Windows XP Power Hound

Chapter 3. Windows Explorer and Searching

You probably spend approximately half your life browsing through your hard disk, copying, moving, deleting, and searching for files. On a computer, those tasks ought to be less time-consuming then rifling through paper files and folders, and indeed, Windows XP offers good basic tools for handling electronic paperwork. But that's all they are—basic tools.

The true power hound must master Windows Explorer, the utility that lets you navigate around your hard drive, as shown in Figure 3-1. This chapter teems with ways to turn this basic feature into a major workhorse. You'll learn the most efficient ways to find, open, rearrange, name, and display the files and folders on your PC.

The Windows Explorer Interface

You probably spend a lot of time using Windows Explorer, so why not make it work the way that you—rather than Microsoft's engineers—want it to work? As you'll see in this section, there are many ways to give Windows Explorer more power and efficiency, including keyboard shortcuts that can save you from mouse-related wrist strain.

Opening Explorer with a Keyboard Shortcut

Tired of clicking menus to get to Windows Explorer? Open it the fast way: Press the Windows key+E and Windows Explorer opens with just a flick of two fingers.

Note

The Windows key (the key with the Windows logo on it) resides in different places on different keyboards. On desktop computers, it often sits between the Ctrl and Alt keys. On a laptop, it could be almost ...