When I run an educational CD=ROM I bought, I notice a window flash
screen, before my entire display is entirely under the control of the
program of the CD-ROM. The interactive program runs in a rectangular
area in the middle of the display while the rest of the display is
colored purple. I cannot minimize the program or access the taskbar
or any other applications that are open. If I want to take a break
from the program and do something else, I must totally exit it. Is
there any way, I can force the CD-ROM to open up its program within a
normal window? I have a vague recollection that there may be a DOS
command that would do that. TIA.

Right click and drag the the executable file to your desktop from the PC,
release and create a shortcut. Now right click the shortcut and choose
properties.

There is a setting on the shortcut to run the program in a window--Then,
when you want to run that program, use the shortcut instead of the normal
start process

"Sam" <sammy@nospammy.com> wrote in message
news:6ba2149l2tb22eakog07gada86jl467m91@4ax.com...
> When I run an educational CD=ROM I bought, I notice a window flash
> screen, before my entire display is entirely under the control of the
> program of the CD-ROM. The interactive program runs in a rectangular
> area in the middle of the display while the rest of the display is
> colored purple. I cannot minimize the program or access the taskbar
> or any other applications that are open. If I want to take a break
> from the program and do something else, I must totally exit it. Is
> there any way, I can force the CD-ROM to open up its program within a
> normal window? I have a vague recollection that there may be a DOS
> command that would do that. TIA.

"gerryf" <gerryf@community.nospam> wrote in message
news:9257F3FC-5D30-438A-B69C-8829B42CA771@microsoft.com...
> Right click and drag the the executable file to your desktop from the PC,
> release and create a shortcut. Now right click the shortcut and choose
> properties.
>
> There is a setting on the shortcut to run the program in a window--Then,
> when you want to run that program, use the shortcut instead of the normal
> start process
>

That may work, but programs can over-ride this behaviour.

To the OP: What happens when you press the windows key while the program is
running? It should display the task bar, and buttons allowing you to
minimize the window.


> "Sam" <sammy@nospammy.com> wrote in message
> news:6ba2149l2tb22eakog07gada86jl467m91@4ax.com...
>> When I run an educational CD=ROM I bought, I notice a window flash
>> screen, before my entire display is entirely under the control of the
>> program of the CD-ROM. The interactive program runs in a rectangular
>> area in the middle of the display while the rest of the display is
>> colored purple. I cannot minimize the program or access the taskbar
>> or any other applications that are open. If I want to take a break
>> from the program and do something else, I must totally exit it. Is
>> there any way, I can force the CD-ROM to open up its program within a
>> normal window? I have a vague recollection that there may be a DOS
>> command that would do that. TIA.
>