FIX YOUR SLOW-LOADING CONTROL PANEL SHORTCUT

High-end Windows 9x users - those who are constantly adding and tuning new hardware and software - often need to constantly access the Control Panel to update or alter Windows' settings. Users who employ a desktop shortcut to open the Control Panel often find that the program takes an unusually lengthy time to load. This is likely because the shortcut points directly to the Control.exe program file.

For backwards-compatibility reasons, Control.exe is designed for use in conjunction with a shell component such as File Manager or Program Manager. When the shortcut accesses the Control.exe file from outside
one of these Managers, Control Panel opens portions of these shell components. The result is a 60- to 90-second load time. Here's a quick workaround.

First, delete the shortcut that points directly to Control.exe. Then, open My Computer and drag the Control Panel icon onto the desktop. (Windows won't actually let you move Control Panel onto the desktop, but the system will ask you if you'd like tocreate a desktop shortcut instead.) When prompted, click Yes. The new Control Panel shortcut will ignore the shell component stipulation and will load much faster.