How do you locate hidden pop-up windows on Spaces

[Miss Elaine]

This issue is driving me insane! If I open an app that has a pop-up window requiring me to hit "ok" or something like that, and I happen to navigate from that space while the app is loading, I can never find that pop-up again without shutting down every app running and hoping I can see it. It especially happens with iCal which often has a pop-up telling me that there is an error with syncing with the google server and I can't use the app until I hit "ok" on that pop-up. I can't quit iCal and I can't find the pop-up on all the other spaces I go to. It also happens with the office gallery when I start up an office program and it just happened with photoshop. I can't force quite the app and everything is greyed out until I locate that stupid window! . Eventually, I get lucky and get a quick glimpse of it, although it disappears almost immediately, and I can finally click "ok" and use the app. Is there a trick to minimizing the windows (which I do) and actually seeing the pop-up? And the 4-finger swipe does not reveal the pop-ups either. Sigh.

 

[Doug b]

Have you set up Exposé ? I sort of get what you're saying, because I'm pretty sure this has happened to me once before. However, I have things set up so that I'm able to view either all applications or all windows when I drag my mouse to the right top and bottom corners of my screen. You can also set up your 'f' keys to do the same. For me, those are f9 and f10.

What I've found also helps, but I'm kind of anal retentive, is setting up apps to run in specific spaces. With those two techniques working together, I'm never at a loss for where anything is at any given time. In the spaces preferences, I have all of my most used apps set up to display in their own space. I use six spaces and have them set up according to how I find them logical.

Look at my screen shots. I either move my mouse to a corner, or hit f9 for all windows. I never usually have to do this because I've lost contact with a window, but I'm sure that if I did, this would solve the problem.

Try playing around with spaces and expose and see if that helps. If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Doug

 

[toMACsh]

This issue is driving me insane! If I open an app that has a pop-up window requiring me to hit "ok" or something like that, and I happen to navigate from that space while the app is loading,

Don't do that.

 

[Miss Elaine]

Don't do that.

Well, that is a hard thing not to do. Let's say I enter a cd into my drive and it takes a little time to load, so I go check my email. Then Itunes stars jumping in the dock, presumably because it wants to ask me if I want to import the cd. I click on itunes, and the popup asking me that question is not visible. I use expose and see all the windows open, but that popup is not there. I go through all my 6 spaces screens and do the same thing, but no popup appears. However, itunes won;t let me click anything or shut it down until I find it. I minimize all my apps, still no pop-up. Eventually, I have to comman/alt/esc to force quit itunes and start again. It's ridiculous how these popup windows disappear! I wish they would stay in the front, but they "hide" behind other windows, even when I use the expose app that shows you all everything on the screen. The ical thing happens all the time, so much that I just don't ever leave it open anymore.