Solved Why be so elusive with the RUN box?

As an IT professional, I can tell you that I have saved HOURS and HOURS using the RUN box both
in Windows XP and Windows 7 to launch a myriad of apps like notepad, mspaint, msconfig, services.msc,
and the list goes on. On a pen only (no keyboard) tablet, you have to go through TOO MANY steps to
do these kind of searches.

Why didn't they put the RUN box on the Charms menu? There is plenty of room for it. That would
make it easy as pie!

Microsoft is gonna tick off a lot of people like me by making it longer and more difficult to do the same
things in previous versions of Windows.

You don't need run to launch apps, unless you need to specify parameters. Just open the start menu and start typing the first few letters of the app "Not..." for instance, and Notepad is right there. Takes half a second.

If you need to do Run, WinKey+R brings it up.

Another convenient way to get to "run" is through the power user tasks menu. Why be so elusive? MS is pushing a new way to run/use Windows and doesn't mind taking flack to "nudge" users to do so.

Win-R will bring up the run menu.

Also, right click in lower left corner and Run is included in this menu.


I launch a majority of my apps using the Run menu too.

+1 on the Winkey + R. It's just faster and simpler to it that way.

Not forgetting, if you are using Metro, a right click for "All Apps" will show run, which you can then pin to start. Can't really see that it is more elusive than in Windows 7?

davehc said:

Not forgetting, if you are using Metro, a right click for "All Apps" will show run, which you can then pin to start. Can't really see that it is more elusive than in Windows 7?

Click to expand...

It probably comes down to force of habit. I end up using my mouse a lot for work. So, when I am in my desktop and my hand is already on my mouse, it's just 2nd nature to click on Start Button, go to search field and type in notepad, or snipping, or winword to launch an application. Using WinKey+R is not 2nd nature to me and I have to think about it for a second.

I don't like to jump out of the desktop and over to the Start Screen to launch an application as I find the transition a bit jarring and I can actually get distracted looking at the tiles and then miss what's happening on my desktop like new Outlook emails or incoming Lync instant messages.

For me, it's not really that "run" is elusive, it's more that the Start button is missing which is my natural gateway to Run/Search.

You have to move your hands to the keyboard anyways to type notepad or cmd... so the whole "My hand is already on the mouse" bit seems made up.

Mystere said:

You have to move your hands to the keyboard anyways to type notepad or cmd... so the whole "My hand is already on the mouse" bit seems made up.

Click to expand...

my right hand is on the mouse, my left hand on the keyboard. I click on start, go to run box, type n with my left hand and it goes to notepad. I hit enter and it launches.

It's just force of habit and what comes naturally.

Try this:
1- go to start panel, press any key & the Backspace key
2- scroll to far right and right-click on Run
3- bottom left corner click on Pin to Taskbar or Pin to Start
OR
4- click on 'Open file location' then right-click the Run shortcut & click Send to ... Desktop

You can repeat the above for 'On-Screen Keyboard' and do-it-all with your mouse.

pparks1 said:

my right hand is on the mouse, my left hand on the keyboard. I click on start, go to run box, type n with my left hand and it goes to notepad. I hit enter and it launches.

Click to expand...

You realize you can press WinKey+R entirely with your left hand, right?

Mystere said:

pparks1 said:

my right hand is on the mouse, my left hand on the keyboard. I click on start, go to run box, type n with my left hand and it goes to notepad. I hit enter and it launches.

Click to expand...

You realize you can press WinKey+R entirely with your left hand, right?

Click to expand...

Yes, I do. Like I said, it's force of habit. The way I am used to getting to the run box is to click on start and to type in the box. Sounds like the original poster would like to be able to do the same thing. I know that Winkey+R will get me the run box, I mentioned it before.

pparks1 said:

Mystere said:

You have to move your hands to the keyboard anyways to type notepad or cmd... so the whole "My hand is already on the mouse" bit seems made up.

Click to expand...

my right hand is on the mouse, my left hand on the keyboard. I click on start, go to run box, type n with my left hand and it goes to notepad. I hit enter and it launches.

It's just force of habit and what comes naturally.

Click to expand...

OK how bout this. You do not have to press Windows+R at the same time. Press/release the Window key & then the R key.
If you want to provoke the Run box to run a command like msconfig etc.
Now with right hand on mouse click on Run & type whatever.

If you just wanted the Run box for opening Notepad; Press/release Window key & then the N key. ETC.

I guess the Start Screen could double as our Run or Search box.

I really understand it is inherit humans hate change
(Psych 101)

I like Win 8 and like the run command too

The real problem was that I mainly use my Windows 8 tablet with just the pen (digitizer) so there is no Windows key. I went ahead and found a RUN shortcut buried inside some submenu in the OS and I made a shortcut to it on my taskbar (pinned it) and now I can get to the run box rather easily. Thanx for all the comments.

orlandotek said:

The real problem was that I mainly use my Windows 8 tablet with just the pen (digitizer) so there is no Windows key. I went ahead and found a RUN shortcut buried inside some submenu in the OS and I made a shortcut to it on my taskbar (pinned it) and now I can get to the run box rather easily. Thanx for all the comments.

Click to expand...

That makes no sense. How would you type in the run box? Clearly you are using an on-screen keyboard, which does have a Windows key. Since you have to type the command you want anyways, I fail to see why there is some huge problem here.

pparks1 said:

Mystere said:

pparks1 said:

my right hand is on the mouse, my left hand on the keyboard. I click on start, go to run box, type n with my left hand and it goes to notepad. I hit enter and it launches.

Click to expand...

You realize you can press WinKey+R entirely with your left hand, right?

Click to expand...

Yes, I do. Like I said, it's force of habit. The way I am used to getting to the run box is to click on start and to type in the box. Sounds like the original poster would like to be able to do the same thing. I know that Winkey+R will get me the run box, I mentioned it before.

Click to expand...

Install Classic Shell and you can work as you always did.

pin run to task bar

See picture:

Mystere said:

orlandotek said:

The real problem was that I mainly use my Windows 8 tablet with just the pen (digitizer) so there is no Windows key. I went ahead and found a RUN shortcut buried inside some submenu in the OS and I made a shortcut to it on my taskbar (pinned it) and now I can get to the run box rather easily. Thanx for all the comments.

Click to expand...

That makes no sense. How would you type in the run box? Clearly you are using an on-screen keyboard, which does have a Windows key. Since you have to type the command you want anyways, I fail to see why there is some huge problem here.

Click to expand...

MY on screen keyboard has no Windows key. Even when I try to switch the keyboard using the keyboard icon on the Windows 8 keyboard, it does not show a Windows key on any of these keyboards. You're right. That would have been easy. I've seen picutes of the Windows 8 pre-release on screen keyboard and you can switch to a keyboard that has a Windows key. On my Windows 8 Pro, there is no Windows key. Unless someone can tell me how to fix that? I just assumed Microsoft didn't want you to have access to the Windows key on the RTM Windows 8.