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Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Ever noticed those two funny looking keys on the bottom row of many keyboards that look like a Windows logo? These are shortcut activation keys. If you press either key by itself, it opens the Start menu. This is handy if your mouse has locked up. You can use the arrow keys to locate the program you wish to start and then press enter..

Other Windows Key combinations that may make your job faster are:

Shortcut Keys	Description
Window + D	Minimizes all windows and returns the user to the desktop.
Window + M	Minimizes all windows.
Window + SHIFT + M	Undo the minimize.
Window + E	Open Microsoft Explorer. (my favorite)
Window + Tab	Cycle through open programs through the taskbar.
Window + F	Display the Windows Search / Find feature.
Window + CTRL + F	Display the search for computers window.
Window + F1	Display the Microsoft Windows help.
Window + R	Open the run window.
Window + Pause / Break key	Open the system properties window.
Window + U	Open Utility Manager.
Window + L	Lock the computer (Windows XP and above only).

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Editors Note: Short Cut Key (from webopedia)

A special key combination that causes a specific command to be executed. Typically, shortcut keys combine the Ctrl or Alt keys with some other keys. In Windows environments, for example, Ctrl +C is used as the shortcut key to copy. On PCs, the function keys are also often used as shortcut keys.
Most applications come with some shortcut keys already defined. Many, however, allow you to define your own shortcut keys for frequently-used commands.

Jaikob Mateo