Windows 10

[caryc]

I have been running windows 7 since about a week ago. My computer was getting a little squirrely so my computer guy suggested I get a new machine with Windows 10 since they no longer offered any help or fixes for windows 7.

So, ok, I had him build me a new machine and I got most everything that I needed over to the new machine. I even got Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9 running on this machine, although most people say you can't get it to run on Win 10. I found a link on the net where a guy told how he did it and it worked for me also.

Anyway, the only gripe I have now is that the little vertical bar on the far right of the task bar to click and go to the desktop is so narrow on the task bar that it is hard to hit it. It's about as narrow as the head on a straight pin so I have to be careful to hit it just right.

I have tried in vain to find a fix for this but I can not. I even bought the Win 10 for dummies book with 1000+ pages and can find no fix for this in it. I will ask my computer guy when I get into town next but with this covid thing I don't get into town too often now.

Anybody else have the same problem and did you find a fix?

 

[steveodtw]

I'll be interested in your answer. You're right! It's like threading a needle. "I don't have a solution but I admire the problem."

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Cary, not looking forward to the time that, I have to leave Windows 7, and move to Windows 10. But I'm sure it will be happening at some point.

 

[caryc]

Cary, not looking forward to the time that, I have to leave Windows 7, and move to Windows 10. But I'm sure it will be happening at some point.

Since I went with a new computer, I also went with a solid state hard drive. It's much faster. But, I'm thinking I liked Win 7 better.

 

[Mobuck]

I switched from 7 to 10 just before the support ran out but I have no idea of what button you describe. I have a couple of ways to return to the "desktop" screen but neither uses such a button. My Windows 10 problems relate to control of printer and such which went from simple to "simply can't".

 

[Kevin]

Congratulations on the new computer. I’m needing a new one also. It does seem like they get weird after a few years.

I’ve used Windows 10 since they offered it, and I don’t know what tiny button you’re talking about either.

Can’t you just “right click” on the mouse and select minimize all Windows?

My computer is off right now, I’ll try and see what your describing later this morning.

 

[Johnnu2]

I finally switched to Windows 10 as well. Fortunately for me, my wife's daughter and techie husband were visiting from NC. He was able to do some magic and make my (I call it my home page) look like my old Windows 7. So now, when I sign on, all my old 'icons' appear and everything looks like Windows 7; the vertical bar (which I assume is the one you use to scroll up and down) is the same as it always has been. You might want to get your computer guy to give you a Windows 7 "front page" too.... it's comforting.
p.s. I know NOTHING about computers.... and my HP laptop is 10 yrs old and working well (when I bought it back in 2010, I specified I needed all the horsepower/storage/memory to keep it running for 20 yrs.; seems as though they fixed me up).
GOOD LUCK,
J.

 

[Kevin]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ndows-10-0657a50f-0cc7-dbfd-ae6b-05020b195b07

Have you seen this website? It talks about how to make the task bar bigger among other things related to the task bar.

 

[Fox Mike]

Till you mentioned it I had no idea that little bar even existed. Yes it is small

 

[Pat-inCO]

THIS . . IS . . A . . GUESS.

Look at "Keyboard Shortcuts" and see if you can't set the process up as a two key
sequence on the keyboard (picking two out of the air, ALT-F9) to save you having
to slip into that micro space. Just a thought. :wink:

You might need to make it a three key sequence (again, out of the air CTRL+ALT+F9)

Good luck.

 

[caryc]

I'm really surprised that even win 7 users don't know about this little icon. Here is a picture of my old Win 7 desktop. You can see the little icon at the extreme right of the taskbar. It's not really a solid color but you can see the outlines of the little button. It's a vertical rectangle.

I don't know why it is so narrow in Win 10. I can understand why Win 10 users don't know about it but it is plainly visible in Win 7. In Win 10, I can right click on an empty space on the tack bar and click "show the desktop" but I just got so used to using that icon in win 7. The taskbar icon just takes one click. so why is it even there in Win 10 since it's so hard to click on it?

 

[Kevin]

I just saw it! I have no idea why it's so small. It looks like it will toggle between the open windows and the desktop. You can always right click on the task bar to bring up different options, including "show desktop."

 

[caryc]

I just saw it! I have no idea why it's so small. It looks like it will toggle between the open windows and the desktop. You can always right click on the task bar to bring up different options, including "show desktop."

I already said I knew of that option. My question is why bother to have it in Win 10 at all if it's so hard to click? That fact that people with Win 10 didn't even know it was there proves the point of my question.

 

[caryc]

Cary, not looking forward to the time that, I have to leave Windows 7, and move to Windows 10. But I'm sure it will be happening at some point.

Just make sure you do it before you hard drive craps out on you altogether like I did.

My computer was not booting up right. It would freeze on boot up and I would have to hit the reset button to get it to work. Sometimes I had to hit the reset twice. My computer guy said it could be my hard drive or even my motherboard getting ready to suffer the big one. So I went "new" while I could still get at all my info and get it copied over to the new machine.

Specifically

All my internet bookmarks
All my email from Outlook
All my contacts from Outlook
The "my documents folder"
All my pictures
All my desktop icons
And various other stuff.

 

[squint]

On mine, the bar is tiny and narrow but not at all difficult to click on because when I go low right that is where my cursor STOPS. It won't go any farther. Just go as far as you can and click.

