PowerMenu is a free program that allows you to minimize a program into your system tray (the tray in the lower-right corner of Windows). If you need to keep a program open but do not need to use it while it is open, you can place it discreetly in the system tray using PowerMenu. It is reccommended you do this to hide PuTTY while your secure tunnel is open so that it stays out of your way while you are browsing the web, etc.

Instructions:

1. Download PowerMenu (opens in a new window) and install it.
2. After installing PowerMenu, log in to the tunnel using PuTTY. Right-click the very top of the PuTTy window (where it says 'your.ssh.host - PuTTY'). Then, select 'Minimize To Tray'. This will place PuTTY into the system tray and will create an icon for it. This trick will also work with most other programs installed on your computer.
3. When you are finished browsing with the tunnel open, double-click the PuTTY icon in the system tray to open it up again. Then, type logout and press Enter.

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