I opened up an internet browser window first and then opened a word document.
Both the Windows show up on the task bar. When I now click on the browser
window on the taskbar to switch from the word document back to the browser, I
cannot see it unless I physically minimize the word document. How do I
switch from one window to another by clicking on it on the taskbar, without
having to minimize all other open windows? The operating system on my machine
is Windows XP home.
--
finder

Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:42:02 -0800 from letsfind
<letsfind@discussions.microsoft.com>:
> I opened up an internet browser window first and then opened a word document.
> Both the Windows show up on the task bar. When I now click on the browser
> window on the taskbar to switch from the word document back to the browser, I
> cannot see it unless I physically minimize the word document. How do I
> switch from one window to another by clicking on it on the taskbar, without
> having to minimize all other open windows? The operating system on my machine
> is Windows XP home.

To answer your question, let me give you a little background.

When you click on the taskbar icon of a program that's not currently
visible Windows sends a message to that program to repaint itself on
screen. The problem is that sometimes the program isn't quite ready
to do that. For instance, if you have Explorer open, pop in a CD, and
then click Explorer's taskbar button, you may have some delay before
Explorer repaints itself because it's focused totally on reading the
CD.

So my question is, what's going on with the browser when you click on
the window? If the actual program is in the middle of downloading and
formatting a Web page, for instance, it won't be ready just then to
repaint its portion of the screen real estate. If you wait a few
seconds you should see the browser window appear in outline and then
gradually repaint itself.

Summary: instant response doesn't always happen, and that's expected.
But if you wait a bit and still the browser doesn't paint itself,
then something's going on.

In that case, please post a follow-up and I or someone more
knowledgeable may have useful suggestions.

One thing to try: is this only with Word and your browser? (And which
browser, by the way?) Can you for instance switch between two Word
documents, or between Word and your e-mail program, or between two
browser windows, or between your browser and Explorer, for instance?

One other thing to try: rather than click on the taskbar icon, try
Alt-Tab. Sometimes, for reasons I don't understand, that seems to get
higher priority. To use ALt-Tab, press and hold either Alt key, then
tap Alt until the window you want to go is highlighted then release
Alt. If you bounce between two windows frequently, this is a real
time saver as Alt-Tab always goes first to the most recently used
window.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"If there's one thing I know, it's men. I ought to: it's
been my life work." -- Marie Dressler, in /Dinner at Eight/

alt-Tab swaps between windows applications - it's been that way since
Window 3.1 or earlier.

"letsfind" <letsfind@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A16D9AB1-A94E-488B-9973-75AE66DD7C17@microsoft.com...
>I opened up an internet browser window first and then opened a word
>document.
> Both the Windows show up on the task bar. When I now click on the browser
> window on the taskbar to switch from the word document back to the
> browser, I
> cannot see it unless I physically minimize the word document. How do I
> switch from one window to another by clicking on it on the taskbar,
> without
> having to minimize all other open windows? The operating system on my
> machine
> is Windows XP home.
> --
> finder