Читать книгу Windows 10 Bible - Shapiro Jeffrey R. - Страница 26

When you're finished using a program, you should close it. Every open program and document consumes some resources, mostly in the form of using memory (RAM). The computer also uses 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.

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You can close a modern 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).