Can’t wait to get your PC shut down? Don’t try to close all your open programs individually. Instead, close them all in one fell swoop with a click of the Close All Windows icon. Unlike the Show Desktop function, which merely minimizes all open windows, Close All Windows terminates each running program. Don’t worry about losing your work: If an open document needs saving, the program will prompt you–the same as if you had clicked the red Close button up in the corner.
To make the best use of Close All Windows, pin it to your taskbar. (Windows XP and Vista users can add it to the Quick Launch toolbar.)
–Rick Broida