Keyboard shortcuts for lefties

Are you a left-handed mouse user? Then you're probably getting good and tired of dragging your right hand all the way over to the left side of the keyboard to use Ctrl-X, Ctrl-C, and Ctrl-V--the Cut, Copy, and Paste equivalents. And no, not using them isn't an option!

(Nor is picking your left hand up off the mouse.)

If you're hooked on keyboard combos, you'll be happy to know there are keyboard combo equivalents for Cut, Copy, Paste, and even Undo, on the right side of your keyboard. Still around from the days of Windows 3.0 and before (but just not documented), the following CUA (common user access) commands spell relief for sore wrists:

• Shift-Delete = Cut
• Ctrl-Insert = Copy
• Shift-Insert = Paste
• Alt-Backspace = Undo (also Ctrl-Z, for right-handers)

These commands are supported by many (but not all) applications and also by Windows 95. You'll have to try them out in your own applications. Of course, the one hitch is that you can't use Shift-Delete outside of an application (for example, to cut a selected icon from an Explorer folder). Remember, as far as Windows 95 is concerned, Shift-Delete means you want to delete the items without sending them to the Recycle Bin. So be sure not to use this combo unless you're inside an application, such as Word or Notepad.