Secret Windows Tip: Open Files Faster with This Free Tweak

If you use any kind of Windows program -- a word processor, e-mail, or a greeting card program -- you've encountered the ubiquitous file open dialog. This is the box that pops up that lets you select a file to work with. A modern file open dialog has a stripe along the side where several folder shortcuts appear (for example, My Documents). However, there isn't much space over there in the shortcut stripe, nor is there an easy way to change what appears there or organize them. Wouldn't it be nice to have shortcuts to your CDROM drive, or your USB storage full of MP3?

There are several utilities available -- many of them free -- that address this shortcoming. If you like to hack (or tweak, if you prefer) your system you should try at least one out. I'd suggest the freeware program CFDButton. I like this program because it is simple, uncluttered, and does just what you need. A quick download, install the program, and run it. You'll notice a small icon on your task bar that looks like a wrench and a screwdriver crossed. That's it.

The program has three major features, both accessed through a new icon (that also looks like a wrench and a screwdriver) on each File Open (and File Save) dialog. The new icon provides a new menu that lets you pick a favorite folder. You can also pick from a history of folders you've recently opened (handy when you are bouncing between two folders). Finally, you can also replace the dialog's filter (the box that picks the file type). This is handy if you, for example, use Notepad to edit HTML files. You can make the open dialog show files you want to open. Programmers might add filters for source code like PHP, C++, or Java files.

There are two ways to set up custom filters and favorites. You can either right click on the task bar icon and access a settings dialog there. Alternately, you can access the same settings dialog from the menu that appears in the file open box while CFDButton is running. There are also shortcuts for adding favorites and filters in that menu.

One interesting note about CFDButton: It doesn't require any installation and doesn't permanently change anything on your PC. Because of this, you can copy it to a USB drive and use it anywhere you like (for example, at work or school). There is an option to run CFDButton on Windows startup, and that does alter the registry so if you plan to use this as a portable application, don't select that option.

CFDButton also works on the File Save As dialog. It's a handy little tool that will save you lots of time once you configure it. Of course, it isn't the only program that has this sort of feature. For example, DM2 is a veritable Swiss army knife of features. It can do what CFDButton does along with minimizing windows to the tray, set windows to be transparent (or hidden), and even roll windows up to just their title bar. However, with all those features it is harder to use than CFDButton. DM2 is best suited for power users who want a lot of control over their Windows environment.