Every move you make on your computer can be a little faster if you do it with the keyboard instead of the mouse. Even if you have to hit a couple of extra keys, using the keyboard is still faster than reaching for the rodent. Alas, Microsoft didn't create keyboard shortcuts for all of your repetitive chores. Here are some of my favourite keyboard work-arounds for shortcuts I wish Microsoft had included.

Squelch the screech. When the phone rings or the boss walks in, you don't want your computer to keep blaring out silly system sounds, your latest audio CD, or some Internet broadcast. Unfortunately, the conventional way to silence your system is to fumble with the mouse and click the little speaker icon in the taskbar so you can check the Mute box. Try this instead: in Windows 9x, assign a keyboard shortcut to the Volume Control utility by right-clicking the Start button, choosing Open or Explore, and navigating to the Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Multimedia (or Entertainment, in Windows 98) folder. Right-click the Volume Control icon and choose Properties. Select the Shortcut tab and click in the Shortcut Key box. Press your preferred keys (letter or number), which must start with <Ctrl>-<Alt>, <Ctrl>-<Shift>, <Shift>-<Alt>, or <Ctrl>-<Shift>-<Alt>. The next time you need temporary silence, press your shortcut key combination to display the Volume Control, then press <Alt>-M to mute all volume levels. Because some sound drivers use the <Alt>-M shortcut for more than one volume level, you might have to hit <Space> afterward or customise the Volume Control so that it shows the master volume only (select Options-Properties, uncheck the volume controls you don't want, and click OK). When you're ready to restore the old sound level, access the Volume Control with your shortcut key combination, press <Alt>-M to restore the sound, and <Alt>-<F4> to close the volume window.

Doing the desktop in dialogues. I frequently save files to the desktop for a quick browse before deleting them. But once I choose File-Open or File-Save As (or the keyboard equivalent), I'm left with no instant way to navigate to the desktop. Applications that use the Windows 98 common file dialogue boxes give you a handy button for quick trips to the desktop. But if you use another version of Windows or want to use the keyboard, you need a different manoeuvre. The fastest way to get to the desktop from a Win 95 or NT 4.0 file dialogue box is to press in sequence <F4>, <Home>, and <Enter>. If you want the file list to be active after getting to the desktop, press <F4>, <Home>, and <Tab> instead. If you would like to type a file name immediately after reaching the desktop, press <F4>, <Home>, <Tab>, and <Tab>.

Windows 3.x doesn't have a desktop you can use for storage, of course, but if you maintain a directory for work or as a temporary holding area, you can get to that directory faster by putting it in the root of your hard disk and making it start with a unique letter. For example, instead of assigning it to c:\doc\work, use c:\x_work (assuming you have no other folders that begin with x). That way, you can navigate to the folder from a dialogue box by typing in sequence <Alt>-D, <Home>, <Enter> (to open the root), x, and <Enter> (to open the first directory beginning with x). If you're saving a file, type its name before you use these keys; if you're opening a file, use <Shift>-<Tab> to go back to the file list. For faster access, you can automate these steps with a Recorder macro.