Common Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
CTRL+Y (Redo)
CTRL+A (Select all)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
ESC (Cancel the current task)

Menu navigation Keyboard Shortcuts

ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

Text editing Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)

My Computer / Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
CTRL+W (Close the current window)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list including in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and other web browsers)
F5 key (Refresh/Update the active window including in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and other web browsers)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut/right-click menu for the selected item)
BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
END (Display the bottom of the active window)
HOME (Display the top of the active window)
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)

Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and other web browsers Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)

Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
TAB (Move forward through the options)
SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
F1 key (Display Help)
F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)

Windows Logo Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Shortcut Keys for Character Map

After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the Keyboard Shortcuts:
RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
UP ARROW (Move up one row)
DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
END (Move to the end of the line)
CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
CTRL+N (Open a new console)
CTRL+S (Save the open console)
CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
CTRL+W (Open a new window)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
ALT+F4 (Close the console)
ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
ALT+V (Display the View menu)
ALT+F (Display the File menu)
ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)

MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)

Remote Desktop Connection Navigation

CTRL+ALT+END (Open the m*cro$oft Windows NT Security dialog box)
ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

Hidden file

One of the ways to hide the contents of a folder in Windows XP is by converting the folder into a Recycle Bin. All you have to do is add an extension to the end of your folder name. For example: If you have a folder named project

1. Select the folder
2. Press F2
3. Paste the following extension at the end of the folder name
.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Now your folder name would be
project.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
4. Hit Enter and see the magic....



Now when you need to get back the contents of the folder just type in the following command at the Command Prompt

ren project.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} project

If you find it difficult to type in the entire command at the Command Prompt, you can copy and paste it into a Batch file and execute it. If you are not familiar with Batch files, here is the procedure:

1. Copy and paste the above command into Notepad
2. Save the file with a .bat file extension
3. Double click the file or select the file and hit Enter. You have the contents of your folder back!



Another extension that you can use is .{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}. It will convert the folder into Control Panel. But you might not want anyone to access your Windows Control Panel so easily.