Ebbie,

A check mark means the dialog (palette) is open (maximized). A minus sign means it is open but collapsed to a title bar (minimized). If there is no mark at all, the dialog is closed.

It sounds like your dialogs may have gotten pushed off screen; sometimes this can happen, especially if you're using a multiple- monitor setup or if you've changed resolutions. If you're running Windows, I can tell you how to get them back using the keyboard. If you're running a Mac (which I suspect is the case because you used the term "palette"), I'm less certain, but in either case you might be able to see and snag them if you temporarily run at a higher resolution so you can see a larger area. If that works, drag them to the center of your display, close them, and then restore your resolution to the current setting.

-Gully