Running Your Applications


If you're just upgrading from Windows 9x, you already know how to run applications, how to switch between them, and how to manage them. But, if you are new to Windows OSes, here is a quick how-to guide.

How to Launch Your Apps

Applications are launched under Windows XP in a number of different ways, as is the case with many other things in Windows. You'll probably end up employing the technique that best fits the occasion. To run an application, perform one of the following tasks (ranked in order of ease of use):

  • Use the Start button to find the desired application from the resulting menus.

  • Drag an application shortcut to the Quick Launch bar at the bottom of the screen and click it to run.

  • Open My Computer or Windows Explorer, browse through your folders to find the application's icon, and double-click it.

  • Run the old-style Windows 3.x Program Manager, open the group that contains the application's icon, and double-click it. To open Program Manager, execute progman from the Run command.

  • Find the application using the Start, Search command and double-click it.

  • Enter command names from the command prompt (click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt to open the command prompt window). You must know the exact name and most likely the folder in which it's stored.

  • Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to launch the Task Manager. Click on New Task and then type in the executable filename for the program (for example, word.exe).

An alternative approach is to open a document that's associated with a given applicationthis is a trick to open the application:

  • Locate a document that was created with the application in question and double-click it. This runs the application and loads the document into it. With some applications, you can then close the document and open a new one if you need to.

  • Right-click on the desktop or in a folder and choose New. Then choose a document type from the resulting menu. This creates a new document of the type you desire, which, when double-clicked, will run the application.

Here's how to open an existing document in an application (ranked in order of ease of use):

  • Click Start, Documents and look among the most recently edited documents. Clicking one will open the document in the appropriate application.

  • Use the Start, Search command to locate the document.

  • Run the application that created the document and check the document's MRU (most recently used) list on the File menu. It may be there. If so, click it.

In the name of expediency, we're not going to cover all these options. Once you get the hang of the most common approaches, you'll understand how to use the others. Notice that some of the approaches are "application centric," whereas others are "document centric." An application-centric person thinks, "I'll run Word so I can write up that trip expense report." A document-centric person thinks, "I have to work on that company manual. I'll look for it and double-click it."

Running Programs from the Start Button

The most popular way to run your applications is with the Start button, which is located down in the lower-left corner of your screen. When you install a new program, the program's name is usually added somewhere to the Start button's All Programs menu lists. If you've recently used an application, Windows XP may list it in the recently used list on the top-level Start menu area. Sometimes you'll have to "drill down" a level or two to find a certain program, because software makers sometimes like to store their applications under their company names (for example, RealNetworks creates a group called Real, which you have to open to run RealPlayer). Then you just find your way to the program's name, choose it, and the program runs. Suppose you want to run the calculator. Here are the steps to follow:

1.

Click the Start button.

2.

Point to All Programs.

3.

Point to Accessories, and then choose Calculator.

Note that all selections with an arrow pointing to the right of the name have submenusmeaning that they'll open when you click them or hover the pointer over them. There may be several levels of submenus. For example, to see the System Tools submenu, you have to go through All Programs, Accessories, System Tools.

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Sometimes, spotting a program in a list is a visual hassle. Press the first letter of the program you're looking for and the cursor jumps to it. If there are multiple items starting with that letter, each keypress advances one item in the list. Also, pressing the right-arrow key opens a submenu. The Enter key executes the highlighted program. Items in the lists are ordered alphabetically, although folders appear first, in order, with programs after that.


Often you'll accidentally open a list that you don't want to look at (say, the Games submenu). Just move the pointer to the one you want and wait a second, or press the Esc key. Each press of Esc closes one level of any open lists. To close down all open lists, just click anywhere else on the screen, such as on the desktop or another window. All open Start button lists go away.

If a shortcut on your Start menu doesnt work, see "Shortcut Doesn't Work" in the "Troubleshooting" section at the end of this chapter.


Running a Program from My Computer or Windows Explorer

If you're a power user, chances are good you'll be sleuthing around on your hard disk using either the My Computer approach or the Windows Explorer. I certainly have programs floating around on my hard disk that do not appear in my Start button program menus, and I have to execute them directly. In general, the rule for running programs without the Start menu is this: If you can find and display the program's icon, just double-click it. It should run.

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Just as in Windows 2000 and Windows Me, the differences between My Computer and Windows Explorer within Windows XP are more cosmetic than functional. In fact, simply by changing the defaults of the display mode (WebView or classic), the same view (that is, the same layout, panes, and details) is obtainable using either interface. To alter the views, use the View menu (or the toolbar buttons).


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Right-clicking My Computer and choosing Manage launches a powerful computer manager program called Computer Management. This is covered in Chapter 27, "System Utilities."


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My Network Places is a version of the My Computer interface that is used to gain access to network resources. Overall, it's used in the same manner as My Computer. The only difference is that you must be on a network and someone must grant you access to shared resources on other systems for this tool to be of any use. Thus, we've left the discussion of this tool to Part IV, "Networking."


