Page 230 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

The keystrokes work only on shortcuts stored on your desktop.

If you stash the icon in any other folder, the keystroke stops
working.

Your keystroke can’t incorporate the space bar or the Enter,

Backspace, Delete, Esc, Print Screen, or Tab keys.

Your combination must include Ctrl+Alt, Ctrl+Shift, or

Alt+Shift, and another key.

Windows enforces this rule rigidly. For example, if you type a
single letter into the box (such as E), Windows automatically adds

the Alt and Ctrl keys to your combination (Alt+Ctrl+E). This is the
operating system’s attempt to prevent you from inadvertently
duplicating one of the built-in Windows keyboard shortcuts and

thoroughly confusing both you and your computer.

Tip
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a programmer, try this. In the Shortcut Properties
dialog box (Figure 3-10), use the Run drop-down menu at the bottom of the dialog box to choose
“Normal window,” “Minimized,” or “Maximized.” By clicking OK, you’ve just told Windows
what kind of window you want to appear when opening this particular shortcut.

Controlling Windows in this way isn’t exactly the same as programming, but you are, in your own
small way, telling Windows what to do.

If you like the idea of keyboard shortcuts for your files and programs, but

you’re not so hot on Windows’ restrictions, then consider installing a free
macro program that lets you make any keystroke open anything anywhere.
The best-known one is AutoHotkey, which is available from this book’s

“Missing CD” page at missingmanuals.com, but there are plenty of similar
(and simpler) ones. Check them out at, for example, shareware.com.

Copying and Moving Folders and Files