Old-Fashioned Alt-Tab

In previous versions of Windows, I could quickly Alt-Tab between open programs. But Windows XP shows each open program in a kind of preview mode, slowing the whole process down. Is there a way to turn off this preview mode?

Stephen Payne, Glastonbury, Connecticut

That overly graphical version of the Alt-Tab pop-up is actually not part of Windows XP, but of Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP. This free collection of utilities has several useful tools, including the oft-recommended Tweak UI. The PowerToy that's slowing you down is called Alt-Tab Replacement. FIGURE 1 shows both the old Alt-Tab window and the PowerToy version.

It's not surprising that you mistook this optional add-on for a part of Windows. Accidentally installing more PowerToys than you want is quite easy. Some systems even have PowerToys preinstalled. What's more, the Alt-Tab Replacement tool doesn't show up on the Start menu with the rest of the PowerToys.

To get rid of it, select Start, Control Panel, then double-click Add or Remove Programs. On the list of currently active programs, choose Powertoys for Windows XP and click Change. In the resulting wizard, click Next, select Modify, and click Next again. Choose the icon to the left of Alt-Tab Replacement and select This feature will not be available. Click Next, Install, Finish, and reboot Windows.

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