Question SHORTCUT KEYS - How to use "windows key" for manually assigned shortcuts?

[JackrumMadthing]

Hallo People who theoretically know more than me.

One can assign manually created Shortcuts to open using (almost) any key combination by going into the properties window of said shortcut.​

In the case of my Win10 Desktop Shortcut to Charmap.exe, I'm currently using CTRL+ALT+C as seen on the left.
What one cannot do, is use the WINDOWS KEY as part of this shortcut simply by entering it in the provided box area. If you try use WINDOWS KEY + CTRL, it assigns the shortcut to CTRL + ALT, and if you choose ALT as the 2nd key, it becomes the same thing.

So it appears to be effectively blocked as an option.

I would like my Shortcut Key to be: WINDOWS KEY + C
...which I'm aware is the default for Cortona (just to complicate my personal issue), but i don't use Cortona and have torn it out already.

QUESTIONS:
1) Is it possible to assign the WINDOWS KEY as a shortcut key to open a non fixed Windows provided application?
2) If it is not possible to use WINDOWS KEY + C because it is currently assigned by Win10 to Cortana, can I remove it somehow from the existing Cortona embedded Win10 Shortcut referral table??

If 2) is not possible, I'll use WINDOWS KEY + SHIFT + C, or something else free I guess.

I'm presuming there is some magic possible poking in the depths of the registry somewhere, I do not want to use 3rd party key mapper programs so if that is the only solution, I guess I'll live with it.

Thanks for you time guys n gals.

 

[Grobe]

Seems that your struggle is about overriding shortcuts already locked by OS (cannot free unless you find a method to deactivate those) and limitation on the OS/desktop itself.

Q1:
Probably not unless using third party software.

Q2:
Possible solution:
https://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-disable-any-specific-win-keyboard-shortcut-in-windows

My question to you - Why do you not want to use third party software? I've personally being used Autohotkey for many such Windows tasks in order to automate tedious software where the path to start goes to several pop up dialog boxes that user have to interact with.

 

[JackrumMadthing]

Seems that your struggle is about overriding shortcuts already locked by OS (cannot free unless you find a method to deactivate those) and limitation on the OS/desktop itself.

Q1:
Probably not unless using third party software.

Q2:
Possible solution:
https://www.nextofwindows.com/how-to-disable-any-specific-win-keyboard-shortcut-in-windows

My question to you - Why do you not want to use third party software? I've personally being used Autohotkey for many such Windows tasks in order to automate tedious software where the path to start goes to several pop up dialog boxes that user have to interact with.

Because i like to minimise everything where possible, while im sure my rig will be fine...in my experience application Y's use of X while application A is doing B....but then needs X, boom boom fizz now its all on fire.

Also even with a 24gb RAM system, Star Citizen will occasionally crash out with out of memory errors, so i usually run it with no AV or even processes in backround not required such as Windows Search.

But mainly because if the bear is sleeping happily, im gonna walk around it....
...and i feel there must be a registry entry or method of DLL fiddling to let me not move my fingers 0.5mm further than i want to..
Cough.

 

[Ralston18]

Stay out of the Registry.

Registry edits are a very last resort and should be attempted only after a full system backup including a backup of the Registry itself.

As shown in the following link, Windows (and the Windows key) is used for quite a number of varying purposes.

WIN + combinations

Making changes may not end well.

Windows/Microsoft is always making changes. If you manage to change something the next Windows update may results in unforseen consquences.

This:

"Also even with a 24gb RAM system, Star Citizen will occasionally crash out with out of memory errors,"

That is the problem that needs to be directly addressed.