Windows Vista offers a number of new features that can be used to select files. The following steps will show you how to use check boxes in Windows Vista to select files.

  1. Open the Start menu and type “cmd” (without the quotes).
  2. Type “netstat -an” (without the quotes) and press Enter.
  3. The netstat -an output will show you the status of all network connections on your computer. You can use this information to determine which files are connected to which networks.
  4. To select a file from the list, type its name into the text box at the top of the netstat -an output and press Enter.

To enable this feature, go to the Organize menu and choose “Folder and Search Options” from the menu. From there, click the View tab, and you should see this near the bottom:

Just check the “Use check boxes to select items” checkbox, and you will now be able to use the checkboxes. (It works best in detail mode)

Note that you can click the checkbox next to Name to select all files. Or Ctrl+A.