If you’re like most people, you probably use Windows to do things that you don’t even know are possible. You can launch programs, open files, and more with just a few keystrokes. Here’s how to do it in Windows:

  1. Open the Start menu and type “cmd.”
  2. Type “cmd” again and press Enter.
  3. Type “netstat -an” and press Enter.
  4. Type “ping www.google.com” and press Enter.
  5. Type “netstat -an | grep tcp” and press Enter again.
  6. Type “netstat -an | grep udp” and press Enter again.

Assigning shortcut keys to launch programs in Windows is probably one of the oldest geek tricks in the book, but in true geek fashion we are going to show you how to do it in Windows 8.

Launching a Program with a Shortcut Key

Hotkeys in Windows are applied to shortcuts, this allows you to create hotkeys to files and folders as well as programs. All you have to do is find, or create, a shortcut to the program you wish to open with a hotkey, right click on that shortcut and select properties from the context menu.

When the Properties dialog for the shortcut loads, click on the Shortcut key textbox.

Now all you need to do is press the key on your keyboard that you want to get teamed up with ctrl and alt.

Click the OK button and you’re good to go.