Some of the programs that we use in Windows, have a system menu containing an option – Always on top.  If selected, this feature sets a window to be always on top of other windows. This is very useful if you want to work across multiple windows but want to focus more of your attention on a particular window. You can set that window to be always on top and keep an eye on it. I personally use this feature to set my TV Tuner window to be always on top so that I can enjoy TV programs while doing work at the same time.

Unfortunately this Always on Top option is not available in many programs. Possibly because the software designer never thought that users will ever need such a feature. However, if you want to keep a program always on top, you can use the Always On Top application. After downloading and installing this program, you can start it from the shortcut it creates. Now you can drag the hand like icon over a window the you want to make always on top. Later, you can toggle the always on top status of that window on and off using the hotkey Ctrl + F8.

This software works very well for the situations when you have to read data from one application and type it into another, for example, password managers. You can set the first password manager window to be always on top and easily read the information and type it into your login window.

Download Window On Top

Download Window On Top

Previously, we asked you if you use the Windows command prompt and many of you answered by saying you do not; for those that do use the command line interface (CLI), many use it infrequently. In this guide, we’ll go through the basics of the command prompt, show you examples of how you can use it, and show you how to customize it.

Familiarize Yourself with the Command Prompt

Before you start using the command prompt, I recommend you learn the basic shortcuts and commands. The first guide, listed below, shows you how to access the command prompt. If you’re familiar with how to get to the command prompt already, you can skip this guide.

• How to open the command prompt

Basic Commands

Now you have the command prompt in front of you, let’s go through a series of commands to help you navigate:

Unless you changed your home or working directory, you’ll see you start in your home folder (usually something like C:\Users\Rich)

1. Type cls to clear the command prompt
2. Type ver to view the Windows version you are currently using
3. Type dir to view the contents of the directory (folder) you are currently in
4. Type cd .. to change directory to the parent (folder above) i.e. from C:\Users\Rich to C:\Users
5. Press the up arrow twice to list your second from last command (dir) and press Enter. You’ll now be viewing the contents of the C:\Users folder
6. Type cd Public to change to the Public folder
7. Type md test to create a “Test” directory in C:\Users\Public (optionally type dir again to view it in the listing)
8. Type ren test test2 to rename the test folder to test2
9. Type rd test2 to remove the directory you just created and renamed
10. Type copy “C:\Windows\System32\Bubbles.scr” BubblesCopy.scr to copy the bubbles screensaver from the Windows directory to your Public directory (note: If you don’t specify a path for the file, the directory you are currently working in is used)
11. Type dir to view the contents of the public folder again. Do you see the Bubbles.scr file?
12. Type del BubblesCopy.scr to delete the bubbles screensaver from your Public folder
13. Type echo All Done! to print “All Done!” on the command line interface

To recap, you used the following commands:

• cls - Clears the screen so you are left with an empty prompt
• ver – Show the Windows version
• dir – List the contents of the directory you’re currently working in
• cd – Change directory i.e. cd C:\Users\Rich; cd .. etc.
• md – Create a directory (mkdir also performs the same)
• ren – Renames a file or directory
• rd – Remove a directory (rmdir also performs the same)
• copy - Copies a file from the source to the destination i.e. copy C:\sample.text copied-C:\sample.txt
• del – Deletes a specified file
• echo – Echoes the string (text) specified i.e. echo Hello

Add Command Switches

Switches give you a greater degree of control over your commands and give you more options. You can add them after the command to change the behavior of that command.

We used the dir command a number of times in the previous example, let’s look at the available switches. The easiest way to see what’s available is to open a command prompt and type:

dir /?

The /? is a switch that returns the help text and available switches for each command. In this case, you got a response that’s something similar to:

C:\Users\Public>dir /?
Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.

DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/A[[:]attributes]] [/B] [/C] [/D] [/L] [/N] [/O[[:]sortorder]] [/P] [/Q] [/R] [/S] [/T[[:]timefield]] [/W] [/X] [/4]

[drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list.

/A          Displays files with specified attributes.
attributes
D  Directories                R  Read-only files
H  Hidden files               A  Files ready for archiving
S  System files               I  Not content indexed files
L  Reparse Points             -  Prefix meaning not
/B          Uses bare format (no heading information or summary).
/C          Display the thousand separator in file sizes.  This is the default.  Use /-C to disable display of separator.
/D          Same as wide but files are list sorted by column.
/L          Uses lowercase.
/N          New long list format where filenames are on the far right.
/O          List by files in sorted order.
sortorder
N  By name (alphabetic)       S  By size (smallest first)
E  By extension (alphabetic)  D  By date/time (oldest first)
G  Group directories first    -  Prefix to reverse order
/P          Pauses after each screenful of information.
/Q          Display the owner of the file.
/R          Display alternate data streams of the file.
/S          Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories.
/T          Controls which time field displayed or used for sorting
timefield
C  Creation
A  Last Access
W  Last Written
/W          Uses wide list format.
/X          This displays the short names generated for non-8dot3 file
names.  The format is that of /N with the short name inserted
before the long name. If no short name is present, blanks are
displayed in its place.
/4          Displays four-digit years

Here you see the list of switches you can add to your dir command. Now, in C:\Users (cd C:\Users), type:

dir /W

This displays the contents in “Wide” format, which is particularly helpful if you’re listing out a large directory as you need to scroll less to see all the output.

