From The Tips Box: Folder Options, IMDB, Quick Shut Down

Readers offer their best tips for quickly accessing Windows’ Folder Options window, looking up movies on IMDB, and quickly shutting down, sleeping or restarting your computer.

Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favourites. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments or send it using the contact tab on the right.

Access Windows Explorer’s Folder Options Through Your App Launcher

Moon shares a quick shortcut for accessing Windows’ Folder Options through your favourite app launcher:

I don’t know what it is. Laziness? Impatience? The faster I get things, the faster I want them. Folder Options, for example, is fast and easy to get to in Win7. You can do it from Search, or you can type “control folders” in some launch field or other.

But I like this best, because I’m in FO’s View tab most often.

RunDll32.exe http://shell32.dll,options_rundll/ 7

That can go in Run. But where I like it most of all, is in SlickRun, because SlickRun is just a Win+K away.

In that case RunDll32.exe would go in the Filename/URL box, and http://shell32.dll,options_rundll/ 7 goes into the Params box.

The key to getting it handed to you quickly, is in the name you give it. You can call it Fol or Fold or whatever, and SlickRun does the rest.

Some app launchers, like Launchy, seem to do this out of the box, but this command lets you do it from anywhere — even with a keyboard shortcut via AutoHotkey.

Print QR Codes on Burned DVDs for Quick IMDB Lookups

Photo by Britt Knee.

TheSimonizer shares a unique, clever tip for your movie library:

Quick tip If you have a LightScribe enabled DVD burner: What I do is put a QR Code on the label that points to the IMDB page of the movie. Like that I only need the title and the QR code on the DVD.

Change the Shut Down Button in Windows’ Start Menu

Java-Princess shows us a quick little Windows customisation:

If you right click the shutdown button in the Windows 7 start menu you get one option – properties. Click it and it takes you to the customise start menu dialog. Contrary to what one might think the item labelled Power Button Option doesn’t just change what your physical power button does but also changes the default option available on the start menu.

Change Windows’ Volume with Your Mouse’s Scroll Wheel

Ikjadoon discovers a little shortcut in the Windows system tray:

Do you want to quickly raise or lower the volume on your PC?

If so, click the volume button and then just scroll within that little pop-up. Now you don’t have to click that tiny slider and can be more precise in changing the volume.

It works with a scroll wheel or via scroll gestures on a touchpad.

Moon notes that you can also use arrow keys to do this as well.