How to create a shortcut to PC Settings?
Solution 1:
If you are open to hacks, then I've got one for you. I'm using AutoHotKey to do it. I have a 1920x1080 screen, so if your resolution is different, the mouse click command will have to be different. Here's the script, using Win+S as the shortcut to fire this:
#s::
Send #i
Sleep 1000
Click 1756,1050
Return
Any time I hit Win+S, it will send the Win+I command, wait for it to pop open, then click on "Change PC Settings." I didn't spend too much time playing with the sleep time, but feel free to adjust that down if your computer is faster than mine.
EDIT:
A screen resolution independent script is provided below:
#s::
Send #i
Sleep 1000
Send {Down}{Down}{Down}{Down}{Down}{Down}{Enter}
Return
Solution 2:
The Settings charm has a keyboard shortcut of Windows logo key + I.
If that's the one you are looking for, you can either just use this keyboard shortcut instead of a desktop shortcut, or use a macro product such as AutoHotkey to create a compiled script that can be called via a desktop shortcut and that will issue this combination of keys.
Even if that's not the solution, a AutoHotkey script might be able to reproduce all the mouse actions that one uses to call up PC Settings on Windows 8 (however, not having Windows 8, I cannot verify).
Solution 3:
Maybe that script is what you are looking for:
explorer.exe shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Microsoft published a list of all Canonical Names of Control Panel Items here: Canonical Names of Control Panel Items
Solution 4:
In the end, I used the approach recommended by @Ryan. However, I did create a shorter script, that is less error prone (sort of):
Send("#i")
Sleep (100)
Send("{END}")
Sleep (50)
Send("{ENTER}")
If you don't want to create the script yourself, you can download the final result from an article I published on the topic. It is a small executable with a nice icon, etc.
Download a Desktop Shortcut to PC Settings, for Windows 8
Appreciate everyone's input on the topic. It was definitely useful.