How do I open up multiple programs and work at them at the same time?

Probably not, unless the program explicitly supports it. You can always try just alt-tabbing around and out of programs like games or others to see if that works.

You can also use the snap function of Windows 7 to easily get two windows aligned side by side to make it inherently easier with stuff like Chrome and Word, for example when reading a webpage and writing a paper.

A good graphics card then dual monitors is what I use.

Ummmmm Thats the whole premise of “Windows”.
It usually is a meeter of desktop real estate space to fit what you want and make it usable.
Dual monitors running extended desktop with resolution settings as high as possible and still make it usable

What you have to do, however you do it, is have the various programs you want to use take up “less than full screen”. Dual monitors is one way to do it, and most modern computers can support that. I also saw one person’s “homemade” monitor that consisted of something that looked as wide as a car windshield with a single wrapping screen. As long as each program takes its own area of the screen, then you can keep the various windows open and activate whichever one needs to be “worked in”, or keep one open, say, for movie viewing, while you work in another.

In that case, though, it’s probably your own brain that won’t be able to support “doing” both activities so well. I know mine can’t.

On a similar topic, I found a great tool for people who have multiple computers and want to control them with a single mouse and keyboard. Synergy
This way I helped my real desk real estate.

How are you all forgetting the critical issue of enough memory to allow multiple programs to run?
And if you want to have each program instantly accessible, while still using significant real estate for any one or several programs, make sure that each window sticks out to be visible at an edge or corner so you can just click on it to re-enter that program.

ome things, like ‘screen-grab’ and PhotoShop, work together. Grab from your Firefox or whatever [alt, print-screen], then click the Photoshop to put it on top, make a new doc and do ‘control-V’ to paste the screen grab and save it.

Though using a multiple monitor setup is helpful when working on two different programs at once, my understanding is that Gilgamesh simply wishes to keep one program visible while working on another. Any utility which gives a window the ability to “remain on top” of any other window will allow you to do this

DeskPins is one such utility, it can be found here: http://users.forthnet.gr/pat/efotinis/programs/deskpins.html