GeekByte: 3 Handy-Dandy Nifty-Neato Features in Windows Vista

I’ve come across a few things in Vista that have really helped me out on getting things done quickly. I like them so much that when the trial time of my RC1 of Vista ran out several months ago and I had to switch back to XP, I was crying over their loss. Now, I have my full licensed copy and I’m back to smilin’ again.

1. Rename Multiple Files/Folders in a List Easily:
I have times at work where I need to rename a bunch of folders in sequential order. This really helpful new feature of Vista will allow me to tab through the list of files or folders and rename them using the Tab key. Of course the files/folders you want to rename will at least have to be in the same directory. To do this, right click on the first file/folder in the list and choose Rename (or press F2 for you keyboard shortcut junkies). Type the name to want the folder to be and press the Tab key on the keyboard. The next folder in line will be highlighted and ready to rename. It was much harder in XP to do this. You had to rename the first folder, press Enter, arrow down, hit F2, rename that folder, and continue the cycle. Phooey! Vista has made this process so much easier.

2. Quickly Add Programs to the Quick Launch Toolbar
If you have a program in the Start Menu that you want to add to the Quick Launch toolbar, just right click on that program and choose “Add to Quick Launch.”

3. Search from the Start Menu
If you click on the Start button should notice a white box along the bottom titled “Start Search.” If you type a name of a file, even the first few letters, search results matching that criterion will be displayed above in the white space on the left of the Start Menu. It’s a little faster than opening My Computer and doing the search from there.