Word window outside of desktop - how do I get it back?

[Guest]

Hello,

I have a client running Office 97 SBE on a modern WXPSP2 machine. She is
unsophisticated when it comes to computers, and apparently mistypes keys
regularly. Somehow, she got her Word set up to, when in Windowed Mode, open
a window somewhere outside of her Windows desktop. We can access Word in
full-screen (maximized) mode only, but she continually mistypes and often
returns Word to Windowed mode, losing the window to this off-desktop
location. I do not believe she has any virus or spyware as I protect her
machine pretty thoroughly. I have maximized her screen settings and
attempted to further expand her desktop to try to find the Windowed Word
window, but it seems to be outside of any desktop size I create.

Does anybody know where in the WXP registry the Windowed mode startup values
for Word 97 are located so I can bring this Windowed mode window back to the
normal desktop? Alternatively, is there something I can do from Word 97,
while in Full-screen mode, to set the Windowed mode window screen coordinates?

Thanks,

John Spence

 

[Steve Yandl]

John,

I'm making the assumption that when you refer to "Windowed Word window"
you're referring to an application open in Normal mode. I think the
registry settings for Windows remembering how assorted windows were last
opened are in one or both of the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StreamMRU
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
but I'm not certain enough to suggest you do any registry editing without
doing a Google search on the keys to see what others might have tried.

If she has an idea where the window is, relative to the screen, hold down
the Alt key and press the spacebar. Now, if you press the letter "m" you
will be able to move the window using the arrow keys (even if you can't see
parts of it) or if you press the letter "s" you can use the arrow keys to
resize the window. Click the left mouse button once when you complete
either of thse operations to make it stick; while you're using the arrow
keys an outline of the window will be moving, not the window itself until
you click.

Steve

 

[Searcher_5]

@Steve:
great answer!

from my experience I can say: if windows do hide, they usually are
below the taskbar of windows.
(assuming you are not using some fancy multi-desktop enhancement
software)

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Tell the user to open any other window, right-click on an empty area of the
Taskbar, and choose Tile or Cascade. This should bring the Word window back
in view. Use the mouse to move and size the window as desired, then quit
Word. When Word is restarted, the window should be where she left it.

Alternatively, she can right-click on the Taskbar button for the Word
document and choose Move, then use the arrow keys to bring it back in view.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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[Guest]

Thank you Steve and Suzanne,

The problem was solved using Steve's "alt-spacebar" solution, but I would
have used Suzanne's solution as a backup.

Thanks,

John