HOWTO: Quickly launch apps from the Run box
[ 26 August 2006 ]
Marked under time savers, windows.
This entry will show you how to satisfy either of the following:
- Save time from navigating the Start menu by using the Run box
- Act like a geek by running apps from the Run box, almost as if you were running them from a terminal
So say you use a few programs very often. Let’s say… Photoshop, Dreamweaver, FileZilla, and PuTTY. Instead of launching the programs from the Start menu, or using Desktop icons (those are so 90’s), you can set up shortcuts that will launch them from the Run box.
Make simple shortcuts
First, make a bunch of shortcuts on your Desktop to all the programs you want to run via the Run box. Next, rename the programs to short, memorable names to enter in the Run box. For example, here are some names I use and their respective programs:
adaware Ad-Aware
cleanup CleanUp!
cygwin Cygwin console
dc DC++ (DirectConnect client)
dw Dreamweaver
excel Microsoft Excel
fz FileZilla (FTP client)
hjt HijackThis (malware removal)
im Trillian
mp3tag Mp3Tag
mytunes myTunes redux
pe Process Explorer
ps Adobe Photoshop
putty PuTTY (SSH client)
si StickIt (desktop notes)
spybot Spybot - Search & Destroy
ssh SSH client
torrent BitComet (torrent client)
wa Winamp
wireless Dell's wireless utility
word Microsoft Word
Move all of these shortcuts into C:\WINDOWS\. This will allow them to be called from the Run box.
(click image to enlarge)
Nextel. Done.
Now you can run these apps from the Run box. Just hit Windows Key + R, then enter, say… fz to launch your FTP program. Now you can delete your Desktop shortcuts and be way cool.
2 Comment’s on “HOWTO: Quickly launch apps from the Run box”
Jordan,
That’s actually another method I was considering about adding to my post. I used to have a Shortcuts folder in C:\ and I’d add that to the System PATH field via the directions you gave. Thanks. I’ll add it in later.
Speak your mind:
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I do this on my windows machines, except I don’t populate C:\WINDOWS with shortcuts. I usually have something called C:\bin\ that contains the shortcuts.
You can modify the system PATH:
Right click on my computer -> properties -> advanced -> environment variables. Under ’system variables’ select ‘Path’ and click ‘edit’. Paths are semicolon delimited.