HOME
TOPICS
ABOUT ME
MAIL

 
Don't let this stuff get you down.
 technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
3 Windows annoyances and how to fix them


August 15, 2004


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, The Post-Standard

   Sometimes your Windows PC misbehaves because it wants to do one thing and you want to do another. Here are three of the most common problems and explanations on how to fix them.
   PROBLEM: Internet Explorer never remembers the size of its full-screen window. No matter how many times you make the window full-screen, Internet Explorer always ignores you the next time it runs. You always get a smaller window.
   SOLUTION: There's nothing wrong with Internet Explorer. It's simply getting the wrong message. The only kind of window Internet Explorer is supposed to remember is the standard window -- the one you get when you run any program the first time. It has a telltale rectangular-box icon in the middle button at the upper right of its window. To get IE to listen to you, make sure that rectangular-box icon is visible. (You do NOT want to see a pair of smaller boxes; they tell you the window is maximized, and that's the wrong setting. Click the two small boxes to get back to the right setting.)
   With me so far? Be sure to start with a window that is NOT full size. Then resize the window manually by dragging the bottom right corner. You'll have to drag it around a bit, too. (Do that by clicking on the title bar and holding the button down while you drag the mouse.)
   When you have it the size you want, click the File menu and click Exit. (Exiting Internet Explorer this way -- as long as the IE window is not maximized -- always gets its attention and forces IE to save its settings.)
   The next time you run Internet Explorer, it will show up on your screen at the size and location you set before you closed it. Remember the secret: IE never remembers the size of a maximized window. Always resize it at the normal window setting if you want IE to remember what you did.
   PROBLEM: Desktop icons never go where you try to put them. They always fly into formation, like cadets at a military academy.
   SOLUTION: There's nothing wrong with your icons or with Windows. Your icons are simply doing what they've been told by the desktop setting called "Arrange Icons." If that option is set to "Auto Arrange," your icons will always fly into exact position. To get them to go where YOU want them, right click on a blank area of your desktop and hold your mouse pointer over "Arrange Icons." If "Auto Arrange" has a checkmark in front of it, click "Auto Arrange" to turn the checkmark (and the setting) off.
   PROBLEM: Your taskbar turns into an acrobat and jumps to the other side of your screen. Nothing you've tried to do has brought it back.
   SOLUTION: There's nothing wrong with your taskbar. It's just doing what comes naturally. It was designed to be both a righty and lefty. It can sit at the bottom or clicng to the top.
   All you need to do is coax it back to where you want it. It's easier than it seems, but, like riding a bike for the first time, it's almost impossible to explain. You'll just have to follow along and try it solo.
   First, click on a BLANK area of the taskbar. Don't click on any part of the taskbar that is occupied.
   Then hold your button down at that spot. The next maneuver is a magic trick: With your button held down firmly, flick your wrist up and to the left if your taskbar is clinging to the right side of your screen or down and to the right if it is stuck to the left side. If it's stuck on top, flick your wrist down and to the right.
   Your taskbar will suddenly pop down or over. Keep sliding your mouse pointer until the taskbar is back at the bottom.