Of course, in today’s Web-powered world, double-clicking is an anachronism, a vestige of old-school computing. So why don’t we ditch it altogether? After all, desktop folders and program icons are really the only items that need two clicks. Surely Windows offers a single-click solution?
It does, and don’t call me surely. Here’s how to make Vista a single-click OS:
1. Click Start, type Folder Options, and then hit Enter.
2. In the General tab, find the Click items as follows section, then enable Single-click to open an item (point to select).
3. Now decide which of the two “underline” options you want. The first keeps all clickable items underlined at all times, much like links in your Web browser. The second keeps the underline hidden until you mouse over an item. I prefer the latter, but you should try both to see which option you like best.
4. Click OK and you’re done.
Note that if you’re really used to double-clicking, it’ll probably take you a few days to break the habit.
This method also makes file selection a little trickier, especially if you’re accustomed to the practice of Ctrl-clicking multiple files. Now, instead of clicking each file in turn, you just hold down the Ctrl key and mouse over each file you want to select, pausing for about a second on each one until it becomes highlighted.
What do you think? Are you a die-hard double-clicker, or do you prefer a single-click computing life?