WinKey and WinME

Hi
In attempts to streamline the response time and operability of my
1.8GHz/224MB RAM computer running on WinME, I have made extensive use
of WinKey (Copernic).
I find it much more convenient to open apps and various (pre-specified)
web pages by this means rather than clicking on Desktop or Quick Launch
icons.
However, I cannot find how to carry out such basic commands as "switch
user" or "lock work station" or "shut down computer" by means of the
WinKey. The first two of these commands work great on my other computer
(WinXP) through WinKey+Q and WinKey+L but WinME doesn´t support these
key combinations.
Does anybody know how I can persuade WinKey to carry out any of the
three quoted commands?
TIA
Paul

Hi
Well, it seems that what I thought was a simple question has got the
WinME world a little flummoxed. Then again, maybe it´s just that
nobody gives a s**t.
In any event, I have managed to find a solution that at least soembody
out there might want to hear about.
To get the computer (running on WinME) to shutdown with a simple WinKey
combination, I wrote the following batch file:

cd\
RUNDLL32 SHELL32.DLL,SHExitWindowsEx 1

which I saved as shutdown.bat.
It was then a simple matter to set up a WinKey combination to run this
batch file.
Similarly, WinKey combinations to log-off or reboot the computer can be
achieved by changing the last number in the batch file command line to
0 (log off) or 2 (reboot).

The command line information I got from the following site:

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html

Don´t ya just love WinKey?
Paul

Look here for other options....
http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/shutcut.htm

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's
"PaulFXH" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi
Well, it seems that what I thought was a simple question has got the
WinME world a little flummoxed. Then again, maybe it´s just that
nobody gives a s**t.
In any event, I have managed to find a solution that at least soembody
out there might want to hear about.
To get the computer (running on WinME) to shutdown with a simple WinKey
combination, I wrote the following batch file:

cd\
RUNDLL32 SHELL32.DLL,SHExitWindowsEx 1

which I saved as shutdown.bat.
It was then a simple matter to set up a WinKey combination to run this
batch file.
Similarly, WinKey combinations to log-off or reboot the computer can be
achieved by changing the last number in the batch file command line to
0 (log off) or 2 (reboot).

The command line information I got from the following site:

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html

Don´t ya just love WinKey?
Paul

Hi Noel
Thanks for your reply.
Interestingly, none of the additional options mentioned in the article
to which you refer (where n= 4, 8 or -1) function on my computer.
I can understand why the power-off option doesn´t work but there
doesn´t seem to be a reasonable explanation for the unwillingness of
the other two to function.
Anybody know why?

Paul

I don't think the 4 switch does anything, unless included as part of a
reboot or shutdown (so 5 or 6) anyhow
the 8 switch, as Jim/George note, can be problematic, and is akin to
pressing the 'on/off' button on your computer - the response will depend on
settings in the BIOS.

What are you expecting to happen with the -1 switch? - all you are likely to
see is a screen redraw, and lose a few icons in the system tray at the same
time.

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's
"PaulFXH" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Noel
Thanks for your reply.
Interestingly, none of the additional options mentioned in the article
to which you refer (where n= 4, 8 or -1) function on my computer.
I can understand why the power-off option doesn´t work but there
doesn´t seem to be a reasonable explanation for the unwillingness of
the other two to function.
Anybody know why?

Paul

Hi Noel
Thanks for your further comments.
OK, I´ve now used the command lines with n=5 and n=6 to provide WinKey
combinations allowing me to quickly force a shutdown or a reboot
without asking "want to save" questions.
As for the option with n=-1, I was unsure what to expect. When I tried
it the first time, it seemed to do the same as the logoff (n=0) option.
On closer examination, however, if after using the n=-1 option, I go
back to my user account desktop, I find that it has changed. The
background picture is the same but the icons are very different.
Instead of taking the icons from c:\windows\profile\my user
name\desktop\ the "default" desktop icons contained in
c:\windows\desktop\ are used.
In addition, no icons appear in the system tray.
To get back to my normal desktop, I must log out and back in again.
Now I have some idea what it does but, as yet, I really cannot see it
being very useful to me. Do you think anyone can find a use for this?
Thanks again
Paul

-1, as it says, restarts the explorer.exe process. This process is what
controls the desktop icons, explorer windows and the taskbar, so using this
switch simply causes the desktop icons and taskbar to disappear (as the
process is terminated) and reappear (as the process is restarted).

It is useful for when the desktop has "hung" (when nothing happens when you
click on the taskbar or desktop icons) as you can get it working again using
the switch.


"PaulFXH" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Noel
Thanks for your further comments.
OK, I´ve now used the command lines with n=5 and n=6 to provide WinKey
combinations allowing me to quickly force a shutdown or a reboot
without asking "want to save" questions.
As for the option with n=-1, I was unsure what to expect. When I tried
it the first time, it seemed to do the same as the logoff (n=0) option.
On closer examination, however, if after using the n=-1 option, I go
back to my user account desktop, I find that it has changed. The
background picture is the same but the icons are very different.
Instead of taking the icons from c:\windows\profile\my user
name\desktop\ the "default" desktop icons contained in
c:\windows\desktop\ are used.
In addition, no icons appear in the system tray.
To get back to my normal desktop, I must log out and back in again.
Now I have some idea what it does but, as yet, I really cannot see it
being very useful to me. Do you think anyone can find a use for this?
Thanks again
Paul

Hi Test Man
Thanks for your explanatory comments.
However, while this may well be what is supposed to happen, on my
computer it actually behaved somewhat differently as I outlined in my
previous post.
The problem seems to be that when Explorer is restarted, it goes back
to what I can probably call the "default" desktop (i.e. the one in
C:\windows\desktop as opposed to mine which is in
C:\windows\profiles\my user name\desktop).
Is there any way I can prevent Explorer from moving to a different
desktop?
As things stand, if my desktop did hang and I used the -1 switch to get
things moving again, I would need to log into my own user account from
the default desktop (which is where the -1 switch brings me), log out
again and then finally log in once more. All of this just to get back
to where I was before the "hang".
Actually, it would be easier just to force a reboot.
However, perhaps you or somebody else may know how to circumvent this
peculiarity on my computer.
Paul