Chasing Windows

[K]

Would anyone know of a way to keep new pages from stealing the active page
upon opening? It is terriably frustrating to have to keep chasing the active
page as new pages open. I'm running XP on an ACER and our systems tend to be
slow because of our hardware combinations. It is not unsual for me to be
working in one docu and decide I need info from another docu or docus or web
site, go start those pages opening and go back to my active page, all without
loosing my train of thought - until the other pages finally start opening and
stealing my active page. After I have chased my active page and brought it
back a couple times it is not unsual for me to have lost my train of thought.
As if that isn't bad enough, reopening my active page is not simply clicking
its icon on the toolbar. Even though my active page's icon is still lit up on
the tool bar, the new page has replaced my active page and is open on the
screen. To get back to my active page I must first click and open some other
page then click back to my active page. It is a long, drawn out, train of
thought busting process. Perhaps it would be smarter to simply start the new
openings and go get a cup of coffee, but that is about as antiproductive as
chasing my active page all over the place. Everything would be so much less
complicated (and a whole bunch less frustrating) if opening pages simply did
not steal the active page. All ideas, comments, and suggestions will be
greatly appreciated. Thanks K.

 

[Terry R.]

On 1/12/2010 8:34 AM On a whim, K pounded out on the keyboard

Would anyone know of a way to keep new pages from stealing the active page
upon opening? It is terriably frustrating to have to keep chasing the active
page as new pages open. I'm running XP on an ACER and our systems tend to be
slow because of our hardware combinations. It is not unsual for me to be
working in one docu and decide I need info from another docu or docus or web
site, go start those pages opening and go back to my active page, all without
loosing my train of thought - until the other pages finally start opening and
stealing my active page. After I have chased my active page and brought it
back a couple times it is not unsual for me to have lost my train of thought.
As if that isn't bad enough, reopening my active page is not simply clicking
its icon on the toolbar. Even though my active page's icon is still lit up on
the tool bar, the new page has replaced my active page and is open on the
screen. To get back to my active page I must first click and open some other
page then click back to my active page. It is a long, drawn out, train of
thought busting process. Perhaps it would be smarter to simply start the new
openings and go get a cup of coffee, but that is about as antiproductive as
chasing my active page all over the place. Everything would be so much less
complicated (and a whole bunch less frustrating) if opening pages simply did
not steal the active page. All ideas, comments, and suggestions will be
greatly appreciated. Thanks K.

Are you talking about a browser? If so, which browser? In Firefox,
Tools, Options, Tabs, check "When I open a link in a new tab, switch to
it immediately". I also use the Tab Mix Plus extension and it has a "Tab
Focus" tab so you can select how you want the focus of opened tabs.

But if you're not talking about just a browser, how about Alt-Tab?


Terry R.

 

[Twayne]

In

Would anyone know of a way to keep new pages from stealing the active
page upon opening? It is terriably frustrating to have to keep
chasing the active page as new pages open. I'm running XP on an ACER
and our systems tend to be slow because of our hardware combinations.
It is not unsual for me to be working in one docu and decide I need
info from another docu or docus or web site, go start those pages
opening and go back to my active page, all without loosing my train
of thought - until the other pages finally start opening and stealing
my active page. After I have chased my active page and brought it
back a couple times it is not unsual for me to have lost my train of
thought. As if that isn't bad enough, reopening my active page is not
simply clicking its icon on the toolbar. Even though my active page's
icon is still lit up on the tool bar, the new page has replaced my
active page and is open on the screen. To get back to my active page
I must first click and open some other page then click back to my
active page. It is a long, drawn out, train of thought busting
process. Perhaps it would be smarter to simply start the new openings
and go get a cup of coffee, but that is about as antiproductive as
chasing my active page all over the place. Everything would be so
much less complicated (and a whole bunch less frustrating) if opening
pages simply did not steal the active page. All ideas, comments, and
suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks K.

Try ALT-TAB or* right* click an open area on the TaskBar and choose to
either Cascade or Arrange vertically or horizontally from the choices. Then
you can click directly on the window you want and/or move things around at
will.
As for stealing focus, I'm afraid there isn't much to be done about that;
when you open a program it assumes you want to work in that program, so puts
the focus there. Don't start the program until you need it.
OR, and this is the one I use: turn on the TaskBar menu (again, right
click an open area on the taskbar and select it), then Toolbars; Desktop.
Then you'll get a popup menu of your entire desktop without having to expose
it in your taskbar then.

Also, IE8 has a neat feature: it'll show you all the places you're recently
visited, arranged on the screen and you can choose the one you want.

If that doesn't cover it, then you'll have to be more precise with your
question as it's a tad vague for a specific answer.

HTH,

Twayne