A Windows 7 Feature I Like – Windows Explorer Check Boxes

The little things about a product can make or break the way we think about it.

One thing I _really_ like in Windows Explorer is the ability to select items using check boxes:

In previous Windows OSs we needed to hold the CTRL key while clicking to select or deselect any items.

Not anymore. We can fly through the items list not working about clicking on something or hitting the wrong keyboard to wipe out the already selected items.

To enable the feature:

1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Tap the ALT key on the keyboard to drop down the menu items if not visible.
3. Click Tools.
4. Click Folder Options.
5. Click the View tab.
6. Scroll down to the Use check boxes to select items and check it.
7. Apply and OK.

While you are at it, uncheck the Hide extensions for known files types. Why this setting is enabled out of the box is unknown, but not being able to work with a file’s extension can be a real pain.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer