Speeding up access to certain files and folders(Windows XP)

            The access to hard disks, important folders and printers normally happens via the detour ‘Start | My Computer’. There is also a direct way.

            Set aside My Computer as an independent task bar on the desktop. In this way you can quickly access it. Right click the ‘Start’ button, select ‘Properties’ and activate the option ‘Start Menu’. This is important since the tip doesn’t work if you use the ‘Classic Start Menu’. Now right click on the ‘Taskbar’ and deactivate the option ‘Lock the taskbar’.
             Right click on the ‘Taskbar’ and select ‘Toolbars | New Toolbar’. In the following dialog, select ‘My Computer’ and click ‘OK’. Windows incorporates the folder in the Taskbar. Click on the new Toolbar and pull it for example to the upper or to the right border of the screen - the operating system automatically adjusts the width and height. Now clicking on the displayed storage medium is enough to open it in Windows Explorer. You can change the size by right clicking on the new toolbar. You can define the size by going to ‘View | Large Icons’ or ‘View | Small Icons’. Activate ‘Always on Top’ so that no other applications can hide the Toolbar. Additionally when you activate ‘Auto-Hide’, the Toolbar disappears until you move the cursor to the edge. If you wish to again remove the Toolbar, select the command ‘Close Toolbar’ in its context menu and confirm with ‘OK’.
HINT: You can also pull ‘Control Panel’, ‘My Network Places’ and all other folders from the Start Menu as Toolbars to the edge of the desktop.