Q Is it possible to make one Shortcut that will start two or three applications? This would be helpful for certain applications that I always use simultaneously, such as Netscape Communicator and a timer, and it would save me from having to double-click each Shortcut.

A No problem. In Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0 you can create a batch file that launches as many programs sa you want. Open Notepad and type start followed by a space and the command line of an application (eg c:\windows\calc.exe), then press <Enter>. If your path includes long file or folder names, you must either enclose the path with quotation marks (eg "c:\program files\accessories\mspaint.exe") or use shortened versions of the long names (eg c:\progra~1\access~1\mpaint.exe). Add more lines following this pattern for each program you want to start with the one icon.

Caption: Start multiple programs from one Shortcut by creating a simple batch file

When you're finished, choose FileûSave and type a filename (in quotation marks) with the .bat extension. (The quotation marks keep Notepad from overriding the .bat extension with its default .txt extension). Double-click the batch file (or its Shortcut) to launch the programs.

Launching multiple programs with one icon is not a feature of Windows 3.1, but File Manager provides a minor exception. In Program Manager, select the File Manager icon and press <Alt>-<Enter> to open the Program Item Properties dialogue box. At the end of the command line, type a space, then the path to another application. Click OK. The File Manager icon will now launch itself plus the new application simultaneously.