Getting to a program you want is often a little convoluted, but it's not too difficult to grasp. Plus, if you understand the DOS directory tree structure or you've used a Mac, you already know more about XP than you think. Double-click a drive to open it, and then double-click a directory to open it. Then double-click the program you want to run. Figure 4.13 shows a typical directory listing for My Computer.

Figure 4.13. A typical directory as shown in My Computer.


Here are some notes to remember:

  • Get to the Desktop quickly by clicking the Show Desktop icon in the Quick Launch bar (just to the right of the Start Button).

  • Folders are listed first, followed by files. Double-clicking a folder will reveal its contents.

  • If you want to see more folders on the screen at once to help in your search, you have several options. The View menu or the View button on the toolbar can be used to change view options. The Titles view shows large icons with titles and other descriptors. The Icons view uses small icons with only the object name. The Thumbnails view displays images extracted from the file objects themselvesthis view is most useful for graphic files. The List view displays everything in a column by its object name only. The Details view offers the most comprehensive information about file system objects in a multi-column display with object names, object type, size, modified date, comments, and so on.

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Pressing Backspace while in any folder window will move you up one level in the directory tree. Also, the Back and Forward buttons work just like they do in a Web browserthey'll move you forward and back through folders you've already visited.


Of course, many of the files you'll find in your folders are not programs. They're documents or support files. To easily find the applications, choose the Details view and then click the column head for Type. This sorts the listing by type, making it easy to find applications in the list (which carry an "Application" label).

NOTE

Applications, registered file types, and certain system files will not have their file extensions (a period and three letter label that follows the file name) displayed by default. "Hidden" system files and directories will be invisible, too. This choice was made to prevent cluttering the display with files that perform duties for the operating system but not directly for users. It also prevents meddling with files that could cripple applications and documents, or even the system at large. Personally, I like seeing as many details about files as possible, so when I first install a system, I change the default settings to show me every file on my system. This is done through the View tab of the Folder Options applet accessed through the My Computer or Windows Explorer Tools menu or the Control Panel.


Running Applications with the Search Command

One of the first rules of organization is to know where things are, and how to keep them in their rightful places. The Search command from the Start menu is a tool often used in this mission. It is invaluable for those of us who are too lazy to get organizedjust do a search for that file you know you stored somewhere, but couldn't remember where to save your life. Yes, indeed, it's a wonderful tool for the absent-minded. If you're interested in organizing your "stuff" (the lexicon's term du jour for anything in your computer), you must find it first. The Search command offers major assistance to the sleuth.

The Search tool found at the top level of the Start menu is a powerful tool for locating files, folders, computers, people, and even Internet resources (see Figure 4.14). (Press F3 or Windows-F as shortcuts to the Search tool.) The first page of the search tool prompts you to select the type of search to perform. The options include Pictures, music, or video; Documents; All files and folders; and Printers, computers, and people. You can limit your search to the local system or include anywhere within your reach over the network. It always helps to know the exact name of the object you are looking for, but even if you only know part of it, the Search tool quickly locates all of the possibilities. You can use standard DOS-style wildcards in your searches for files. For example, the * character substitutes for a character string of any length and ? replaces one character. Once a list of possible suspects is returned, click on one to open it in its respective application.

Figure 4.14. The Search tool window with results from a "*.txt" search.


Once an item is listed in the search results, it is accessed by double-clicking on it. If it is an application, it will be launched. If it is a data file, it will be opened within its associated application. If it is a Web URL, your Web browser will be launched to view it. If it is a media file, the correct player will be launched to playback or display it. The Search tool can be used to execute a program that you can't seem to find in the Start menu, can't find anywhere on the system using My Computer, and which won't execute from the Run command. Also keep in mind that applications that won't execute from the Run command are outside of the paths known to Windows XP. Paths is an environment variable (see Chapter 24, "Configuration via Control Panel Applets") which defines all common locations where Windows will search for executables or other necessary files. If it lies outside the path, then Windows XP can't find it without help.

When using Search's All files and folders, be sure to pay attention to the Look In selection. By default, Search will look on all local hard drives. If you want to limit the search to a single drive or want to search over the network, you'll need to alter this setting. Fortunately, there is a pull-down list with all the common options plus Browse. The Browse selection is used to select any folder or drive anywhere within your reach over the network or locally.

Using My Documents, My Pictures, and My Music

Windows XP is designed to help you focus on your creative tasks rather than the underlying OS which supports the tools and files. Part of this includes the My Documents, My Pictures, and My Music Start menu items. These links also appear on most file or browse windows as well as within My Computer and Windows Explorer. These three My labeled elements always link you back to a standard location where your personal data files are stored.

The My Documents folder is the master folder for all of your personal data files. This is the default storage location whenever you save a new document or data file. This is also where the My Music and My Pictures subfolders reside. These folders are provided to you to simplify the storage and retrieval of your most intimate file-stored creations. Clicking on one of these Start menu links will open a My Computer window.

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My Documents is not the same as My Recent Documents. My Recent Documents is a quick-access list of the 15 most recently accessed resources. This included documents, music files, image files, archive files, and even (sometimes) programs. If you ever want to clear out the list of recently accessed documents, the Clear List button beside the check box does just that.




Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0789732807
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 450

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