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Windows allows you to easily enlarge, hide, or shrink a window using the Minimize, Maximize, and Restore buttons.
The Minimize button is among the three buttons at the right end of the title bar. This button has a small dash (or minus sign). The Minimize button shrinks the window and places it on the taskbar while leaving the program running.
The Maximize button, which looks like a small window, is used to enlarge a window to cover the entire desktop.
After a window is maximized, the Maximize button changes to the Restore button. It looks like two windows near one another. If you click the Restore button, the maximized window shrinks to its previous size (the size it was before you maximized it).
Sizing windows is slightly different from minimizing, restoring, and maximizing. Note: You cannot size a window if it has been maximized.
Make sure the mouse pointer changes into a two-headed arrow before you try to size the window.
Sometimes a window may obscure an item you want to click on or view.
Sometimes moving and sizing multiple windows can create confusion. To keep better track of multiple windows, try cascading or tiling the windows.
Windows XP allows you to have more than one program open at the same time. It also allows you to easily move between open windows. The window you select becomes the active window. When a window is active on the desktop, its title bar (and button on the taskbar) is blue. When a window is inactive, the title bar is light blue.
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Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows XP keeps the taskbar from getting too cluttered. It groups the buttons when too many accumulate on the taskbar. For example, when you open Outlook Express you'll see one button on the taskbar. However, if you have three or more email message windows open, one button represents the Outlook Express's open windows.
Simply click the button to select from the pop-up list of open windows.
When you have more than one window open, you can also switch between them using the keyboard.
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