Windows Key + R

From the run dialog in Windows XP you can open folders by using the following shortcuts.

.	C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\
..	C:\Documents and Settings\
\	C:\
Assembly	C:\WINDOWS\assembly
Cache	C:\WINDOWS\system32\Cache
Desktop	C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Desktop
Favorites	C:\Documents and Settings\Me\Favorites
Fonts	C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
My Documents	C:\Documents and Settings\Me\My Documents
SendTo	C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\SendTo
Start Menu	C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu
Tasks	C:\WINDOWS\Tasks

*The folders may vary depending on your windows configuration.

As far as I can tell, you can open directories that exist in the following directories by just typing in the directory names (without the full paths):
· C:\WINDOWS\
· C:\WINDOWS\system32
· C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\

This got me to thinking. If you are like me and would like to quickly go to different directories, you can creat shortcuts to those different directories in your “C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\” directory. Give this a try. Hit Windows Key + R to bring up the run dialog and type “.” to go to the “C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\” directory. Right click in the directory and select “New\Shortcut” and create a shortcut to another directory. Now hit Windows Key + R to bring up the run dialog again and type in the name of the shortcut that you just created. You should be taken to that directory.