Summary: One of the ways to handle an off-screen window - particularly useful for Windows Media Center - has changed slightly in Windows 7.
My Windows Media Center suddenly popped up too high so can't get to controls to pull it down to close/max/minimize screen. Your answer about alt+space, m doesn't work with media center. Desperate to get it back under control!
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You didn't indicate whether or not you were using Windows 7, but given that Windows Media Center is part of it, and it does indeed not pay attention to ALT+SPACE like it should, I'll show you "the other way".
The problem is that "the other way" changed from Windows XP to Windows 7, and many people that used to use it are also somewhat lost searching for it.
What's called the "System Menu" used to be accessible in a single click from the task bar. In Windows 7, there's an additional step.
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In Windows XP and Windows Vista, if you right click on a running program in the taskbar up would pop the System Menu for that program (type the Windows key once first if your taskbar isn't showing):
That's the same as the ALT+Space trick mentioned in an earlier article, except that the system menu shows up near the task bar instead of in the upper left of the application window.
At that point you could click on Move and use your keyboard arrows to move the program's window around the screen.
In Windows 7 it gets only slightly more complicated.
When you right click on a program on the Windows 7 taskbar, you get something else:
As you can see, there's nothing at all like the old System menu.
The trick is to instead, Shift right click:
In other words, hold down the Shift key while right clicking on the running programs entry in the task bar.
And once again you can click on Move, and use the keyboard arrow keys to move the window around.
In the case of Windows Media Center specifically it seems to get a little weird if the program has been maximized to full screen, as many of us do when watching a movie or otherwise using the program. The problem is that Windows Media Center basically ignores all of the standard keyboard shortcuts we might use, and does not display the System Menu using the techniques above.
ALT+Enter to the rescue.
Simply hold down the ALT key and type Enter. This keystroke toggles Windows Media Center between Full Screen and Windowed mode. Once you're in Windowed mode you can once again move it around as you like. (Occasionally, just toggling out of and back into Full Screen mode can also quickly resolve some display issues.)
ShareArticle C4098 - January 13, 2010
I personally feel that the "new" labelless icons are disgusting and the lack of text makes identification slow.
Setting the taskbar options to either "combine when full" or "never combine" can solve the problem.
Posted by: Andy at January 19, 2010 6:31 PMIf it recurs often, as do one of my programs since installing Windows 7, then there's a freeware program that may help: Shove-it. (www.phord.com)
This program makes it impossible to move a window off-screen.
Posted by: Stephen Mann at January 19, 2010 9:30 PMThere is a much easier method in Windows 7. Give the window focus, by clicking on it in the Task Bar, and then press Windows Key + Right Arrow. That will snap the window to the right side of the screen.
Posted by: Andre Miller at January 26, 2010 10:59 AMThe Windows 7 trick of Windows Key + Right Arrow key does not always work. One way to get the old (XP, Vista behavoir) is to hold down the shift key whilst right mouse clicking. Check it out.
Posted by: David Piscopo at June 1, 2010 5:10 AMone thing related to this that might help.
I used the trick to shift+right click and then get the move cursor, but the window I wanted to move was completely off screen, and the move cursor would disappear. INSTEAD OF USING THE MOUSE WHEN YOU GET THE MOVE CURSOR, USE THE ARROW KEYS IN THE DIRECTION YOU WANT.
Posted by: Randy at June 14, 2010 8:59 AM