Look at the top of any folder or Explorer window on your screen. See that Address bar? It's not just for Web addresses, you know. You can also use it to issue commands and to navigate your hard disk. Here are my favourite undocumented tips and tricks for getting the most out of that little-used box:

Launch anything. You can launch any folder, file, application, shortcut, or batch file by typing its name in the Address bar. If the item you want to launch isn't listed in the Set Path line of your autoexec.bat file or in a place Windows normally checks (such as the Windows folder or the desktop), you may have to type a complete path (for example, c:\Program Files\opera\opera.exe). In addition, reader Robin Sequira points out that you can open Control Panel items simply by entering Control Panel\ followed by the name of the item you want (for example, Control Panel\Display). You can use this technique to open items in the Printers or Dial-Up Networking folders, too (for example, you might type Printers\LaserJet).

Take command. You can use the Address bar to issue any "external" DOS command ù that is, any command that runs as a separate program (such as those found in the Windows\Command folder, including xcopy, move, and attrib). To copy all the text files in your Documents folder to a folder called My Text Files, you'd type xcopy c:\documents\*.txt "c:\My Text Files" and press <Enter>. (Capitalisation isn't required, but quotation marks are, if any folder or file name contains spaces.) Windows then runs the command through a quickie DOS session.

Type DOS commands. To run so-called internal DOS commands ù such as copy, del, date, and time ù type command.com /c before entering the specific DOS command that you want carried out (or type command.com /k if you'd like to keep the DOS window open and working after DOS executes the command). Alternatively, you can create a batch file composed of the DOS commands you use most often. One quick way to make a batch file is to use wildcards to rename groups of files (Explorer can't do this): in Notepad, type rename %1 %2 and press <Enter>. Save the file in the Windows folder or its Command folder as rn.bat. To run it, type command.com /c rn.bat.

Start a search. To run a Web search while you're online, click in the Address bar, type find, go, or ?, followed by the text you want to search for, and then press <Enter>.

Trim the typing, part I. As you type a folder path or URL in the Address bar, AutoComplete supplies the first folder or Web address it finds that matches the characters you've typed. If only the beginning of the address appears, press the <right-arrow> key (to move the cursor to the end of the address) until you obtain the complete path or URL; then press <Enter>.

Trim the typing, part II. For even more abbreviated typing, use the right-mouse button to drag your most frequently used applications, folders, and files to the Windows\Command folder, and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. Then rename each shortcut with a two-letter name so you can launch it with minimal typing. For example, you could change your word-processor shortcut from word.exe to wp, your spreadsheet shortcut to ss, and so on. The downside is that you have to include the suffix .lnk (the hidden extension for shortcuts) when entering the shortcut name in the Address bar ù for example, wp.lnk. Otherwise, Windows will think you've typed in a Web address. After the first time you launch this way, AutoComplete will finish the typing for you in the future.

Trim the typing, part III. To reduce typing further, try this. Choose Start-Run, type regedit, and press <Enter>. Navigate down the tree in the left pane until you come to this folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths. Right-click on the App Paths folder (called a key in the Registry) and choose New-Key. In the Address bar, type the shorthand name you've chosen, followed by .exe ù regardless of whether you plan to use this method to launch an application or a file. For example, you could type r.exe to launch a report file in a desktop publishing application. Press <Enter> to complete the naming. With your new shorthand key selected in the left pane, double-click the (Default) icon in the right pane. In the Value data box, type the path and name of the file (that is, the application, data file, or shortcut) you want to launch. For example, you might type c:\My Documents\Quarterly Report.pm6. (If you're entering the path to a shortcut, be sure to add .url to Web shortcuts and .lnk to other shortcuts.) Click OK and exit the Registry Editor. The next time you type your shorthand text (minus the .exe) ù such as r, for the report file mentioned above ù the Address bar will open the specified file or application.

Make it your own. Always keep your Address bar visible along the top or bottom of your screen for easy access. If the Taskbar looks too crowded, drag its edge toward the centre of the screen to increase its girth, thereby allowing the Address bar to occupy all or most of a separate line. You may need to manoeuvre other toolbars around to get this effect. If you keep your Taskbar on a vertical edge, first drag the Address bar to the desktop to make it a separate window, and then drag the Address window to the top or bottom of your screen. Now you can give the autonomous Address bar its own custom settings by right-clicking the left end of the bar. In addition, you can choose from among options that keep it on top of other windows or that automatically hide it until your mouse moves to its location.

Keyboard it. Though you can't create a shortcut key for the Address bar, you can access it from the keyboard. Press <Ctrl>-<Esc>, <Esc> to display and then cancel the Start menu; then press <Tab> as many times as needed to activate the Address bar. Once it's active, you can scroll through your last few entries by pressing <F4>, <Alt>-<Down Arrow>, or <Alt>-<Up Arrow>.

Caption: Give your address bar some extra space by stretching the Taskbar
ù just grab the edge with your mouse and pull