Chapter 14 -- Running Programs

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Chapter 14

Running programs from the Start menu is a process so transparent that it requires no elaboration. You can, however, get applications running in other ways, and we'll survey them briefly in this chapter.

It's useful to remember that the Programs section of the Start menu is just a collection of shortcuts—pointers to executable files located in many different parts of your local and networked storage system. Because the Programs shortcuts are all stored in a folder that the operating system recognizes as pertaining to the Start menu, those shortcuts all show up as menu items. But you can run programs from shortcuts stored anywhere—on the desktop, on a toolbar, or in any folder.

You can also run programs by launching the executables directly, wherever they might be. Most users don't populate their desktops with executable files, but you might occasionally find an executable there as the result of a download operation. (An executable on the desktop looks just like a desktop shortcut, except that it lacks the arrow in the lower left corner of the icon. If you find an executable on your desktop, it's probably a good idea to move it into an ordinary folder so that you won't inadvertently delete it.)