Windows 7 has made using your computer much easier –except for one aspect: Calling up the task manager.

You can either click the start button, and type “task manager” into the search bar; in which case the Windows 7 Task manager appears instantly when you hit return, (13 key-presses, 1 click.) or you can press ctrl+alt+del and the screen changes, you select “Start Task Manager”, and the Task Manager appears on the original screen. (3 key-presses (Simultaneous) and 1 click.)

In XP there were a couple of round-about routes to doing it, and there was ctrl+alt+del without the extra click. – So whichever way you look at it; there is at least 1 extra operation involved in calling up the Task Manager in Windows 7.

Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just call it up with a single click? – The good news is that you can do just that; after a tiny bit of software engineering: -

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We’re going to create a desktop icon which will call up Task Manager. – You’ll be able to call up the Task Manager with a single or double-click of the mouse; depending upon how you have your computer set up.

The procedure isn’t exactly rocket science: Right-click an empty area of the Windows 7 desktop and hover your cursor over “New”. In the list that appears, select “Shortcut” by clicking on it.

In the text-input line below where it says “Type the location of the item:” enter “taskmgr”. (Without the inverted commas.)

Press return on your keyboard.

In the following text-input bar, below the words “Type a name for this shortcut”, ignore the highlighted “taskmgr.exe” and type “Task Manager”. (Without the inverted commas.) : -

Press return on your keyboard

You’ll now see that you have a brand new icon on your desktop with a picture, the contents of which include a screen with a green wavy trace on it: -

Click that icon and the Task Manager will instantly appear, as if by magic.

… Which all goes to show that not only do I take you beyond the comfort-zone with this blog; I also actually improve your comfort-zone too. – All without having to find that elusive “any” key.

A bit of Windows 7 hassle averted on Beyond: Hardware + Software + Practical Electronics.

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