgreaves.com/Downloads/Downloads.html). Why two icons? Because I need a large target when the telephone rings!

11 This shortcut points to my FTP client.

12 This shortcut points to the folder of Microsoft office shortcuts as shown in Managing your QuickLaunch folder

13 This shortcut points to my browser program. Mozilla Firefox, since you ask.

So what does all this mean? Just about everything on which I work can be located through one of those 12 distinct shortcuts. I use the Start button perhaps once a week.