The prompt line, located at the bottom of the window under the status line, provides ongoing feedback, based on the current cursor position and the current program activity. When you don’t know what to do next, look down here for instructions.
Depending on what you are doing, the prompt line displays instructions that tell you what 3ds Max expects or what you can do next. For example, when you click the Move button, the prompt line reads "Click and drag to select and move objects."
Tooltips are also displayed on the prompt line as your cursor passes over icons in any toolbar and the status bar.
While 3ds Max is saving an auto backup file, the prompt line displays this information:
If you don't want to take the time to save the auto backup file, you can press the Esc key to stop the auto backup. (The "Autosave in progress" message is usually brief: It lingers on the screen only when saving very large files, and these are the occasions where you might want to stop the auto backup in order to continue working.)
For more information, see Auto Backup Group.