11/12/2008 -- The shell command in Vista gives you quick access to various folders. To access the shell command you use Start, Run and then type "shell:command." If you try to use the shell:command at the command prompt (cmd.exe) it will fail because shell:command is not recognized by the command interpreter.

To open the Downloads folder, type "shell:downloads" at Start, Run. If you want to look at the folder where Internet Explorer saves cookies, instead of going through Windows Explorer and locating the folder, you can quickly access it by typing "shell:cookies."

There's a long list of shell commands that can be used in Vista, though obviously you'll find some more useful than the others. Once you open the folder with the shell command, you may want to create a shortcut for it for future use if you'd like to access it frequently.

Also, I should point out that there are some shell commands that only work in 64-bit Vista, so don't be surprised if all the shell commands don't work for your 32-bit Vista.

Here are some of the more common commands that you might be interested in:

• shell:contacts
• shell:cookies
• shell:favorites
• shell:fonts
• shell:gadgets
• shell:history
• shell:my music
• shell:my pictures
• shell:profile
• shell:recent
• shell:start menu
• shell:startup
• shell:system
• shell:userprofiles (Notice that there's no space between the words "user" and "profiles" in this command.)