ControlPad allows you to execute custom run commands by entering specific numbers. Press the * key and then enter the numbers or what we will call a ‘code’ and the appropriate command will be executed.

ControlPad is available as a Windows installer package as well as a portable zip version that you can put on your USB drive to carry it along with you.

Once you have installed the program (or you have run the portable version) you will see ControlPad residing in the system tray waiting for your input. The way you use ControlPad is really simple: Press and hold the * key till you see an input panel like below

Now you can key in the numbers to run any command. ControlPad allows you to run commands and applications, open any document, open any web address, or send keystrokes to the application in focus to make repetitive tasks easier.

However before you can go about executing commands in a hurry you would have to tell ControlPad what you want to do when you key in a particular code. This is easily done from the same interface. Follow these steps :

• Press and hold *
• Enter the code you want to configure
• Then hit the ‘/’ (divide) key. You will now be able to enter the command you want to execute or browse to the application you want to launch at the specific code. You can also use the built in useful commands to control your media player, browser, volume etc.

Now whenever you enter this code, the appropriate command will be run. All the commands are stored in a “command file”. The command file is a simple text file, you can easily back it up or edit the commands to your liking.

You can customize ControlPad from within ControlPad Settings. You can customize the font, the look, transparency, sound, save/restore settings etc from within the settings dialog.

ControlPad also has a beeper function that allows you to set up reminders and alarms quickly.

• Use the ++X syntax to set up a alarm to sound off after X seconds.
• +XXXX would sound an alarm at XX:XX (in 24 hr format)

So using ++7 would sound off an alarm after 7 minutes and +1700 will sound an alarm at 5 pm.

You can also use the + key when entering codes to run multiple commands. As an example if 1 launches Firefox and 2 launches Winamp, then entering 1+2 will launch both Firefox and Winamp. As an indication you will see a green mark in the lower right corner of the interface whenever a command is available for the code (or combination of codes) that you have entered.

ControlPad does require that you know the code to run a particular command – however since you are the one creating the code that should not be much of a problem. It is a handy application and the ability to carry it along on a USB drive makes it even more useful. You can now easily launch applications using the same codes on different computers as long as the commands remain the same.

Let us know what you think about ControlPad in the comments.

The problem is that the list of available shortcuts available from Run Menu are mainly for programs that are Windows accessories and system files. AddToRun lets you create your own run-box shortcuts.

In this example, I’m going to create a shortcut to the Steam gaming client program.

AddToRun is a portable app; meaning that you don’t have to install it but just download and run it. You can run it directly from a flash drive or from within the 7z archive file (use the free 7-Zip to open the archive) as it requires no installation.

Select the program for which you will create the shortcut by browsing to the program executable file. Type the alias you wish to use and click Add. Your shortcut will be available right away. Hit the WinKey+R and type the alias to check it out.

The alias you create works just as well as opening the program file directly, including any switches or parameters you add to the command. Let’s say I’ve created an alias “ff” for Firefox. Then, I can type “ff google.com” and Firefox will open and load Google.com. Obviously, you can substitute Google.com with any other site you like.

AddToRun’s advantage over program launchers such as Launchy is that the created aliases work without the need to have the launcher program running. That helps if you’re the kind of PC user who likes to squeeze as much performance as possible out of your system. If you have another favorite method of launching programs or creating similar shortcuts, please give us some examples in the comments.