Tips & Tricks

Open Trick

If you're like me, you like to make separate folders to keep your stuff in. Maybe one for pictures, one for documents, etc.

Well, if you find yourself hunting all over your hard drive to get from folder to folder, you can place a shortcut to the folders you use all the time on the desktop. Then, when you get to an Open dialog box, click the desktop icon (most dialog boxes have one - usually located next to the "location" drop box or along the side), then double-click the shortcut you created.

Just like that you're in the folder you wanted.

It's not real handy if you only have a few folders and they're all in the My Documents folder, but if you scatter your stuff around your hard drive or access sub-folders buried two or three levels deep, this can be a real time saver. This trick is also useful if you keep your stuff in the My Documents folder, but have a program that refuses to look there by default.

Anyhow, if you want to set this up, all you need to do is create a folder shortcut on your desktop. To do that, open Windows Explorer (right-click My Computer, Explore) and find the folder you want to use. Then, right-click the shortcut, select Send To, Desktop. It will create a shortcut for that folder on your desktop.

Now, try it by starting the program you use that folder with and clicking Open. Click the Desktop icon and then your new shortcut.

Poof!

You're in the folder.

Oh, of course, you can double-click this new Desktop folder shortcut from the Desktop and open the folder.

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