### 2.7 Starting Scheme from Microsoft Windows

The Microsoft Windows version of MIT/GNU Scheme runs as a graphics-based application. Scheme is normally started using shortcuts; the installer automatically generates several different predefined shortcuts for your convenience.

The rest of this section gives some tips on how to set up shortcuts that run Scheme. If you are unfamiliar with this concept you should read about it in the system help.

- Under Windows, shortcuts can be common or personal. When setting common shortcuts it is important to make the shortcut properties independent of the vagaries of the environment of the user who is running them.
- Give the shortcut an accurate Description.
- Use an absolute pathname to `mit-scheme.exe` in the shortcut Command line.
- If you specify the `--library` command-line option then you do not have to worry about the `MITSCHEME_LIBRARY_PATH` environment variable.
- Set the shortcut’s Working Directory to something sensible. On Windows you can use ‘`%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%`’ to make Scheme start up in the user’s home directory.
- There are several icons available in the Scheme executable—choose one that best represents the options given on the command line.
- If you want the shortcut to start up Edwin automatically, put `--edit` at the end of the command line.