With the Windows 7 operating system there is a choice to “fix” (that is, position), known as “pin” applications (as well as items) to the Start Menu and/or Taskbar. This feature allows you to access these applications with one or two mouse clicks, rather than navigating through the program folder and subfolder menus under the start menu.
As a matter of efficiency, daily used applications are best pinned to the Taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen where the time is cited on the far right), and frequently used applications are best pinned to the Start Menu (beneath the Windows button on the far bottom left). Such applications might include:
- WordPad
- Calculator
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- And even regularly used system tools such as Disk Defragmenter.
The reason this topic has arisen is because when I work with clients, I speak to them about much more than harnessing the power of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, but also how to take advantage of certain facets of computer use. For those who perform their own maintenance, disk defragmentation is highly suggested once per month and for some clients, this process is not always best automated as the computer is not always reliably on at the same time every month.
Rather than digging through the Start Menu for the Disk Defragmenter, I often place a shortcut to this useful process by pinning it to the Start Menu. This enables clients to see it regularly, serve as a reminder that this task should be performed, and of course give them ease of access to this feature.
Please find below instructions to this effect, with some additional information.
One of the recent versions of Amicus Attorney, 2011 Small Firm, has been noted to have conflicting issues with Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional version 11. Other variants of Amicus Attorney may likewise possess this conflict.
If you have multiple audio devices connected to your computer (i.e. speakers, USB headset, handheld microphone, digital voice recorder etc.), you may feel that Microsoft Windows seems to randomly allocate the audio output.
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