The Coolest Way to Launch Applications

When it comes to launching applications Windows XP is not the most efficient tool ever devised. Mac OS X has an infinitely better looking solution - the Dock is one of the most beautifully illustrated and nicely animated tool bars to grace computer screens.

One day I suddenly decided that I wanted a really slick way of starting applications on my PC. I started off with Object Desktop - a program that adds an almost perfect OS X Dock to the bottom of the screen. It animates perfectly and you can even get it to automatically hide its self just like a Mac. It's a very impressive add-on, but I wasn't completely happy. It just didn't fit in with the default styles of XP, and made it look a bit too much like a "wannabe" Mac.

I needed something that fitted in perfectly with XP, and didn't stick out like a sore thumb. After much reading on forums I saw quite a few recommendations for a program called Launchy. This is a completely different way to launch programs that does away with using a mouse.

Once installed, it starts up with Windows very quickly and requires very little system resources. To evoke Launchy is really simple - you just press Alt + Space, and nicely framed small rectangle appears in the centre of your screen. Then you type the first few letters of the application and as you type it uses predictive text to guess what you are looking for. Once it gets it right you just press Return and it the program is started. The more you use it, the better it gets at guessing and the better the more familiar you get with what it offers. For example if I type in ‘e' it guesses "Excel", but if I type "ex" it suggests "Internet Explorer". The reason why it does this is because I have trained it with the selections that I have made in the past.

After about a day of use, Launchy becomes second nature. It is so much faster and easier than using a mouse which is especially useful for laptops where you have the added handicap of a touchpad. For this reason I would recommend this tool for anyone with impaired sight or poor coordination.

Launchy isn't just limited to applications, but can also be used to find all sorts of files. By going into the settings you can designate which folders to index. I have all my mp3 music indexed, and this means that I can play any song in my collection in a matter of a couple of seconds. I love this application.

Zach Hope is the author of Speed-Up-Windows-XP.com, a site that can teach anybody to speed up Windows to invigorate old computers. You can eliminate slow boot troubles today and transform your slow computer.