Most of us have experienced the frustration associated with an unresponsive computer. Computers can freeze up when too much memory is being utilised by various processes running in the background. Often, a program such as Microsoft Word will not minimise because too many other programs are open at the same time. There are several ways to resolve this issue.
- Most of us have experienced the frustration associated with an unresponsive computer.
- Computers can freeze up when too much memory is being utilised by various processes running in the background.
Close any unnecessary programs. This will free up extra memory on your computer and increase Microsoft Word's responsiveness.
Click the correct "Minimize" button. In Microsoft Word, this is the third tab from the right beside the "Restore Down" tab in the upper-right corner. The "Minimize" tab is designated by a straight, white, horizontal line.
Right-click on the document on the taskbar, located at the bottom of the screen, if step 2 doesn't minimise the program. Choose "Minimize."
Minimise the program from the Task Manager. To bring up the Task Manager, press "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" at the same time.
Choose "Task Manager" from the list.
Select the "Applications" tab, and locate Microsoft Word.
Review Microsoft Word's status. Underneath the "Status" tab, every application will be listed as either "Running" or "Not Responding." If Microsoft Word is running responsively on your computer, simply right-click the application and select "Minimize." This should minimise your window.
- Right-click on the document on the taskbar, located at the bottom of the screen, if step 2 doesn't minimise the program.
- Underneath the "Status" tab, every application will be listed as either "Running" or "Not Responding."
Close the program in the Task Manager. If the program will not minimise from the Task Manager, try closing it. From the Task Manager, select the "End Task" tab, which is located at the bottom of the dialogue box. This should effectively close Microsoft Word.
Make sure to save your work frequently. If you are forced to close an unresponsive program, you will possibly lose the data contained within your document.
This chapter is from the book
Maximizing, Minimizing, and Closing a Window
After you’ve opened a window, you can maximize it to display full-screen. You can also minimize it so that it disappears from the desktop and resides as a button on the Windows Taskbar, and you can close it completely.
The Word Window
You use the Word window to interact with Word—you type your text into the window and you use the window to tell Word what to do. Here I will explain the parts of the Word window.
A Quick Access Toolbar: In the upper-left corner of the window is the Quick Access toolbar, sometimes referred to as the QAT. The Quick Access Toolbar provides commands you frequently use. Save, Undo, and Redo appear on the toolbar by default. Click Save to save your file, Undo to roll back an action you have taken, and Redo to reapply an action you have rolled back.
B Title Bar: In the top center of the window to the right of the Quick Access toolbar is the Title bar. The Title Bar displays the title of your document. Word names the first new document you open Document1. As you open additional new documents, Word names them sequentially. When you save a document, you assign the document a new name.
C Help Button
D Ribbon Display Options Button
E Minimize
Button
F Restore Down Button
Maximize Button
G Close Button
H Ribbon: To tell software what to do, you issue commands. In Word, you use the Ribbon to issue commands. The Ribbon is located below the Title bar. To learn more about the Ribbon, see the The Word Ribbon section.
I Ruler: Optionally, the ruler is found below the Ribbon. Use the ruler to change the format of your document. If your ruler is not visible, follow the steps listed here:
Display the Ruler
- Choose the View tab.
- Click the Ruler box in the Show group. Word displays the ruler.
J Vertical and Horizontal Scroll Bars: You can move up, down, and across your window by dragging the icon located on a scroll bar. The vertical scroll bar is located along the right side of the window. The horizontal scroll bar is located just above the Status bar. To move up and down your document, click and drag the icon on the vertical scroll bar up and down. To move back and forth across your document, click and drag the icon on the horizontal scroll bar back and forth. You will not see a vertical scroll bar if the height of your document fits on your screen; you will not see a horizontal scroll bar if the width of your document fits on your screen.
K Status Bar: The Status bar appears at the very bottom of the window and provides information such as the current page and the number of words in your document. You can change what displays on the Status bar by right-clicking on the Status bar and selecting the options you want from the Customize Status Bar menu. A check mark next to an item means it is selected. You click an unselected menu item to select it. You click a selected menu item to unselect it.
L Text Area: Just below the ruler is a large area called the text area. Here is where you type your document. The blinking vertical line in the upper-left corner of the text area is the insertion point. As you type, your text appears at the insertion point.
M Read Mode Button
N
Print Layout Button
O Web Layout
P Zoom Slider and Zoom: The Zoom slider zooms in and out on your document. Dragging the slider to the left zooms out, makes your document smaller, and allows you to see more of your document. Dragging the slider to the right zooms in, makes your document larger, and reduces the amount of your document you can see. The Zoom slider appears on the Status bar if Zoom Slider is selected on the Status bar menu. The percentage of zoom appears to the right of the zoom slider, if Zoom is selected on the Status bar menu.