Show Keyboard Shortcut Access Keys in Windows Vista
Since moving to Windows Vista, a lot of the keyboard shortcuts that I was used to just don't work quite the same anymore. As a keyboard junkie, I find it imperative to learn the shortcut keys, so it's good that there is a quick way to enable underlining of all shortcut keys.
When you underline the shortcut keys, it helps reinforce them in your mind every time you start to do any task that could be done with the keyboard instead. This is why I enable this option when I first start learning a new version of Windows.
To turn this on, open up Control Panel, and type the word "underline" into the search box. You'll be presented with a link for "Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys", which you'll want to click.
In the resulting screen, scroll down until you see "Make it easier to use keyboard shortcuts", and check the box there.
Now you'll notice that the menu options have the access key underlined by default:
The more keyboard shortcuts you learn, the easier it will be to get around in Vista.
fantastic! I was really having a hard time figuring out where this was… thanks a lot for this post.
Great tip man, same as JC; I was starting to feel frustrated and your comment solved it.
Unlike the older explorers (in XP and 2000), the Vista Windows Explorer apparently does not automatically display in the right panel the content of a folder selected in the left panel folder navigation tree using the keyboard arrow keys. The selected folder content is displayed only when either the folder is clicked with the left mouse button, or the Enter key is hit after selecting the folder using the keyboard arrow keys. I found the older explorer behavior much more convenient when the content of the currently selected folder in the left panel was instantly displayed in the right panel. Is there a way to switch the behavior of the new explorer to mimic the old explorer?
thanx! been looking for that option all over the place…
Same as the others: Thanks. This just makes me ask why MS moved it from where it was in XP. Sure, you could argue that it "belongs" or "could belong" in its new Ease of Access home, but you could have ALSO left it in the old place, too. So people using XP for the last seven years could find the stupid thing….
Thanks!
Not only did I finally get to learn where this option was hiding, but I learned that cool search shortcut in the Control Panel. (It doesn't work in Classic View, but I can use the navigation pane to switch to "Control Panel Home" temporarily, search, and find what I was looking for.)