Mouse/arrows questions

half way through answering this, I was playing with keys and lost my response!!!

The tab key will switch between desktop icons and the task bar. Arrow keys can be used to move from one highlighted icon to another. Any highlighted icon can be activated using enter. Alt will highlight drop down menus, which can then be selected using arrow keys.
F1 will bring up the help menu.
alt F4 will close most programs/windows.

F11 will maximise an IE window. Pressed a second time will restore it to how it was.

Control + n will start another session of the page you're on.

Control + F5 will refresh the page.

Internet Explorer keyboard shortcuts
You can use shortcut keys to view and explore Web pages, preview pages before printing, use the Address bar, work with favorites, and edit.

Click a heading, or press the TAB key to highlight a heading, and then press ENTER.

Viewing and exploring Web pages

To do this Press this
Display Internet Explorer Help, or when in a dialog box, display context Help on an item. F1
Toggle between full-screen and regular views of the browser window. F11
Move forward through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar. TAB
Move back through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar. SHIFT+TAB
Go to your Home page. ALT+HOME
Go to the next page. ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Go to the previous page. ALT+LEFT ARROW or
BACKSPACE
Display a shortcut menu for a link. SHIFT+F10
Move forward between frames. CTRL+TAB or
F6
Move back between frames. SHIFT+CTRL+TAB
Scroll toward the beginning of a document. UP ARROW
Scroll toward the end of a document. DOWN ARROW
Scroll toward the beginning of a document in larger increments. PAGE UP
Scroll toward the end of a document in larger increments. PAGE DOWN
Move to the beginning of a document. HOME
Move to the end of a document. END
Find on this page. CTRL+F
Refresh the current Web page. F5 or
CTRL+R
Refresh the current Web page, even if the time stamp for the Web version and your locally stored version are the same. CTRL+F5
Stop downloading a page. ESC
Go to a new location. CTRL+O or
CTRL+L
Open a new window. CTRL+N
Close the current window. CTRL+W
Save the current page. CTRL+S
Print the current page or active frame. CTRL+P
Activate a selected link. ENTER
Open the Search bar. CTRL+E
Open the Favorites bar. CTRL+I
Open the History bar. CTRL+H
In the History or Favorites bars, open multiple folders. CTRL+click

The keyboard button that got a box with a few lines in it does the right click function of whatever is highlighted

Here are some more shortcuts:

Shortcut Function

Ctrl + A Select All
Ctrl + B Bold
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + D Duplicate
Ctrl + E
Ctrl + F Find
Ctrl + G Go To Page
Ctrl + H Replace
Ctrl + I Italic
Ctrl + J Justify Text
Ctrl + K
Ctrl + L Left Align Text
Ctrl + M
Ctrl + N Open New Doc
Ctrl + O Open
Ctrl + P Print
Ctrl + Q Quit
Ctrl + R Right Align Text
Ctrl + S Save
Ctrl + T Edit Next
Ctrl + U Underline
Ctrl + V Paste
Ctrl + W Close document
Ctrl + X Cut
Ctrl + Y
Ctrl + Z Undo

So in answer to your question, I don't know if you can get away with not using a mouse at all, but you can do a lot without it.

Press F1 for help in any application, and type in the search or index "shortcut keys".

Mouse/Arrows
Wilso, I can't thank you enough. This information is exactly what I need.

I've printed out the whole thread, and plan to spend a lot of time going over and over it, until it becomes mechanical. So now all I have to do is learn the combinations by heart.Practice, practice, practice will take care of that. I hope.

Re: Mouse/arrows questions

Yes. Shift+F10

In the list Wilso copied, Shift+F10 is decibed as the shortcut to "Display a shortcut menu for a link".
First switch the focus to some element, link or icon using a combination of Tab and the arrow keys, then press Shift+F10 to get its right-click menu. (Although there are programs & situations where it won't work exactly as you'd expect.)


In most well-made programs yes you can get away without it, but not always.

It's called the "application menu" and most modern keyboards have a key specifically for it. Mine is next the the "windows 95" key at the bottom right of my keyboard.

I've never heard it called the application menu before. Mostly I've heard context-sensitive menu, right-click menu or alternate-click menu (since it isn't always the right button--e.g. with left-handed mice).

That's true about the special keyboard button for it. I've been using the Shift+F10 combination for a long time now though so I'm kinda in a rut with it.

I saw it written as "application menu" in one of the help files I was reading last night.

I"ve got a problem with my keys now. My tab key is switching between applications instead of between fields on a form like I want it to!!!!!

Is your Alt key stuck or broken? Try cleaning it. Alt+Tab is supposed to switch between apps. Also, if you haven't done it recently, try restarting Windows.

Alt key must have been stuck. I hit it a few times and that fixed it. Thankyou kindly.

I am glad that you fixed the key. Sometimes, a person might introduce foreign substances into the keyboard. (Twinkie crumbs, , or just plain old dust, mixed with body oils).

Anyhow, I once had a problem with a key. I c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y pulled it off the keyboard, and removed the offending debris. Problem solved.

Great, Wilso & Phoenix. It's worse with laptops, Phoe, as often there's nothing too protective between the keyboard & crucial components...I've seen some laptop motherboards fried from coffee spills & such. If you get to work on cleaning it out it right after a spill it's usually okay though.