Running Programs - Basic Classes

In this lesson you will learn:

The Lab Computers will not allow changes to be made that affect the operating system. This information is for instructional purposes only.

Starting Programs

The normal way to start a program is to click Start >> Programs and choose the program from the list. However, not all programs are listed on the Start menu. Alternative methods for starting programs and opening documents are discussed here to help you understand the inner workings of the Operating System and its file system.

Alternative methods discussed previously in lesson 33 'Starting Programs'

Browsing For Programs

As you have seen by using Windows Explorer, browsing through the folders and drives to locate a program is easy but fairly time consuming. As you search through the folder and directory structure, you will become more familiar with how things are organized on the disk. Double clicking the object opens the program that created the file, as well as the file itself. For instance, double clicking on Text 1.txt opens Notepad, (because that is the program that created it), and it also opens the Text file in the window.

As you can see, browsing and clicking on a file is one method of running programs. Even though it is tedious, it is usually sure to open the right program for you IF you know what you are looking for in the first place!

Data Files that Open up Programs

As outlined above, double clicking the data file you want to open will open the file in the program that created it. Different types of programs open different types of files. The type of program that will create or open the file is identified by the file extension, the letters after the dot in the file name. This is sometimes called dot 3 notation because most file extensions were limited to 3 characters after the dot although that is no longer the case.

File associations and file types were discussed in lesson 19 'File Types'

An Introduction to Program Shortcuts

The absolute fastest way of opening up any program files is with a Shortcut located either on the desktop or on the Start >> All Programs menu. During installation the Operating System usually installs the most important shortcuts as icons on the desktop or Start menu for you. The purpose of having the icons on the desktop is speed and simplicity because it is much faster than clicking all of the cascading menus of Start >> Programs >> 'My Program Selection'.

Program shortcuts are discussed in lesson 34 'Shortcuts'

The Search Box

Press the Start button and type the name of the file in the search box. It usually works every time.

The Finder or Search Box was discussed in lesson 30 'Find Utility'

Starting Programs Using the Startup Folder

NOTE: Using this for one or two smaller programs is ok, but using the auto start feature will noticeably make Windows start up slowly.

If you are having a problem with Windows starting up slowly, this is the first place to look.

Showing programs on the Start Menu

There are several programs that are very handy to have but are not shown by default when the Operating System is installed. These are not in everyday use. Computers technicians in the workplace turn these off because they are quite powerful and most users do not need to have access to them.

To designate a program to show on the Start Menu go to Taskbar Properties:

To reset the Start Menu back to the default settings select the 'Reset' button

Installing Software is another big subject, and is covered in higher beginning and intermediate courses later.

Launching programs automatically using the Start Folder shortcuts should NOT be done unless you know what you are doing. Auto starting the WRONG executable file (.exe file extension) could start services, dependency programs (programs that depend on another program to be running first) or utilities rather than the program you intended, causing the system to hang when it tries to start. Use this with caution and ONLY start programs that you know about.

In order to launch programs automatically you must know the path to the program that you want to use. To Launch the StartUp Folder Wizard follow these steps:

Follow the Wizard to select the program you want to start automatically:

Each program is added to the Start Up folder as a Shortcut. The next time you start Windows, these will start also. Most of the programs that are installed are placed into the 'Program Files' directory automatically, so you will find them there under the program name. Usually you have to drill deeper to find the file named with a .exe ending.

NOTE: You are adding and removing the shortcuts to the programs, not the programs themselves, unless the program was manually dragged into this folder!

To remove the shortcut, Right click the shortcut in the Start menu and press the delete key. You can also follow the same techniques listed above, but remove the Shortcut that you do not want. Windows will boot up faster without the extra start up files.

You are deleting the shortcut, not the program, so no harm is done.

For troubleshooting slow running computers, any program in the the Start Folder that you are not familiar with may be causing you computer to run slower, so only add the ones you absolutely need.

Anti-Virus programs use this method of starting up automatically at the same time Windows does so that it is running before other programs that you start up. However, because they scan drives, files and folders they can make the computer slow to a crawl.

More instructions on how to adjust the speed will be covered in '38 Speeding Up Windows' .

the Run Option

One of the exasperating things about computers is trying to open something and not being able to find it. Shortcuts plastered to desktops come and go, and if you need to run a program but the shortcut was accidentally deleted, you need to find the program. If you are ever in that dilemma, cheer up. There are a couple of solutions.

You know how to start programs by Right Clicking or using the Start button and selecting 'Explore', or by selecting the program you want from the Start menu. What if the program is not anywhere to be found?

You can also open a file if you know its name. Close any programs that are open and try clicking Start > Run and type 'Explorer' in the box. Click Run and the program will open.

Now close the program and in the Run box type command or cmd. You now have a handy way of getting to a DOS prompt, something technicians do all the time. 'Run' is a very handy tech tool, especially if things are not going well with Windows. Here are a few reasons to use 'Run':

The last reason listed is the very reason NOT to have the run menu available on your computer. Anyone sitting at the console (your computer keyboard) can type in the name of a program and run it. However, not all programs can be opened with this method. There are special Windows settings that allow some programs to be found by using the 'path' and these settings are not for the normal user. Also, if the computer is on the network, it will not always work because the User or Computer may not have permissions on the network. More on these subjects in later lessons.