Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual

Chapter 7. Running Applications

While it’s true that you need to be able to use your computer’s operating system, the operating system isn’t the reason you have a computer. The operating system is the platform, but the objective is to run programs.

Starting Programs

Windows 2000 Pro lets you start programs in many different ways. You’ll probably use one or two of these methods all the time, and rarely use others:

• Double-click the program’s icon or shortcut, wherever it may be: in the Windows Explorer window, on the desktop, in a folder, and so on. Or right-click such an icon and choose Open from the shortcut menu.

• Highlight a program (or program shortcut) icon and then press Enter.

• Choose the program’s name from the Start→Programs menu.

• Click a program’s icon on the Quick Launch toolbar (Section 4.3.2).

• Choose Start→Run, then type the program file’s name (Section 3.10.2.2), and press Enter.

• Type the program filename and path into the Address bar in any folder window and press Enter (Section 4.2.3.2).

• Double-click a document associated with the program.

• Use Search (Section 3.6) to locate a program or file associated with a program and double click to start.

• Have Windows launch the program for you, either when the PC starts up (see Section 3.9.1.1) or at a time you specify, using the Scheduled Tasks tool (see Section 8.21).

What happens next depends on the program you’re using. Most present you with a new, blank, untitled document. Some, such as FileMaker and PowerPoint, greet you with a question: ...