26th April 2002
I was trying to make the bed this morning, but Sprocket decided it was time to play in the sheets. If only I could ask him (politely) to roll around on the floor, I could complete the task at hand. Well, dogs don't speak human - and neither do computers. You use the SHIFT key to open multiple items in your Start Menu without losing your position. Now, let's say you don't want to lose your foreground app's focus. While double-clicking on a desktop shortcut icon to launch the associated target, hold down the CTRL key. It'll load it behind all other open windows. Be it a document or be it a program, it should hide behind everything else on the screen. Why would you want to do this? Well, if what you're currently working on is super important, or if opening the second application is necessary (and it doesn't need your full attention), this will help. If you want to keep programs from stealing foreground focus, consider using X-Setup (available from XTEQ.COM). The plug-in is currently located in: Appearance \ Desktop \ Options \ Taskbar options. This may not work in your OS. You might also use the latest version of Microsoft's TweakUI (if they ever release it again).