Keyboard Shortcuts Category: Keyboard Shortcuts - Page 2 of 3

A context menu is the little menu which pops up when you right click on files, folders or icons. e.g., right click on a desktop icon and if you have Anti-virus installed it will have ‘Scan with … Anti-virus’ as a choice.

The first step to getting rid of these entries
involves opening the programs in question and looking
through their
options to see if you can unselect any ‘integration’ or
‘context
menu’ options they have. If that fails, and the program
absolutely
insists on being an intimate part of your Windows, you can
edit
the registry as follows:

1. Before we make any changes in
the registry,
and even though you should have a full System Restore
and/or Registry
backup already, back up the registry keys which will be
affected
in this tweak:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder]

2. Do this by opening Regedit,
find the relevant
sub-folder, right-click on it and select Export. Make sure
the “Selected
Branch” option is selected under Export Range, then enter a
descriptive name
and save it somewhere safe. Do that for each one of the
four sub-folders
above. If anything goes wrong, instead of firing up System
Restore
or restoring the entire registry you can double-click on
these files
and everything is quickly fixed.

3. Now, go to the following
sub-folders and
delete references to programs you know have set up
offending context
menu entries. For example, in my system under
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
I found the key Symantec.Norton.Antivirus.IEContextMenu
which
I deleted. The first volley in the war against the
invasion of my
menus by Symantec. Here are all the places you should look
in:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OpenWithList]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
4. As you’re removing all the unwanted program
entries, you should see the effects immediately – no
reboot required.
Remove an entry from the
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
subfolder for example and open Explorer, then right click
on your
hard drive name and you should see the corresponding
program you
removed in the registry is gone from the context menu too.
When
you’re done, you should see the default context menus
devoid of
the added rubbish.

If any of the programs whose context menu
entries you’ve removed start displaying strange behaviour,
restore
the registry entries you backed up previously, or just
reinstall
the program. As long as you only delete program entries
and none
of the default Windows entries, all the normal context
menu items
will still remain.

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Many RSI sufferers report that they feel less pain when typing compared to when mousing. Thus, a desire to avoid mouse as much as possible. Below are some tips on how to survive in Windows without the mouse.

ALT+SPACEBAR — opens control menu (like clicking on the symbol in the top left corner of a window, from which you select (perhaps using mouse, perhaps using arrow keys and enter) among restore, minimize, maximize, close, etc)

SPACEBAR — hitting this will finalize a selection of an item in a list or an icon on the screen that’s only half- selected, i.e., there’s a box around the name but full highlighting is not there. Also puts a checkmark or big dot in a little box or circle for you to check one of several options.

ENTER — will activate a selected item. Hitting Enter with a program icon selected will open the program. with a button highlighted, will activate the “button.” It appears highlighted from the heavier line around it, or it might look like a depressed button.

Hitting a letter key will take you to the first item in a dialogue box that begins with that letter. i.e., in open file dialogue box, hit w one or more times to go to the “Windows” folder in the list of stuff that appears on the C drive. This can save a whole lot of hand action.

CTRL+z — undo
CTRL+y — redo
CTRL+a — select all
CTRL+x — cut
CTRL+c — copy
CTRL+v — paste
CTRL+p — print
CTRL+s — save

CTRL+ALT+DEL — reboots the computer – eventually. First, it’ll tell you what’s hung up.
CTRL+esc — same as clicking on the “start button” in the taskbar area of the screen
ALT+F4 — shuts down the selected program.
TAB — Very Useful. Takes you from one field to another, one “button” to another, one icon to another etc.
SHIFT+TAB — it tabs you backward
HOME –- to beginning of line or far left of field or screen.
END — to end of line, or far right of field or screen.
CTRL+home — to the top
CTRL+END — to the bottom
PAGE UP — moves you up in your document or dialogue box by one page
PAGE DOWN — moves you down in your document or dialogue list by one page

ARROW KEYS — these will move you about the screen or dialogue box, or menu, not just a document. Modifier keys like CTRL and SHIFT when pressed at same time as arrow keys or page up and page down will perform selection and larger movements. For instance, CTRL+right arrow jumps to next word, and SHIFT+CTRL+RIGHT ARROW select the whole word.
ESC — to cancel, or get rid of something like box or window that popped up when you didn’t want it (or if you change your mind) etc.
ALT + the underlined letter in a menu item carries out the action.

SHIFT+F10 — like right click, brings up context menu
ALT+TAB — cycles through open applications
ALT+down arrow — opens up a “Drop down list” – those little arrows that sit next to fields in which you must make a choice, for instance in the “Look in” field of an “Open” dialogue box.
ALT+TAB — holding down the [ALT] and hitting tab cycles you through open applications.
Thus, to sign off Windows : CTRL+ESC, UP, ENTER, ENTER.

[Hot and Other Keys]
*General folder / Windows Explorer shortcuts for a selected object:

Keys	Action
F2	Rename
F3	Find
CTRL+X, C, or V	Cut, Copy, or Paste
SHIFT+DELETE	Delete without putting file in Recycle Bin
ALT+ENTER	Properties
ALT+double-click	Properties
CTRL+right-click	Put alternative verbs on the context menu (Open With)
SHIFT+double-click	Explore the object if it has an Explore command
CTRL+drag a file to a folder	Copy a file
CTRL+SHIFT+drag a file to the desktop or a folder	Create a shortcut
CTRL+ESC,ESC,TAB,SHIFT+F10	Open taskbar properties

[General control over folders/Windows Explorer]

F4 (Explorer)	Displays the combo box
F5	Refresh
F6	Switches between panes in Windows Explorer
CTRL+G(Windows Explorer)	Goto
CTRL+Z	Undo
CTRL+A	Select all
BACKSPACE	Goes to the parent folder
SHIFT+	Closes this folder and all its parent folders

[In Windows Explorer]

Num*	Expands everything under selection
Num-	Expands selection
Num+ or Right arrow	Collapses selection
Right arrow	Expands current selection if it’s collapsed, otherwise goes to the first child.
Left arrow	Collapses current selection if it’s expanded, otherwise goes to the parent

[In Properties]

CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB

Switches between Properties tabs

[In Open/Save Common Dialog Boxes]

F4	Drop down the location list
F5	Refresh the view
Backspace	Go to parent folder if focus is on view window

[General Keyboard-Only Commands]

F1	Help
F10	Goes to menu mode
SHIFT+F10	Context menu for selected item
CTRL+ESC	Brings up Start menu
CTRL+ESC, ESC	Focus on the Start button
SHIFT+F10	Context menu
ALT+TAB	Switch to the running program
SHIFT while inserting CD	Bypasses auto-run
Alt+M when focus is on taskbar	Minimizes all windows

[Accessibility Shortcuts]

Tap SHIFT 5 times	Toggles StickyKeys on/off
Hold down Right SHIFT for 8 seconds	Toggles FilterKeys on/off
Hold down NumLock for 5 seconds	Toggles ToggleKeys on/off
Left ALT+LEFT+SHIFT+NumLock	Toggles MouseKeys on/off
Left ALT+LEFT+SHIFT+PrintScreen	Toggles HighContrast on/off

[MS Natural Keyboard]

Win+R	Run dialog
Win+M	Minimize All
Shift-Win+M	Undo Minimize All
Win+F1	Windows Help
Win+E	Explorer
Win+F	Find Files or Folders
CTRL+Win+F	Find Computer
Win+Tab	Cycle through taskbar buttons
Win+Break	PSS Hotkey… (System properties)

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