Word 2003 / windows springing up from taskbar

[skylark53]

How do you stop files that are open in Word, but safely on the taskbar, from springing up into full-size windows when you open a second file in Word?

It can be extremely embarrassing. Suppose you've been writing to the bank manager but you want to show a document to a client who's leaning over your shoulder. You open that file and hey presto, the other file springs up from the task bar into full view.

(Ok, you can close the embarrassing file first but sometimes it's useful to keep it open e.g. if you're in the middle of an edit.)

Solutions, anyone?

It also happens with Mozilla - again, embarrasssing if you've been browsing a music website in yor lunch hour...

[GrofLuigi]

Common sense comes to the rescue:

Open a new blank instance of the program. (If needed/available, create special shortcut with app speciffic command line parameters.)

Use File-Open.

Other solutions are possible, but they vary depending on the program. (editing the file association). I don't have experience with those.

GL

[skylark53]

Hi Luigi,

Sorry but I cannot understand what you mean. The Word doc I want to keep on the taskbar (doc 1) is already open but the other document (doc 2) s not - it's when I open doc 2 that the embarrassing display of doc 1 happens. I dont see how opening a 3rd (empty) document helps.

S

[GrofLuigi]

For example, for Word:

create a shortcut to Winword.exe with parameter /n

it will open a new blank instance of Word

from inside of it, do File > Open (i don't say menu because you may be using 2007 )

The existing document is never raised, I checked.

For firefox:

Start firefox with parameter:

firefox.exe -new-window

everything else is the same.

Each program is different!

GL

[GrofLuigi]

In addition, many programs have configuration options to open new documents in new windows or tabs with several choices (I know firefox has, and Word has some). But whether they raise the existing windows/tabs is another matter... Only testing can show.

GL

[skylark53]

Thanks again. Hmm.. Not sure how you add parameters like /n or -new. (This is Windows XP, btw, with Office 2003.)

You seem to be saying, though, that there's no system thing I can set so that things that are on the taskbar stay there until called up?

I'm not sure everyone in the office can be relied on to open an empty window first. What people tend to do is just click on a doc they want to open, and up it comes (along with any other doc that's open).

Any other suggestions out there? This feels like a windows bug to me.

S

Edited May 5, 2009 by skylark53

[skylark53]

Luigi,

No-one else has replied so I'm going to post the question again to see if anyone knows how to stop this globally, rarher than by finding a workaround for each application. No offence intended!

S

[GrofLuigi]

I'm not offended.

I guess it's rare thing to do > most ppl didn't need it.

I have not heard of a system option to do this.

I guess what you need is an alternative like this or even something like this.

GL