Tip of the day: Get to Windows management tools faster
In Windows XP Inside Out, we listed a bunch of command-line shortcuts that can take you to useful spots within the Windows interface, usually much faster than the point-and-click method. Instead of drilling down through the Start menu, just click Start, Run, type in one of the following commands, and press Enter. Here are a few examples of the command that open common management tools directly:
| Management tool | Command |
|---|---|
| Device Manager | Devmgmt.msc |
| Services console | Services.msc |
| Disk Management | Diskmgmt.msc |
| Computer Management console | Compmgmt.msc |
In each case, you’ll notice that the command ends with .msc. That extension means the utility is a saved Microsoft Console (technically, a Microsoft Common Console Document). The names are reasonably intuitive, and if you do a lot of system maintenance and are comfortable with the command line, these shortcuts can save you a few seconds here and there.
You can also Right-click My Computer and select Manage and all of those will be in one console
Hey, if you’re going to pimp our book here (great idea!), you ought to have the link point to someplace useful!
You mean like this?
My question is: how long did it take the authors to reverse engineer WindowsXP to discover these cool shortcuts? ha!
Couldn’t you also use these names to build shortcuts on the desktop? It might be very useful if you’re setting up a user profile to be used strictly for administration…
Absolutely, Jake! You can use these commands to create shortcuts on the desktop, on the Start menu, or on the Quick Launch bar.