Washington  - Enable the "snap to" feature in Windows to force your mouse cursor to go automatically to the default, highlighted command button in dialog boxes. This can be a great way to cut down on unnecessary arm movements and to save time. You'll find the "snap to" feature in the Mouse Properties dialogue box, accessible through the Windows Control Panel.

Washington  - If you have dozens of icons on your Windows desktop, it can be time-consuming to find what you're looking for. If you know the name of the icon, you can reduce some of that time. Simply highlight one of the icons on your desktop, and then type the first letter of the name of the icon for which you're searching. The focus will move directly to the first icon label beginning with that letter.

Washington  - Ever need to use a command prompt in Windows? From the Run dialog box, simply type "cmd," without the quotation marks, and press Enter. A DOS-style black window will appear, with the C prompt at the ready. You can issue commands there just as you may have in the old days of DOS.

Washington  - Do you have a file type in Windows that is not associated with the proper program when you double-click the file? You can quickly change file associations by holding down the Shift key and right-clicking the file. Choose Open With from the resulting pop-up menu, and then click Choose Default Program from the pop-up submenu. Find the program to associate with the file, and you're done.

Washington  - In Windows XP, you see three options when shutting down your computer: Standby, Turn Off, and Restart. If you'd rather put your computer into hibernate mode, you can easily display this option by holding down the Shift key on the keyboard. Hibernate is the best option if you'll be away for a while but you do not want to lose your current configuration of open files and programs. (dpa)