Let’s try another one:

dir /Q

Now you see the owners of each folder listed. Understanding these switches and knowing how to use them will come with practice and time. Feel free to explore the switches of other commands i.e. del /?

Additional Commands

As you become more familiar with the basic commands, you can add more to your artillery by learning some shortcuts that will save you of time if you come to rely on the command prompt more frequently:

• Top 10 command prompt commands
• Become a command prompt super user

Command Prompt Usage Examples

Once you’re familiar and comfortable with the command prompt, I recommend you try some of the other commands and tools available:

• Use Windows commands to manage your PC and improve productivity
• Correct program associations using the command prompt
• Basic networking commands
• Delete persistent files using the command prompt
• Fix corrupted Windows files using the command prompt
• Use xcopy on the command line to transfer large amounts of data

Customize the Command Prompt

For those that want a custom look with the dated looking command prompt, you are in luck. You can customize the native command prompt’s color scheme or you can use a third party command prompt that provides further customization like transparency:

• Customize the appearance of the command prompt

You can also customize the default working directory when you launch the command prompt. For example, I use my scripts directory:

• Set the command prompt to open in your scripts directory

What else can you do with the command prompt? Are you a beginner and are you struggling to find use for or understanding of the command prompt? Let us know in the comments and we’ll be happy to help.

Note: As you increase the number of tabs to open, the time it takes to launch Internet Explorer will increase.

Add a Page to Your Home Page Tabs

1. Browse to a website you want to add to your home pages

2. Click the drop-down arrow on the Home Button and click Add or Change Home Page…

3. Select Add this webpage to your home page tabs and click Yes

Manage Home Page Tabs

To add and remove tabs:

1. In IE, click Tools > Internet Options

2. On the General tab, under Home page, delete any pages you don’t want to include

3. Add sites (one per line) that you’d like to open at each launch

4. Click OK

Now restart Internet Explorer and verify the tabs you want to launch load successfully.

Enable Visual Cues for System Notifications

To enable visual cues alongside audible notifications:

1. Click the Start button, type ease, and click Ease of Access Center

2. Click Use text or visual alternatives for sounds

3. Check Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry), choose to flash the caption bar, active window, or desktop:

Note: You can also use text captions for spoken dialogue

Now, when you trigger an alert sound, your desktop (or window or caption bar) will flash:

To disable queues, simply uncheck the Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry) option and click OK.

Customize which Sounds/Visual Cues You Use

You may want to adjust sound settings to stop audio cues when you’re browsing through Windows Explorer for example (it can be annoying browsing folders with the screen constantly flashing.) To customize the sounds and visual cues used:

1. Click the Start button, type sound and click Change system sounds

2. On the Sounds tab, click the sound you want to disable and select (None)

3. Click OK to save changes

• Create a shortcut on your desktop
• Create a shortcut on the start menu

Hint: If you’re not sure where the program or folder is located, use the search box in Windows Explorer (Start > Computer or Windows Key + E)

Create a Shortcut on Your Desktop

Here are two easy ways to create a shortcut on your desktop:

Method 1: Send to Desktop (Create Shortcut)

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder

2. Right click the program or folder and click Send to > Desktop (create shortcut)

Method 2: ALT Key and Drag and Drop

1. Minimize all current Windows (Windows Key + D)

2. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder

3. Hold the ALT key, click the program/folder, and drag it over your desktop:

Note: You do not need to hold ALT to create a shortcut for programs but it’s good practice so you don’t relocate any files by accident

Create a Shortcut on the Start Menu

Here are two ways to create a shortcut on your start menu:

Method 1: Pin Program to Start Menu (Windows 7 only)

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder

2. Right click the program and click Pin to Start Menu

Method 2: ALT Key and Drag and Drop

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder

2. Hold the ALT key, click the program/folder, drag it over the Start button (wait for the menu to pop up), hold the icon over All Programs (wait for all Programs to show), and drop the icon on the start menu:

Shortcuts included in this pack:

• About Windows
• Action Center*
• Command Prompt
• Computer Management
• Event Viewer
• Internet Options
• Display IP Configuration
• Performance Monitor
• Add/Remove Programs
• Remote Assistance
• Resource Monitor*
• System Information
• System Properties
• System Restore
• Task Manager
• User Account Control Settings*
• Windows Guides
• Windows Troubleshooting*

Note: When you first open each link, you may see a warning about opening files downloaded online. You may un-check Always ask before opening this file so you are not prompted each time.

Download Windows Shortcuts

Download Windows Shortcuts (13.3 KiB)

You may want to disable some keys on the keyboard; for example, if you are a gamer, you might have wanted to disable the Windows key because accidentally clicking on it might pause your game and invoke the Start menu.

Here is a simple way to disable any key on the keyboard of your computer running Windows.

The registry in Windows can be edited to “map” one key to another key or disable a key. Manual registry editing for this might be a bit tough. Fortunately, here is software which does this – SharpKeys.

How to disable the Windows key:

1. Download SharpKeys here, extract the zip file, and install and run it and it shows a screen as below:

Note: SharpKeys works with all currently-supported versions of Windows

2. Click on the “Add” button on the bottom select the “From Key” (the key with function you want to change – Left Windows key in our case). To select it, you can scroll down or type the key

3. Now select the “To Key” – the new function which you want to assign to the From Key. (Here we select “Turn Key Off” option)

4. Click OK. Click on Write to Registry and that’s it you are done (log off and on to put the changes into effect before your next computer restart.)

If you want to restore the key (From Key – whose function is changed) to its original function, just select the entry in the main screen and click on Delete. Then click Yes and then click on “Write to registry” and once again your keys work as before.

MSP is a writer whose work can be seen at The Netizens. To find out more about his work or to contact him, please visit TheNetizens.net.

If you want to change the function of a key, do read this article on how to Change–Modify–Reassign keys or buttons of keyboard in Windows.

Download SharpKeys

Download SharpKeys

We like using Sysinternals tools here at Windows Guides; these tools bring core Windows functions together and help you administer to your systems more easily.

In this guide, we’ll cover the basics:

1. What are the Sysinternals tools?
2. How to download and run these tools on your PC
3. Where can I learn more about these tools?

We’ll then take a look at two of my favorite tools: Bginfo and Process Explorer.

Here are some other tools that we’ve covered in the past on Windows Guides:

• AutoRuns – What is really going on inside your Windows?
• SDelete Deletes Your Files Permanently
• Microsoft Desktops Gives You Multiple Desktops to Work With

What are the Sysinternals tools?

Sysinternals utilities help you manage, troubleshoot, and diagnose Windows and applications. These tools are created by the Microsoft community and are kept up to date to work with the latest versions of Windows. I’ve used some of these tools for as long as I can remember using modern versions of Windows (Windows 2000 and beyond) and you might just find one or two useful–even if you don’t consider yourself a PC geek.

How to Download and Run these Tools on Your PC

You have a few choices when using the Sysinternals tools:

1. Download individual tools from the Sysinternals website
2. Run Sysinternals tools from the command line (requires internet connection)
3. Download the Sysinternals Suite (all troubleshooting tools in one)

Where can I Learn More about these Tools?

New to using the command prompt? Check out the Windows Command Prompt Beginner’s Guide

If you run a lot of scripts from the Command Prompt, I’d like to share a quick tip that saves me time every time I open it.

To open the command prompt in your scripts (or any) directory, locate the shortcut to the command prompt, right click it, and click Properties.

Change the Start in field to match your scripts directory i.e.:

“E:\Documents\My Dropbox\Scripts”

Now, when you open the command prompt (using the shortcut you modified) you’ll start in your new base directory:

Bonus Tip: Start in Multiple Directories

If you have multiple directories from which you’d like to start, you can simply create a number of command prompt shortcuts in your start menu.

Name each shortcut a different name i.e. “scripts“, “media“, “tasks” etc. and update the Start in field for each shortcut. Now you can press the Windows Key, type media, press Enter, and have a command prompt ready to roll in your media directory.

This is how you go about to do just that (not fall asleep, but schedule the computer to …)

1. Start the Windows Task Scheduler (Click The Start-button, and type “Task” or “Schedule” in the Search Field)
2. In the Action Menu, you find the option called: Create Basic Task. This will open the Task Wizard.
   
3. Give the Task a Name: "Sleep when I do", and click Next.
   
4. Choose when you want the task to run (Daily), Click Next
5. Now choose what time we want the computer to shut-down. In this example I chose 2 am. Click Next.
   
6. At this point Windows want to know what kind of task to run, choose “Start a Program” and click Next
7. In the Program Field, type: shutdown
8. In the Add argument field, type: -h t 60 f (or -s t 60 f )
   
   Translated this means, hibernate, give 60 seconds timeout to stop action, and force shutdown of any running application.
   (For other options see the list below)
9. Click Next
10. Click Finish

And that is it.

Shutdown Options

s = shutdown
h = hibernate
l = logoff (not shut-down)

t xxx – timeout (give the user a chance to abort)
f – Force shutdown  of running applications
p – Force action without timeout or prompt

How to modify scheduled task

If you want to modify or delete your scheduled shutdown task, open up the task scheduler and click on “task scheduler library” in the left sidebar. The task will be listed there as “Sleep When I do” (if that is really what you called it.