Longtime Windows users know what a time-saver the Run box is. Instead of digging through menus or Explorer windows to find a shortcut or folder, you can enter a command or folder location directly in the Run box. This is also a great way to start a program with a command-line switch or other option.
In Windows Vista, the Search box takes over many of the functions of the Run box. When you enter the name of a command or shortcut, it appears in the search results list almost instantly, and you can run the command or program by pressing Enter or clicking that item. But there are still a few tricks that you can’t do with the Search box. For that, Run is still around.
To display the Run box quickly, use the Windows Key logo + R shortcut. If you don’t have a Windows logo key or if you prefer to use the mouse, you can add the Run option to the Start menu in Windows Vista.
- Right-click the Start button and choose Properties.
- On the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button to the right of the Start Menu option.
- In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, scroll down and place a check mark next to the Run option, as I’ve done here.
Make any other changes you want and then click OK to save your changes. (I prefer small icons, for example, so I scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and clear the default Use Large Icons check box.) A new Run option now appears at the bottom of the Start menu’s right pane.
Ed Bott 
Terrific. Several times I went looking for Run, but I probably missed this option because I never expected it to be an option (I expected Run was moved to a more “logical” place that I was yet to find, like so many things in Vista).
Tip #3 could be how the frak to get to the “Restart” menu item without having to negotiate the tiny arrow. In XP, you had to go through the giant “Turn Off Computer,” which is impossible to miss.
Thanks for the tip!
Know of a way to add a “Desktop” Folder/Shortcut t the right pane of the Start Menu? Would be a real help!