Encountering problems is part of working with any sophisticated piece of equipment, especially one as complex as a computer. But, Windows XP makes it easier than previous versions to pinpoint and deal with problems. One common problem is dealing with a program that is stuck (or as Windows XP says, "is not responding"). If this happens, you can follow the suggestions in this section to see whether you can close the program without losing your work. Try each solution in the order listed so that you look for easy fixes first before moving on to more drastic steps (such as restarting or turning the computer off and then back on, the topic of the next section). Is the Program Busy?If you think a program is not responding, make sure that it is not busy with another task. Is the disk light active? Can you hear the drives moving? Does the keyboard respond? If the computer is active, you might just have to wait a few seconds to get the program to respond. tip
Also, make sure that the program is the active window. It is an easy mistake to have more than one window displayed and think you are working in one window (but it's not responding), when actually another program or window is active. Click in the program window or use the taskbar to switch to the program. Also, make sure that the menu bar is not active. If you press Alt, the menus are activated. Then if you try to type, nothing will happen (or a menu will open). Press Esc a few times to make sure that you are actually in the working area (not in the menu bar). caution
Closing a Program from the TaskbarIf the computer is not busy and you still can't get a program to respond, try closing it from the taskbar. Follow these steps:
Closing a Program from the Task ManagerIf the taskbar method doesn't work (or if you are not sure what's running on your computer), you can display the Task Manager. The Task Manager displays all the open programs (as well as any behind-the-scenes system programs that are running). From the Task Manager, you can close a program. tip
Follow these steps:
The program is then closed. If the program is "stuck," you'll see a message stating that the program is not responding. At that point, you can click End Now to close down the stuck program. tip
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