Microsoft OneNore 2010 : Collecting and Researching Information - Meet the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher

The Screen Clipper and Launcher is a tiny program that loads itself when your computer starts up and stays in memory until you turn your computer off again. Keeping it enabled lets you:

• Launch the full OneNote 2010 program with a keyboard shortcut instead of hunting down and double-clicking its program icon.

• Create so-called “side notes,” which are an electronic version of the yellow sticky notes that might be plastered all over your computer monitor right now.

• Use a hotkey to bypass the user interface for creating instant screen clippings.

• Record new audio clips in your notes without first having to start OneNote.

This small but useful program is often overlooked for two main reasons. For one, it’s placed in the Windows Startup folder on your computer when OneNote 2010 is first installed (see Figure 1). Over the past few years, many computer users have gotten in the habit of clearing the contents of their Startup folder in an effort to save every last bit of available memory. I can understand this quite well. It seems that just about every other program that you install these days leaves a little icon near the clock display on the right side of the Windows taskbar. Most of these icons take up both space and memory without any real benefit. Up until the most recent versions of Windows, which hide these icons after a time, it wasn’t uncommon for a typical computer user to see a cluttered row of some 10–20 icons on the Windows taskbar.

Personally, I’m all for disabling any unnecessary apps and useless add-ins to help keep your computer running smoothly. However, I do recommend keeping the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher available, especially if you come to appreciate the functionality that it provides.

Another reason why the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher is often overlooked even when it’s running is due to a design change in the way taskbar icons are displayed in the most recent versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows Vista. To eliminate the clutter of icons that can accumulate over time as you install more and more programs, Windows eventually begins to hide the icons that install themselves in the notification area on the Windows taskbar.

Although I personally love this feature in Windows 7, it means that I must manually unhide any icons of the programs that actually offer some functionality by staying in the background, such as the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher.

Before you can enjoy the benefits of keeping the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher running in the background, take a moment to check whether it is loading properly on your computer and learn how to unhide its icon in the Windows taskbar notification area.

Turning the Screen Clipper and Launcher On or Off

To check whether the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher is loading on startup, follow these steps:

If the icon is there, it means that the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher program is loaded automatically each time you start Windows.

If you (or someone else who uses your computer) disabled the startup program for some reason, you can reenable it by following these steps:

If the Screen Clipper and Launcher icon was shown in your Startup folder and if the display check box in the OneNote Options dialog box is selected, but you can’t see a small OneNote icon near the right side of your Windows taskbar, it means Windows has hidden it from view to avoid taskbar clutter.

Keeping the Screen Clipper and Launcher Permanently Displayed

If you’re running any edition of Windows 7, you can easily turn on and off the icons of any programs that are running in the background—including the OneNote Screen Clipper and Launcher.

Here’s how:

1.	On the Windows 7 taskbar, click the small, upward-facing arrow near the clock display in the lower-right corner of your screen. In the little pop-up menu that appears, you’ll see a small version of the OneNote icon, plus any other icons of programs hidden from view.
2.	Click Customize (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Clicking the Customize link in the Show hidden icons menu opens the display options for your notification area icons.
3.	In the Notification Area Icons dialog box that opens, scroll through the list and find the OneNote icon labeled as Microsoft OneNote Quick Launcher (merely an alternate, shorter name for the OneNote 2010 Screen Clipper and Launcher).
4.	Click the drop-down menu next to the OneNote icon and then select Show icon and notifications (see Figure 3). The OneNote icon will now appear in the notification area. It is no longer hidden. Figure 3. Options in the Notification Area Icons window let you control which icons in the notification area on the Windows taskbar are shown or hidden from view.
5.	Click OK to save your changes.

After you’ve followed these steps, the icon remains visible, and its functionality can be accessed by right-clicking it or by using the keyboard shortcuts shown on the right-click menu (see Figure 4).