Launch programs by typing their names in 'run' dialogue box [duplicate]

There are some applications such as notepad and cmd which can be launched by typing their name in run dialogue box, can I just create entrys like that for all applications?

Go to your application/program you want to create the command for. In this example I will use Outlook Express. Usually you can type "msimn" and your Outlook Express will open. To tag it as"OE" you need to follow these steps.

First, create a shortcut of the executable program in the same directory. Now, cut that shortcut that you created and paste it to your system folder WINDOWS. For Windows 98/ME, you should paste them in SYSTEM 32 folder. Rename them what ever ID you want. Here, as a example "OE". By typing OE in the run command, your Outlook express will launch as it normally does.

The benefit is, if you remember all commands you created, you don't need to click on menu or desktop icons to launch any programs.

When you enter a name in the run dialogue box, Windows first looks at the PATH environment variables (there is a system one and per account one). Each of these contains a semicolon-separated list of directories to search through. Windows then searches through each of these folders in the list to find the application you want.

To create entries for all your applications, you should create a directory with shortcuts to your applications, then add the path to the directory to your PATH environment variable. This avoids affecting other users of the machine, and does not need admin rights.

You can also do this by creating keys in the registry, which will have effect for every user in the system, and you can re-create them on a new computer by double-clicking a single .reg file.

The paths are located here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths

Let's say you want to type "e" to run Notepad (e for edit), or "e somefile.txt" to edit that file. To do this, create a new Key under the above path, named "e.exe". Then set the "(Default)" value to the path to your editor, e.g. C:\Program Files\Notepad2\notepad2.exe. That's it!

When exported, the complete .reg file looks like this:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\e.exe]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Notepad2\\notepad2.exe"