How can I retrieve or restore a not-visible (too small or offscreen) window?
I have a window which, when maximized, fills the screen, and when minimized, disappears, leaving only the taskbar button. This is fine and normal.
However, when I go to “Restore” the window’s original size from its maximized size, it disappears!
To affect it, I than have to use the right-click menu from the taskbar button; merely clicking the button brings no visible window to the screen. There are menu selections for Size and Move; if I select these I get a cross-arrow-shaped cursor, but nothing else happens.
It appears that the “Restored” window size has become the “minimized” size. The system remembers this across boots.
How can I reset the window’s size and placement so that it is easily manageable and on the screen again?
I don’t like to see a Windows question slide off the list of questions, as we are all here to pull one over on the Man. That, unfortunately, does not mean that I can elegantly or even effectively answer your question.
You might try to reanimate the window by holding down the “alt” button while pressing “tab.” This is the old way of selecting between programs. Once its up, you can attempt to re-size it to your tastes by sliding your mouse to the edges of the window, clicking and dragging it into shape.
The easiest answer is to use the keyboard shortcut keys. Now these may (or may not) vary from win95.0 on up, I don’t know, I don’t keep track of what worked for whom.
If the window is off screen, even partly (e.g. top control bar missing), try ALT-SPACE, select Move, and then the arrow keys will move the window. Try to be reasonable if the window is entirely offscreen, you don’t want to blindly make things worse.
Another tip, if your card supports it, is to increase your screen to maximum resolution (you may have to decrease colors) If you can see the window now, move it back to the upper left.
if the window is sized to one pixel (very rare) try Alt-SPACE, then Size. You may have to drag the menu bar to the top or side of your screen, to make sure the window isn’t under there