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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When I use Virtual Scrolling, the pointer jumps over to the scroll bar, and then jumps back where it
came from when I’m done. Is this normal?
A: Yes.
Q: Why doesn’t the Virtual Scrolling feature work in some windows, even though they have a scroll bar?
A: In order to scroll, Virtual Scrolling must be able to “see” the window’s scroll bar. If the scroll bar is
partially obscured by another window, or partially off the screen, then Virtual Scrolling will not
activate in that window. In general, a window’s scroll bar must be entirely on the screen, and fully
visible, in order to use Virtual Scrolling in that window. There is an exception to this rule: Virtual
Scrolling has “special knowledge” about many common types of windows, and can scroll them even
if their scroll bars are not visible on the screen. A very small number of applications use nonstandard
scroll bars that might not work reliably with Virtual Scrolling.
Q: Why do some windows scroll smoothly, while others re-display their contents only occasionally as I
scroll?
A: The way a window responds to its scroll bars is entirely up to the application which owns that win-
dow. Some applications “smooth-scroll,” while others wait until you release the scroll bar before
updating their contents. Virtual Scrolling “knows” about many common applications and window
types, and uses this knowledge to “trick” many windows into smooth-scrolling (Microsoft ® Word
™ document windows, for example, do not normally smooth-scroll, but they do when you use Vir-
tual Scrolling). If Virtual Scrolling does not “know” about a particular type of window, it still ap-
proximates smooth-scrolling by causing the window to re-display when your finger slows down or
stops. This can help you more accurately scroll to the right place in a document.
Q: Why does the scroll thumb sometimes “jump around” when I scroll, and not go exactly where the
pointer is?
A: Again, the application actually has complete control over the way the scroll thumb moves. Depending
upon the window contents, some applications will actually prevent you from moving the scroll thumb
to certain locations. Sometimes, the scroll thumb is only “allowed” to come to rest at one or two posi-
tions along the scroll bar! In these cases, even if you were to manually drag the scroll thumb with the
pointer, you would find that it would “jump” to a final location when you released it. Virtual Scrolling,
unfortunately, cannot control how applications manage their scroll bars.
Q: Why doesn’t Virtual Scrolling work properly with Microsoft Internet Explorer?
A: Make sure you are using Internet Explorer version 4.01 or later, and that the Use Smooth Scrolling
option on the Advanced page of the Internet Explorer Properties dialog is NOT checked.