Speed Tweaks
Windows

** EXPAND AND CONTRACT FOLDERS WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE
Windows 95 introduced the Windows Explorer, a nifty interface that displays folders in a vertical list (called a directory tree); click a folder in the directory tree and it will expand, displaying its contents. If you have many folders to expand or contract, however, clicking each item can be more trouble than it's worth. Instead, simply highlight the folder (or folders) you wish to control and press either the plus key (+) to expand the folders one level, or the minus key (-) to contract them. You can also use the asterisk key (*) to expand every item within a folder down to the lowest subdirectory. Note: You must use the plus, minus, and asterisk keys located on the numeric keypad (usually found on the right side of your keyboard), not the ones located above the numbers at the top.

** CLOSE ASSOCIATED WINDOWS WITH A SINGLE CLICK
Windows lets you browse the contents a folder in one of two ways. First, when you drill down into folders, Windows can display the contents of each folder within the original window you opened. Alternatively, clicking a folder can spawn a new window that displays its contents. Using the latter method can quickly fill your screen with windows as you delve deeper and deeper into your files; then, once you find what you were looking for, closing all those windows can be a chore. The solution? Hold down the Shift key and close the active window; all the associated windows will close as well.

** SKIP THE RECYCLE BIN
Take care when using this trick, because it does exactly what it says and there are no second chances. When you delete a file, it's normally moved to the Recycle Bin, where it stays until you empty it. To delete a file permanently and bypass the Recycle Bin, hold down the Shift key while deleting the file. You'll get a pop-up window confirming the deletion; if you click Yes, the file is gone for good.

** RESTART WINDOWS IN A FLASH
Do you get tired waiting for Windows to restart? Sometimes it can take ages to shutdown completely, and then you still have to wait for the computer hardware to reset as well. Next time, try holding down the Shift key as you click OK in the Shut Down Windows dialog (with the "Restart the computer?" radio button selected, naturally). Windows will then restart itself without shutting down the entire computer.