1. Start
by creating a new folder on your hard drive. Call it whatever you want,
but something descriptive is best. For example: batchlinks or just
batch.
2.
Next, create shortcuts of the applications you want to start together
and place the shortcuts inside your newly created directory. Once there,
rename them by removing the 'Shortcut to' and the file extension
(.exe). Your file names should look like the screenshot.
2a.
To create a shortcut, navigate to the folder containing the executable
file for each application. Use Windows Explorer for this. Right click on
the executable and choose 'create shortcut' from the context menu. This
will create a shortcut in the current folder called 'Shortcut to
YourApp.exe' Cut and paste the shortcut into your batch file directory
created in step one. You can also just open your 'batch' directory and
choose File | New | Shortcut. A short wizard will walk you through the
process.
3. Next up - Open Notepad.
Enter the path to your files as shown above. Include the cls command at the end of your file list. Note: If your path contains spaces, you will need to enclose your path in quotes. Ex: "c:\batch links\dreamweaver.lnk" Also note the difference in the file name. We have added .lnk to the end of the file name in the batch file.
Enter the path to your files as shown above. Include the cls command at the end of your file list. Note: If your path contains spaces, you will need to enclose your path in quotes. Ex: "c:\batch links\dreamweaver.lnk" Also note the difference in the file name. We have added .lnk to the end of the file name in the batch file.
4.
Save the file as your_filename_here.bat. You may want to save this file
with a short name in the root of your drive for easy access. From the
run line is is quite easy to type in c:\go.bat, for example.
5.
Test it! Make sure it works. Call the file from the run line or double
click on it in Windows Explorer. You should see something like this:
If all is well, your applications will start en masse.
If all is well, your applications will start en masse.
6.
Now that your little batch file is working, you can choose what to do
with it. Send a shortcut to the desktop for easy double click access to
your most used apps or, if you have the capability, program a special
keyboard key to open your batch file.
7.
Experiment with the number of applications you try to open at once for
the best performance. You can always make another group to run in a
separate batch file.