Chapter 2: Running Programs

Controlling the Size and Shape of Your Windows

Windows enables you to control the size and position of most windows, so you can arrange your open windows to see the information you want to view. A window can be in one of three states:

• Maximized, taking up the entire screen, with no window borders.
• Minimized, so all that appears is the window's button on the taskbar.
• Restored, or in a window; that is, displayed with window borders (see Figure 2-1). You can change the height and width of restored windows. Most windows on your screen are restored windows.

Moving a Window

The title bar is the colored bar that runs along the top of the window. To move a window, click anywhere in the title bar of the window, except for the System Menu button or the buttons at the right end of the title bar. Next, drag the window to the place you want it to appear. Release the mouse button when the window is located where you want it.

You can also use the keyboard to move a window. Press ALT-SPACEBAR to display the System menu, press M to choose the Move command, press the cursor keys to move the window, and then press ENTER when the window is located where you want it. You can also right-click the program button on the taskbar and choose Move from the menu that appears.

Minimizing a Window

A button appears on the taskbar for each program that is running. To minimize a window--make a window disappear, leaving nothing but its taskbar button--click the window's Minimize button, the leftmost of the three buttons on the right end of the title bar, or click the window's System Menu button and choose Minimize from the menu that appears.

You can also minimize a window by using the keyboard. Press ALT-SPACEBAR to display the System menu and press N to choose the Minimize command. You can also minimize a window by right-clicking the window's button on the taskbar and choosing Minimize from the menu that appears. To switch between minimized, and either restored or maximized, click the taskbar button for the program.

Minimize windows when you want to unclutter your desktop without exiting programs.

Minimizing All Windows

You can minimize all the open windows on your screen by right-clicking a blank area on the taskbar and choosing Bring Desktop To Front from the shortcut menu that appears. Using only the keyboard, you can press WINDOWS-M (using the WINDOWS key, which is next to the CTRL key on many keyboards). If the Show Desktop icon appears on your taskbar (it's on the Quick Launch toolbar, usually right next to the Start button), you can also click this icon to minimize all your windows. (See "What Can Appear On Is the Taskbar?" in Chapter 10 for a description of the Quick Launch toolbar.)

To reverse this command, right-click a blank area on the taskbar and choose Send Desktop To Back from the menu that appears. Or, press SHIFT-WINDOWS-M.

Maximizing a Window

To maximize a window--expand it to cover the whole screen--click the window's Maximize button, the middle button on the right end of the title bar, or click the window's System Menu button and choose Maximize from the menu that appears. When a window is maximized, its Maximize button is replaced by the Restore button, which returns the window to the size it was before you maximized it. Double-clicking a window's title bar switches between maximized restored.

If the window is currently minimized and you want to maximize it, right-click the button on the taskbar for the window and choose Maximize from the menu that appears.

You can maximize a window by using the keyboard, too; press ALT-SPACEBAR to display the System menu and press X to choose the Maximize command. You can also maximize a window by right-clicking the window's button on the taskbar and choosing Maximize from the menu that appears.

Restoring the Window to Its Previous Size

After you maximize a window, you can restore it--return it to its previous size. Click the window's Restore button to restore the window, or click the window's System Menu button and choose Restore from the menu that appears. The Restore button appears (as the middle button on the right end of the title bar) only when the window is maximized.

If the window is currently minimized and you want to restore it, click the taskbar button for the window.

You can restore a window by using the keyboard, too; press ALT-SPACEBAR to display the System menu and press R to choose the Restore command. You can also restore a window by right-clicking the window's button on the taskbar and choosing Restore from the menu that appears.

The choice between maximizing programs and running them in windows (restored) is a matter of taste. If your screen is small or low-resolution, maximize your windows, so you can see their contents as clearly as possible. If you have a large, high-resolution screen, you can run your programs in windows so you can see several programs at the same time.

Arranging All Windows

If you want to see all the windows on your desktop at the same time, you can ask Windows to arrange them tastefully for you. Right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose one of the following commands from the menu that appears:

• Cascade Windows Opens all the windows so they overlap, with their upper-left corners cascading from the upper-left corner of the screen, down and to the right.
• Tile Windows Horizontally Opens all the windows with no overlap, with each window extending the full width of the screen and one window below another.
• Tile Windows Vertically Opens all the windows with no overlap, with each window extending the full height of the screen and one window next to another.

If you choose one of these commands by mistake, you can undo the command by right-clicking a blank area of the taskbar and choosing Undo Tile or Undo Cascade from the menu that appears.

If four or more windows are open, Tile Windows Horizontally and Tile Windows Vertically arrange the windows the same way--in a grid.

Changing the Size and Shape of a Window

If a window is minimized or maximized, you can't change its size or shape. Maximized windows always take up the entire screen, and minimized windows always appear only on the taskbar. When a program is restored (running in a window), you can change both the size and the shape (height and width) of the window by using the window borders.

To change a window's height or width, click the border around the window and drag it to the place where you want it. If you click along a top, side, or bottom border, you move one window border. If you click the corner of the window border, you move the borders that intersect at that corner. When your mouse pointer is over a border, it changes to a double-pointed arrow, making it easy to tell when you can start dragging.

You can move and resize windows by using only the keyboard, if that's your preference. To move a window, press ALT-SPACEBAR to display the and press M to choose the Move command. Press the cursor keys to move the window where you want it; then press ENTER to choose that position. To resize a window, press ALT-SPACEBAR to display the System menu, and press S to choose the Size command. Next, press cursor keys to adjust the window size and press ENTER to select that size.

Closing Windows

In the upper-right corner of almost every window, you see a red button with an X--the Close button. Clicking the Close button performs the same action as choosing File | Close from the window's menu. If the program appears in only one window (the usual situation), closing the window exits from the program, the equivalent of choosing the File | Exit command.

If you'd rather use the keyboard, you can close many windows by pressing CTRL-F4. To close a window and exit the program, press ALT-F4.

If the window is minimized, you can close the window without restoring it first. Right-click the window's button on the taskbar and choose Close from the menu that appears.