Way back in the Windows 3.1 days, you could organize your desktop icons into "program groups." So if you were working on a particular project, you could have all the relevant components organized into one neat box.
With the judicious use of folders and shortcuts you can do more or less the same thing even in later versions of Windows, such as Windows XP. Basically, you create a folder that contains shortcuts for all the software and files you intend to use for a given project. For example, as a graphic designer, I use a number of different files and programs to create a newsletter. I use Microsoft Word for word processing, Corel Draw for vector images like logos, Photoshop for images, and Quark XPress to put all the files together into a document.
I always arrange my project files into folders anyway, but with this technique I can have shortcuts for all the software close at hand as well. Here’s how it works.
1. Open Windows Explorer and go to (or create) a project folder, in this case, we’ll call it D:projnewsletter.
2. Assuming you have desktop shortcuts for your software, click to select one. (For example, I selected my Quark XPress icon). Now press Ctrl+C to copy it.
3. In Windows Explorer navigate to your folder (D:projnewsletter in my case). Press Ctrl+V to paste your shortcut in the folder.
4. Repeat the process for all the shortcuts to all the software or files you plan to use in your project.
5. Now to place a shortcut to the folder on your desktop, right-click on your desktop and choose New, then Shortcut. The Shortcut Wizard appears.
6. Click the Browse button and find your folder (in my case D:projnewsletter). Click the Next button.
7. Give your shortcut a name (I called mine Newsletter Project, for example).
8. Click OK to exit the wizard.
A shortcut appears on the desktop with a folder icon. When you double click it, you see all your files and shortcuts grouped together in one place and easily accessible. How tidy!