Start all your programs with a single click using batch file

Everyone has some standard list of programs, which he starts when logs on to his computer. It’s a waste of time to start each program individually; today we are going to learn how to start all your favorite programs with a single click using batch files. Those of you who don’t know what batch files are may check this post to find out what they are.

Batch Programming Basics

I usually use Dreamweaver, Mozilla Firefox, and pidgin immediately after I login to my comp. So let us see how to create a batch file to start the above three programs with a single click.
First open note pad and type the following lines

CD “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Dreamweaver CS3\”

start Dreamweaver.exe




cd “C:\Program Files\Pidgin\”

start Pidgin.exe

cd “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\”

start firefox.exe

Here cd switches the control to the directory following it and start command is used to start the program in that directory. You can add any number of programs to this list.
Once you have added all your favorite programs to this list, save it a startup.bat or any other name of your choice and double click on that batch file you created just now to start all your favorite programs.
If you have any problems in creating the batch files feel free to drop in a comment here

TaskMate

TaskMate is a very simple and light task management application. Create a task, check it off when completed and it disappears from your list. The completed tasks are visible on the sidebar that you can toggle on and off. TaskMate runs on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and it is a Universal Binary Application.

iTool

iTool is a free application that offers a complete system maintenance and cleaning. It has a friendly user interface that guides you to complete the needed maitenance task.



Also, hidden on the Application menu (not found on the application’s main window), you can reach other options to tweak the look of the Dock (2D or 3D) or the Finder among others. This application is Leopard only.

Burn a CD on Windows XP without using software

Windows XP comes with a builtin CD-copy feature that not many people are aware of. Although almost everyone has his/her favorite CD-copy software to stick with, it is still good to know about this CDR feature from Windows XP. You will find it very useful when you come to another PC that doesn't have a CD-copy software, and you can't just install your favorite software to it. With this feature, you can write some data or MP3 files to a CD/DVD, or erase a re-writable CD/DVD.

If you're using a Re-Writable CD (CD-RW), make sure the disc is blank. You might need to erase (or "format") it before use. For information how to erase a CD-RW on Windows XP without using any other software, see this article.

Requirements: You need to enable the CD-R feature on Windows XP. If you haven't done so, see this article.

 

1. Insert a Formated-ReWritable CD or a Recordable (CD-R) disc into the CD drive.


2. From Desktop, double-click on "My Computer".


3. Navigate to the files/folders you want to copy to CD. Select them and press "Ctrl-c" to copy.


4. Browse back to the CD-ROM, and press "Ctrl-V" to paste. The files/folders will show up as temporary files/folders at this time.
   
   


5. On the left panel, select "Write these files to CD".
   
   


6. The window "CD Writing Wizard" appears with the default CD name. Change the CD name if you wish, then click "Next".
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


7. The "CD Writing Wizard" starts to write files/folders to the CD:
   
   


8. Once the writing process is complete, the wizard will disappear and the CD-Rom will be ejected.