Windows 10 Anniversary Update Bible. Shapiro Jeffrey R.

virtual memory, which is basically space on the hard disk configured to look like RAM to the computer.

      RAM has no moving parts and, thus, can feed stuff to the processor (where all the work takes place) at amazing speeds. A standard hard disk has moving parts and is much, much slower. Newer solid state drives do not rely on moving parts, but you still have speed differences between RAM and solid state drives. As soon as Windows has to start using virtual memory, everything slows down. So, you don't want to have stuff you're not using to remain open and consuming resources.

      You have many ways to close a program. Use whichever of the following techniques is most convenient for you, because they all produce the same result – the program is removed from memory, and both its program window and taskbar button are removed from the screen (until the next time you open the program):

      • Click the Close (X) button in the program window's upper-right corner.

      • Right-click the title bar across the top of the program window and choose Close.

      • Choose File ⇨ Exit from the program's menu bar, if the program provides a File menu.

      • Right-click the program's taskbar button and choose Close Window.

      • If the program is in the active window, press Alt + F4.

      TIP

      You can close a Windows app by dragging the window down to the bottom of the screen. You can also move the mouse pointer to the top right of the app until the Close button appears, and then click the Close button.

If you were working on a document in the program and you've made changes to that document since you last saved it, the program should ask in a message box like the example in Figure 3.17 whether you want to save those changes.

FIGURE 3.17 Save changes to a document before closing the app.

      Never take that dialog box lightly. If you click Don't Save/No, any changes you have made in the app will be lost. Your options are as follows:

      • Save/Yes: The document is saved in its current state; both the document and the program close.

      • Don't Save/No: Any and all changes you made to the document since you last saved it will be lost forever. Both the document and the program close.

      • Cancel: The program and document both remain open and on the screen. You can then continue work on the document and save it from the program's menu bar (choose File ⇨ Save).

      Using the Notification Area

      Over on the right side of the taskbar is the notification area (also called the system tray or tray). Each icon in the notification area represents a program or service that's running in the background. For example, antivirus and antispyware programs often show icons in the notification area so that you know they're running.

      To conserve space on the taskbar, Windows 10 gives you the option of hiding inactive icons. When inactive icons are hidden, you see a button with up and down arrows on it at the left side of the notification area. Click the button to see icons that are currently hidden.

      As with any icon or button, you can point to an icon in the notification area to see the name of that icon. Right-clicking an icon usually provides a context menu of options for using the item. Clicking or double-clicking the icon usually opens a program window that's associated with the running background service.

      NOTE

      A context menu is a menu that offers commands that are in the context of the selected item. In other words, the commands apply specifically to the selected item, not to other items. To open a context menu, right-click an item (such as an icon).

For example, the Volume icon provides a simple service: It lets you control the volume of your speakers. To change the volume, you click the icon and then drag the slider (shown in Figure 3.18) left or right. Optionally, you can mute the speakers by clicking the button at the left of the slider. Click it again to remove the mute.

FIGURE 3.18 The volume control slider.

      The icons in the notification area don't represent programs that you can run. They represent programs that are running. The icon simply serves as a notification that the program is running, although in most cases, the icon also provides options for closing the program or changing how it runs. Different computers have different notification area icons. The following are some common examples:

      • Network connections: You might see an icon that lets you disconnect from the network, view and connect to wireless networks, and open the Network and Sharing Center.

      • Security programs: Programs that protect your system from malware (such as viruses and spyware) often display icons in the notification area.

      • Power: An icon indicates the charging status and battery capacity of your mobile device.

      Windows 10 includes a selection of system icons that can appear in the notification area. These include Clock, Volume, Network, Power, Input Indicator, and Action Center. Other icons can also appear in the notification area. The following section explains how to turn these icons on or off.

      Showing/hiding system and notification icons

You can choose for yourself which notification area icons you do or don't want to see at any time. You rarely need to see them all, so you can hide some if you prefer. To make choices about those icons, right-click the clock and choose Customize Notification Icons. On the resulting Taskbar page of the Settings app, scroll down and click Turn System Icons On or Off to open the settings page shown in Figure 3.19.

FIGURE 3.19 The Turn system icons on or off page.

      The Taskbar page provides options for controlling the types of notifications that appear and when and where they appear. Click the link Select Which Icons Appear on the Taskbar to choose which icons you want displayed. Click the link Turn System Icons On or Off to show or hide specific system icons from the tray.

       Chapter 10 discusses additional techniques for customizing the desktop, taskbar, and notification area.

      Responding to notification messages

      Icons in the notification area may occasionally display messages in a speech balloon. Many messages just provide some feedback and don't require any response from you. These messages generally fade away on their own after a few seconds. But you can also close the message by clicking the Close (X) button in its upper-right corner.

      Using scroll bars

Scroll bars appear in program windows whenever the window contains more information than it can fit. You may not see any on your screen right now. But don't worry about that. The trick is to recognize them when you do see them, to know what they mean, and to know how to work with them. Figure 3.20 shows an example of a vertical scroll bar and a horizontal scroll bar.

FIGURE 3.20 Examples of scroll bars.

      When you see a scroll bar, it means that there's more to see than what's currently visible in the window. The size of the scroll box (the bit inside the scroll bar area that looks like a long button) relative to the size of the scroll bar tells you roughly how much more there is to see. For example, if the scroll box is about 10 percent the size of the bar,