Close All Programs With One Click

How can I easily close all Windows programs before installing a new application or running ScanDisk?

Ted Earley, Goleta, California

We're often told to close all open programs before performing some action--installing a new program or defragmenting a hard drive, for example.

But which programs do you need to close? Some experts say you have to close only the applications that run in their own windows and that minimize to the main section of the taskbar. Others recommend that you close everything except Windows' bare bones, including antivirus software, firewalls, and other programs that run in the background. I close just the applications, and it has never caused a problem.

The easiest way to close all programs is with BK-Soft's Kill Win freeware or its $15 shareware cousin, Kill Win Pro (both are available at PCWorld.com's Downloads).

To create a shortcut that will close only your applications, right-click the Kill Win icon in your Start menu and select Copy. Then right-click the desktop and select Paste. Right-click the new icon on your desktop and select Properties. Choose the Shortcut tab; in the Target field, add a space and then /w to the end of the existing text, so that it reads something like 'C:\KillWin\KillWin.exe /w'. Click OK, then right-click the icon to rename the file Close applications. If you wish, you can drag the icon back to the Start menu.

Kill Win has an option to close everything, but it's not very good. It just reloads Windows, skipping your autolaunching programs; it doesn't work at all in XP. If you want to use it, follow the instructions above for creating a close-all-apps icon, but instead of adding '/w', add /p. Name the shortcut Close everything.

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