How to set a window behind another in windows 7?

November 2, 2009 8:32 AM

How to have a window in the back while another in the front in Windows 7, much like a mac.

I have seen mac users have a window, like Word open and then in the behind it they have firefox and they can scroll through the tiny section of firefox while word is the 'main window'
How can i replicate this in windows?

Thanks in advance!

posted by dolemite01 to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

You're looking for a setting or plugin that allows you to change window focus just by mousing over it (rather than clicking). I don't have a lot of time to google right now, and I don't know for Windows 7 what players are out there, but that's what you're looking for.
posted by olinerd at 8:48 AM on November 2, 2009

Wait, I lied. I do have time to Google. Try this.
posted by olinerd at 8:48 AM on November 2, 2009

I think what you are talking about is the way OS X interprets scrolling input from the user. OS X will scroll whichever window the mouse is over, even if it is not the main window.

Windows takes a different focus to this, it considers scrolling input to only relate to the main window, regardless of mouse position.

I have never heard of a way to change this, and I would be surprised if there was something out there. It seems like one of those minor points that distinguish the two competing OSes that no one really thinks or cares about.
posted by schmichael at 9:06 AM on November 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

olinerd's link isn't going to do what you want. I haven't got any personal experience with this program, but it came up on Lifehacker so I assume it works fine: WizMouse.
posted by sinfony at 10:30 AM on November 2, 2009

Curse MS for removing xmouse from easy configuration settings.

If what you want is to be point at a window behind the active window, bring it into focus so you can scroll, but NOT bring the window to the foreground:

there's a manual registry hack that I don't have time to find right now. You'll have to go into the registry, look at a value, and add some hexadecimal number to the value you find there. If you google for "windows 7 xmouse" it will get you closer.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:59 AM on November 2, 2009

(note that then you'll also be able to type in that background window, etc, without bringing it to the foreground just by pointing your cursor at it. this is the/a standard way x-windows works, hence the name xmouse)
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:01 AM on November 2, 2009

This site purports to have the right registry hack. Lacking Win7, for all I know it asplodes your computer and shags your wife.

For whatever it's worth, a similar/the same registry hack worked for me in Vista.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:37 PM on November 2, 2009

FWIW, the technical terms I've heard for these two actions are focus (to choose a window as the recipient of your input) and raise (to bring a window to the front of the stack). Maybe this will aid in your Googling?
posted by d. z. wang at 6:19 PM on November 2, 2009