Reader Challenge December 2010

The December 2010 Challenge

A lot of Help Desk administrators who work at client computers have written to ask me what happened to the Run command in Windows 7. It's there, it's just not listed by default on the Start menu. I found three ways to get to the Run command. Can you find at least two of them?

Here is the answer (updated 1/18/11):

1. Right-click Start, choose Properties, click Customize, and select the Run Command check box.

2. Press Windows key+R (a shortcut that has been available for many versions of Windows).

3. Click Start and type run (your cursor is automatically located in the Search box), and press Enter.

Personally, I've learned to love the Search box at the bottom of the Start menu. If I start typing a command, Windows matches the characters so that command appears in the Start menu before I finish typing. I just click the command to run it. When I work in the Run box I have to type the command in full, without any typos (and for some commands I have to include the path).

Personally, I've learned to love the Search box at the bottom of the Start menu. If I start typing a command, Windows matches the characters so that command appears in the Start menu before I finish typing. I just click the command to run it. When I work in the Run box I have to type the command in full, without any typos (and for some commands I have to include the path).

How to Play

Solve this month's UPDATE challenge, and you might win a prize! Email your solution (don't use an attachment) to [email protected] by January 18, 2011. You MUST include your full name, street mailing address (no P.O. Boxes), and a telephone number. Without that information, we can't send you a prize if you win, so your answer is eliminated, even if it’s correct.

I choose winners at random from the pool of correct entries. I’m a sucker for humor and originality, and a cleverly written correct answer gets an extra chance.

Because I receive so many entries each month, I can't reply to respondents, and I never respond to a request for an email receipt.

November 2010 Reader Challenge Winner

Congratulations to Scott Crawford of Springfield, MO, the winner of our November 2010 Reader Challenge. The prize is a copy of Windows 7: The Definitive Guide from O'Reilly Media (www.ora.com).