Since 1995, keyboards made for Microsoft Windows personal computers have had a Windows Logo Key.  This unusual key was designed by Microsoft as a way to add another shortcut ability set from the keyboard to Windows users.

The Windows Logo Key provides some very powerful shortcuts that are available in almost all programs that you use on your Windows personal computer.  This week ProfitBuzz will focus on a short overview of how you can use the Windows Logo Key to cut down on the number of mouse clicks and keystrokes to get things done on your personal computer.

You can find the Windows Logo Key between the CTRL (control) and ALT (alternate) key near the bottom left of your keyboard.  Some keyboards also have a Windows Logo Key on the right side of the space bar, but its location can vary.

The shape of the "logo" on the Windows Logo Key depends on what year your keyboard was made.  Everytime Microsoft issues a new version of Windows, the shape of the symbol on that key changes to whatever the latest Windows logo is.

Pressing and releasing the Windows Logo Key by itself will open or close the Windows Start Menu allowing quick access to all the software and documents on your computer.

The table below describes what happens if you press the Windows Logo Key and then press another key at the same time.  These are all shortcuts that should be available within ProfitMaker and most other Microsoft Windows programs.

	Desktop  Minimize all open windows and show the desktop.
	Explore  Opens My Computer file explorer so you can browse files on your personal computer.
	Find  Opens the Search program for files on your personal computer.  You can search your hard drives and local devices for specific files on your PC.
	Lock  Locks your Windows software.  If you have user logins enabled on your PC, this will return the system to the security login screen.
	Minimize  Shrinks all your windows into the task bar at the bottom of the screen.
	Run  Opens a small window that allows you to type in MS DOS style commands.  This is a quick way to run programs on your personal computer.
	Utility  Opens a window that helps you set up options on your computer.  This is especially useful for users with special needs.
	Start  Opens or closes the Windows Start Menu.

Remember you must press and hold down the Windows Logo Key while pressing the other keys in the above table.

I recommend that you take a minute or so and experiment with using these keys.  Most people find a few of the shortcuts listed above make them faster keyboarders and more productive.

Happy keyboarding!

To compare and analyze budgets used for all Profit and Loss General Ledger accounts for two selected years, print the G/L Budget Analysis Report.

Edit budgets through General Ledger Maintenance or as a batch.

Here is another feature built in ProfitMaker Version 9.0 that you can take advantage of:

Operator Maintenance - now requires the password be entered twice for verification and is displayed encrypted.  This change only applies to adding/editing an operator.