 

[Johnnu2]

WELL..........after reading these posts several times, I finally located the bar that y'all are talking about. I've never seen it or used it, so I tried it and lo and behold, it took me to my desktop.
All the while that I've had Windows 10 (with the '7' desktop that my SIL set up for me), I simply hit the minimize thingie on the top right of my screen when I want to go to my desktop.... So, I guess I will submit this protocol as the answer to the ops question: "Anybody else have the same problem and did you find a fix?" and ask why this won't work for you...(?)
J

 

[squint]

I find it annoying but, there is also an option in the taskbar settings to get a PEEK PREVIEW of the desktop when you move your cursor to the end of the taskbar.
Move the cursor back and the desktop goes away, click it and it stays.

 

[caryc]

I find it annoying but, there is also an option in the taskbar settings to get a PEEK PREVIEW of the desktop when you move your cursor to the end of the taskbar.
Move the cursor back and the desktop goes away, click it and it stays.

Mine does not do the "peek" thing. It only goes to the desktop if I click on it.

Ok, I found the peek setting. I still don't like that button being so small.

 

[caryc]

WELL..........after reading these posts several times, I finally located the bar that y'all are talking about. I've never seen it or used it, so I tried it and lo and behold, it took me to my desktop.
All the while that I've had Windows 10 (with the '7' desktop that my SIL set up for me), I simply hit the minimize thingie on the top right of my screen when I want to go to my desktop.... So, I guess I will submit this protocol as the answer to the ops question: "Anybody else have the same problem and did you find a fix?" and ask why this won't work for you...(?)
J

Ok, I found where to download the program "Open Shell" to get the WIN 7 look again. But I didn't see anything about if you can just switch between the win 7 or win 10 look if you want to go back. Can you switch back to the win 10 start menu again if you wanted to? I want to know before I download that program.

Let me ask you this. Since you are using that win 7 desktop, is that button still so narrow or did it go back to being the regular size it was in win 7 ?

 

[caryc]

Ok, I did find something that makes it a little easier. If you move you mouse down on the task and move the cursor all the way to the right and click, it will go to the desktop. In other words just move it all the way to the right. You won't even see the cursor but you'll be on the button so just give it a click.

 

[Johnnu2]

WELL..........after reading these posts several times, I finally located the bar that y'all are talking about. I've never seen it or used it, so I tried it and lo and behold, it took me to my desktop.
All the while that I've had Windows 10 (with the '7' desktop that my SIL set up for me), I simply hit the minimize thingie on the top right of my screen when I want to go to my desktop.... So, I guess I will submit this protocol as the answer to the ops question: "Anybody else have the same problem and did you find a fix?" and ask why this won't work for you...(?)
J

Ok, I found where to download the program "Open Shell" to get the WIN 7 look again. But I didn't see anything about if you can just switch between the win 7 or win 10 look if you want to go back. Can you switch back to the win 10 start menu again if you wanted to? I want to know before I download that program. CARY, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I NEVER SWITCH BACK TO THE WINDOWS 10 'LOOK' SO I CAN'T ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.......

Let me ask you this. Since you are using that win 7 desktop, is that button still so narrow or did it go back to being the regular size it was in win 7 ?

CARY, THAT LITTLE BUTTON IS STILL NARROW, BUT, AGAIN, I NEVER USE IT; I JUST MINIMIZE AND BINGO, THERE'S MY '7' DESKTOP. YES, AGAIN, YOU LAST POST ABOUT PUTTING CURSOR ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT AND CLICKING DOES WORK, BUT I STILL DON'T USE THAT BAR.... I JUST TRY TO KEEP MY TECHNOLOGY AS SIMPLE AS I CAN FOR AS LONG AS I CAN... I STILL DON'T HAVE A SMARTPHONE BECAUSE I CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE ICONS (AND, BECAUSE I ALMOST NEVER USE MY FLIP PHONE EITHER .

 

[caryc]

WELL..........after reading these posts several times, I finally located the bar that y'all are talking about. I've never seen it or used it, so I tried it and lo and behold, it took me to my desktop.
All the while that I've had Windows 10 (with the '7' desktop that my SIL set up for me), I simply hit the minimize thingie on the top right of my screen when I want to go to my desktop.... So, I guess I will submit this protocol as the answer to the ops question: "Anybody else have the same problem and did you find a fix?" and ask why this won't work for you...(?)
J

Ok, I found where to download the program "Open Shell" to get the WIN 7 look again. But I didn't see anything about if you can just switch between the win 7 or win 10 look if you want to go back. Can you switch back to the win 10 start menu again if you wanted to? I want to know before I download that program. CARY, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I NEVER SWITCH BACK TO THE WINDOWS 10 'LOOK' SO I CAN'T ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.......

Let me ask you this. Since you are using that win 7 desktop, is that button still so narrow or did it go back to being the regular size it was in win 7 ?

CARY, THAT LITTLE BUTTON IS STILL NARROW, BUT, AGAIN, I NEVER USE IT; I JUST MINIMIZE AND BINGO, THERE'S MY '7' DESKTOP. YES, AGAIN, YOU LAST POST ABOUT PUTTING CURSOR ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT AND CLICKING DOES WORK, BUT I STILL DON'T USE THAT BAR.... I JUST TRY TO KEEP MY TECHNOLOGY AS SIMPLE AS I CAN FOR AS LONG AS I CAN... I STILL DON'T HAVE A SMARTPHONE BECAUSE I CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE ICONS (AND, BECAUSE I ALMOST NEVER USE MY FLIP PHONE EITHER .

Minimizing is not so good when you have like three programs going at once. Minimizing three windows? One might just as well click the taskbar button with one click.

 

[Johnnu2]

Now I understand the problem/question better..... my usage is sorta like my life.... minimalist
I use I 'high powered' computer for email and this forum; and probably not at the same time.....

J