Windows 8 Programs Randomly Minimize

CobaltDawg

New Member
I've come across a strange problem just recently concerning my new Windows 8 PC.

Every time I bring it out of sleep mode or most times when I boot it up from a shutdown state, the programs that I open randomly minimize seconds later. This is becoming a very frustrating glitch, as it renders my laptop completely unusable for an unknown amount of time. At first, I wondered if it might be the network driver, or possibly Google Chrome, but it seems to do it when it wants to. Every time I boot the machine up though, if it doesn't do it within a minute after startup, it seems to run just fine.

Machine Details:
HP ENVY DV6 - Manuf. November 2012
Windows 8 Standard x64
8 GB RAM
3RD Gen. Intel Core i7 3630 QM @ 2.4 GHZ

I'm not sure where to even begin with fixing this problem, because every time it happens, I have to restart because I cant do anything at all with the machine.

Also, I've noticed that when it DOES finally stop, Google Chrome is always stuck up in hte top left corner of the screen, and the window itself is resized REALLY small. I cant figure out what the deal is with that, either.

Any help/advice as to what might be causing this and how to correct it would be incredibly appreciated!

Thanks!

~Cobalt
 
Hi,

Try checking the Event viewer to see anything is amiss. You could also try running the system file checker just to make sure nothing is corrupted. Open an admin cmd prompt and type:

sfc /scannow

Press enter and await results.

How about viral activity? Although Defender is a capable anti virus app I also use Malwarebytes as it's one of the best at search and destroy.

Malwarebytes : Free anti-malware download
 
I checked the error messages and found a whole bunch of errors in the "Application" section. Details are as follows:

"The Open Procedure for service ".NETFramework" in DLL "C:\Windows\system32\mscoree.dll" failed. Performance data for this service will not be available. The first four bytes (DWORD) of the Data section contains the error code."

"The Open Procedure for service "BITS" in DLL "C:\Windows\System32\bitsperf.dll" failed. Performance data for this service will not be available. The first four bytes (DWORD) of the Data section contains the error code."

"The Open Procedure for service "ESENT" in DLL "C:\Windows\system32\esentprf.dll" failed. Performance data for this service will not be available. The first four bytes (DWORD) of the Data section contains the error code."

"The Open Procedure for service "Lsa" in DLL "C:\Windows\System32\Secur32.dll" failed. Performance data for this service will not be available. The first four bytes (DWORD) of the Data section contains the error code."

"The Open Procedure for service "WmiApRpl" in DLL "C:\Windows\system32\wbem\wmiaprpl.dll" failed. Performance data for this service will not be available. The first four bytes (DWORD) of the Data section contains the error code."




I also found this in the "System" section:

"The driver \Driver\WUDFRd failed to load for the device USB\VID_138A&PID_0018\71b734da3917."




Thats what I've found so far. These errors are rather numerous...

I just installed Malwarebytes. Going to see if that comes back with anything.

UPDATE: SFC did not return any integrity violations.
 
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I just noticed the date, didn't realise the machine was so new... Dawg I'd take it back and let them fix it. If you've not changed anything yourself or installed conflicting software/hardware then a machine this new should be running perfectly. If you have changed anything try reversing the process or un-installing whatever it is.
 
It never started doing this until I had to install some software for my job. It MIGHT be a conflict with Windows 8. However, I also installed a program that forces the machine to boot into a standard desktop instead of Metro. I have just uninstalled it and am monitoring its progress. The program installed was called "Skip Metro Suite" and seemed to work fine for a while. However, I just restarted the machine and have not seen any issues so far. I will keep this thread updated as solutions present themselves.
 
AVG 9 and Skype are two known culprits?

I don't think it is the "Skip Metro Suite". That's been around for a while now, and there have not been any bad reports for it.
 
Hi,

just checking in, have you seen any change? You could also consider system restore if things don't go back the way they should...
 
As a matter of fact, I noticed the change yesterday. I was going to give it a full day before updating everyone.

Uninstalling "Skip Metro Suite" seems to have resolved the problem. I have rebooted and/or restarted the machine about 10 times since uninstalling the program, and have not come across the problem since.

Of course, I do not know if it will come back, but things seem to be looking up thus far. I will, of course, update this thread of that changes, but her
 
There is a new free version of AVG 2013 AV that has been updated for Win 8. This works great for my 2 PCs.

A while back, probably one of the earlier updates for Skype, my wife had so many problems we just got rid of it. Plus the quality was not very good, so good-riddance.
 
As a matter of fact, I noticed the change yesterday. I was going to give it a full day before updating everyone.

Uninstalling "Skip Metro Suite" seems to have resolved the problem. I have rebooted and/or restarted the machine about 10 times since uninstalling the program, and have not come across the problem since.

Of course, I do not know if it will come back, but things seem to be looking up thus far. I will, of course, update this thread of that changes, but her

That's sounding promising.
 
I have the same problem with a new (Nov 2012 ) Dell XPS 15 with Win 8 (not the Pro Version). Win 8 came installed on the machine. I used PCmover to transfer the programs from my old Win XP desktop to the Dell XPS 15. The random minimizing of open programs starts right after startup and lasts for 30-45 minutes. The machine is unusable until the problem stops. Very frustrating when working with Excel spreadsheets when they minimize while working in them. Sometimes the window minimizes right to the tray; sometimes it disappears and a blue rectangular window appears on the screen center with a mini view of all open programs, giving me the option to select which one I want to open. Help.
 
I have the same problem with a new Dell XPS 15 that came (Nov 2012) with Win 8 installed. I transferred all my old desktop Win XP programs (that would transfer) to the XPS 15 using PC Mover. Things worked fine for about two months. Then open programs would randomly minimize to the desktop tray while working in them. Very frustrating when working in an Excel spreadsheet. Sometimes the open program minimizes right to the desktop tray. Other times the open program disappears and I get a small rectangular blue window in the center of the screen with small icons representing open programs and I can click on the icon to re-open the program I want. This drives me nuts for about 45 minutes, then it all works normally; the random minimizing stops. What is this??

garylape
 
Hi,

can you remember how it initially started? Did you install something new either software or hardware based? If so try removing.
Is the machine fully updated with the latest drivers, bios and firmware?

Drivers & Downloads | Dell UK

I think that's your model above but as there is a couple like yours with the exact same model number please make sure.

I don't think it would be malware but have you checked anyway?

Have you checked for overheating? If the vents are dusty either use compressed air or a small paint brush to clean them out.

Checking the event viewer may reveal something too.

Post back if nothing helps.
 
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