Launchy is an open source keystroke launcher for Windows and Linux that allows you to open documents, folders, bookmarks, installed software, and system utilities with a quick keyboard keystroke combination.

Once you have downloaded and installed Launchy, you can begin using it right away by hitting Alt+Space on your keyboard.  In the pop-up window, begin typing the name of the program you wish to launch.  Once Launchy has auto-completed the name, you can hit Enter and the selected program will start.

Launchy is very customizable, allowing the user to specify what items are indexed, what locations are indexed, how often they are indexed, along with different skin choices, plug-ins and many other settings.  To access the settings, bring Launchy forward with Alt+Space, right click the dialog and select Options.

Launchy also features a set of plug-ins that extend the features of the program.  A couple of my favorite Launchy commands are shown below.

Perform a Google search

A Google search is performed in the default web browser of the text entered after the Tab key is pressed, as shown below.

Google (tab) techerator

Open a URL

The URL entered after the tab is opened in the web browser specified, Firefox in this case.

firefox (tab) techerator.com

Display weather information

Local weather information will be displayed from Weather.com for the ZIP code entered.

weather (tab) 90210

Run command line commands

instead of going to Start -> Run -> cmd, simply enter cmd (tab) and the command you wish to run.

cmd (tab) ipconfig

Another handy feature in Launchy is the auto-completion of commands.  For the examples shown above, instead of entering firefox into the Launchy window, I can simply enter fire(tab) and it will auto-complete as Mozilla Firefox.

A complete list of commands that work within the Launchy window is available here.

I have become very attached to Launchy’s functionality and often find myself habitually pressing Alt+Space on any computer I use, at times finding to my dismay that Launchy is not installed.  I highly recommend this program to everyone.

The post Launchy: Never Use Your Start Menu Again first appeared on Techerator.

To create a new folder with a keyboard shortcut in Windows 7, press CTRL + SHIFT + N.

While this may not be life-changing news, it’s a great to see Microsoft finally adding a quick way to create a new folder.

[Win. 7 – New Folder Keyboard Shortcut]

The post How To: Create A New Folder With A Keyboard Shortcut in Windows 7 first appeared on Techerator.

This guide will show you how to create a System Standby shortcut for your Windows computer, which will allow you to manually activate Standby mode by simply double-clicking an icon.

What is standby mode, you say?

“Your machine recovers quickly as your data is stored in RAM. The slower part is waking up the peripherals. Although your machine is in “standby” the power has been cut to items such as your hard drive and monitor. You’re running your machine in a very low power mode, but it is still on. This mode can be useful if you’re on a notebook and need to conserve your battery while you step away.” (via Understanding Differences Between Hibernate and Stand By)

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a new shortcut (right click, select New -> Shortcut).
2. For the item location, input C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState 0,1,0
3. Click next and name the shortcut. I chose System Standby.
4. Click Finish.
5. (optional) Add an icon to the shortcut.
   1. Right click the Standby shortcut.
   2. In the Shortcut tab, select Change Icon.
   3. A red Power On/Off icon is available in the bottom row.
   4. If you don’t see any icons, make sure “Look for icons in this file:” is set to %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll

Have any other power management tips?  Share them in the comments.

The post Windows Tip: How To Create a System Standby Shortcut first appeared on Techerator.