To maximize the active window, press Alt-Space, X.

To restore the active window, press Alt-Space, R.

To close the active window, press Alt-F4.

To move the currently active window, type Alt-Space, M. A four-pointed arrow appears on the title bar of the active window. Depending on whether you want to move the window left, right, up, or down, press and hold the corresponding arrow key until the window outline reaches the desired destination. (Tip: You can use two arrow keys at once to move a window diagonally.) Press Enter to "drop" the window, or press Esc to cancel the move.

If the window you want to size is currently active, type Alt-Space, S. A pointer (or a four-pointed arrow) appears in the middle of the active window. Press the arrow key that corresponds to the side you want to adjust, then use the arrow keys to adjust that side. Press Enter to keep the change, or press Esc to cancel it.

The Little Key That Could
If you've got a Windows key on your keyboard, take advantage of these keystrokes:

General Windows Keystrokes

• Get Help – F1
• Open the Start Menu – WINDOWS LOGO KEY or CTRL+ESC
• Switch between Open Applications – ALT+TAB
• Open the Shortcut Menu – APPLICATIONS KEY or SHIFT+F10
• Minimize all Applications – WINDOWS LOGO KEY+M
• Find a File or Folder from Desktop – F3
• Move to First Item on the Taskbar – WINDOWS LOGO KEY+TAB
• Open Windows Explorer – WINDOWS LOGO KEY+E
• Open Run Dialog – WINDOWS LOGO KEY+R

General Windows Application Keystrokes

• Exit the Active Application – ALT+F4
• Open the Application Control Menu – ALT+SPACEBAR
• Move to the Menu Bar – ALT
• Move between Menus – ALT, ARROW KEYS
• Choose a Menu Item – ENTER
• Open a child Window Control Menu – ALT+DASH
• Cancel or close a Menu – ESC or ALT

Windows Keystrokes for Working in Dialog Boxes

• Move through Dialog Controls – TAB
• Move Backward through Dialog Controls – SHIFT+TAB
• Move to Another Page – CTRL+TAB
• Reverse Direction through Pages – CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
• Select/Deselect in List View – SPACEBAR or CTRL+SPACEBAR
• Toggle a Check Box ON/OFF – SPACEBAR

Windows Keystrokes for Working with Text

• Move One Character Left – LEFT ARROW
• Move One Character Right – RIGHT ARROW
• Move One Word Left – CTRL+LEFT ARROW
• Move One Word Right – CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
• Move to Beginning of Line – HOME
• Move to End of Line – END
• Move One Paragraph Up – CTRL+UP ARROW
• Move One Paragraph Down – CTRL+DOWN ARROW
• Move to Beginning of Document – CTRL+HOME
• Move to End of Document – CTRL+END
• Scroll Up or Down One Screen – PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
• Select One Character Left – SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
• Select One Character Right – SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
• Select One Word Left – CTRL+SHIFT+LEFF ARROW
• Select One Word Right – CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW 
• Select to Beginning of Line – SHIFT+HOME
• Select to End of Line – SHIFT+END
• Select to Beginning of Document – CTRL+SHIFT+HOME
• Select to End of Document – CTRL+SHIFT+END
• Select All – CTRL+A
• Undo – CTRL+Z
• Delete Current Character – DELETE
• Delete Prior Character  – BACKSPACE

Keystrokes for Working in Windows Explorer

• Delete Selected File or Folder  – DELETE
• Rename Selected File or Folder – F2
• Refresh Window – F5
• Switch Between Tree View and List View – F6 or TAB
• Go Up One Folder Level – BACKSPACE
• Open File or Folder Properties – ALT+ENTER
• Untruncate Columns in List View – CTRL+NUM PAD PLUS 

Keystrokes for Using the Clipboard

• Copy Selected File or Text to Clipboard – CTRL+C
• Cut Selected File or Text to Clipboard – CTRL+X
• Paste Contents of Clipboard – CTRL+V

Don't have a Windows key?

No problem--you can trick your PC into thinking you do, using the Keyboard Remap Kernel Toy, a free utility from Microsoft. Start by downloading the file from FileWorld. Then move krnltoys.exe to a temporary, empty folder. Double-click the file, and it unpacks several files to your temporary folder. Right-click keyremap.inf and select Install.

Now open the Control Panel, double-click Keyboard, and select the Remap tab. Under Right-Hand Side, select the key you want to designate as the Windows key--such as Right Alt--in the left box. Then, in the right box, select Windows. Click OK.

Roll Your Own Keystrokes

If you have an application that you open all the time, stop wasting time finding its Shortcut (or Start menu item) every time you want to open it. You can set up a keyboard combo to open that application from anywhere on your system, no matter how many windows you have open on screen.

If you haven't already done so, create a Shortcut to the application in your location of choice. (You can bury it in a folder if you want--you'll only need it to set up the keyboard combo.) Right-click the Shortcut, select Properties, and click the Shortcut tab. Click once inside the text box next to Shortcut Key, then type the letter you'd like to use in combination with Ctrl-Alt to open the application. (You'll notice that Windows fills in the Ctrl-Alt part for you.) For example, you might use "W" for Microsoft Word. Click OK, and your hot key is complete.

Now just forget about that Shortcut (but don't delete it). Press the keyboard combo to launch the application.