Windows 8 Some Random Applications automatically loose focus and minimize while opening them

[Ranbir Sood]

I am having a issue with new windows 8.1, it was all working fine few days back then of a sudden some applications, like calendar, Bing Finance, Mail when clicked automatically minimizes on the taskbar. It looks like it has lost focus and is not working. I have tried suggestions on multiple threads, none of them work.

I understand there might be a third party application doing this and most probably it is the Dropbox that is doing this. However i have tried clean boot and system restart with safe mode, none of which has resolved this issue.

On the same system i have an another user account, this account has no such issues. every application works and opens fine. I am not sure what went wrong in my primary admin account.

Can anyone help me with this issue.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

I can't help you on this, but I can say that I'm having similar issues with Windows 8 working from the desktop.

I click on the icon to open a program, I wait and I think that nothing happened.

I click again and I get a message that this program is already running and then I notice that the icon in the task bar is active.
The program has opened but it did so minimized.

I've just kind of gotten used to it, and learned to watch the task bar.
This doesn't always happen, with the same software, I can't see a pattern, it seems to be pretty random.

I can see that this would be more annoying working from Metro.

Maybe someone else here will have a clue.

Mike

 

[davehc]

IF you are using multiple monitors(?), Microsoft say this

" The issue is that windows views multiple monitors as one desktop.
When you interact with a Metro App,. It is on the same desktop, although they appear on different screens.
This can be replicated by opening a metro app on a split screen with a desktop on the other"

This sounds a little like a rather poor excuse. I would prefer to call it a bug.

I cannot personally test it. I do not use any Metro apps and, which may have an influence, I have modernmix on other computers to which I have access, which may help in eradicating the bug.

If you are not referring to multiple monitor problems, then Microsoft's only (weak) suggestion is that you update your graphics drivers and experiment with other resolutions.

 

[badrobot]

Did you check if your programs are set to run as Maximized or Normal?

 

[JohnBurns]

Did you check if your programs are set to run as Maximized or Normal?..........

Where is this located on the pc? Not sure how to check if running Maximized or Normal. How do you get properties of application - I don't find it on taskbar and it doesn't stay long enough to right click on it.

 

[badrobot]

Righ-click on any program shortcuts >>Properties>>>Shortcut Tab

Sent from my HTC One X using WindowsForum mobile app

 

[JohnBurns]

I only have icons on start screen - are you saying make shortcut from there on desktop? I guess I don't understand.

 

[badrobot]

Ok. I don't know about the start screen thing because I never use it but I am talking about the desktop mode.

Sorry.

Sent from my HTC One X using WindowsForum mobile app

 

[JohnBurns]

Thanks anyway - appreciate your effort and reply.

 

[Ranbir Sood]

IF you are using multiple monitors(?), Microsoft say this

" The issue is that windows views multiple monitors as one desktop.
When you interact with a Metro App,. It is on the same desktop, although they appear on different screens.
This can be replicated by opening a metro app on a split screen with a desktop on the other"

This sounds a little like a rather poor excuse. I would prefer to call it a bug.

I cannot personally test it. I do not use any Metro apps and, which may have an influence, I have modernmix on other computers to which I have access, which may help in eradicating the bug.

If you are not referring to multiple monitor problems, then Microsoft's only (weak) suggestion is that you update your graphics drivers and experiment with other resolutions.

I am not using multiple monitors, However i have tried clean boot even that doesn't work. I have tried disabling known hardware from device manager, even that did not work.
Surprisingly on the same system, i have another account, all applications work fine in that account, the software and hardware is common to both accounts. I do not know what to do, do i create a new admin account and transfer my files there or there is some kind of remedy known

 

[Ranbir Sood]

Did you check if your programs are set to run as Maximized or Normal?

View attachment 27293

This is a problem with applications embedded with with windows 8, like Calender, Bing Finance, Store, Mail, news etc. Rest of the applications that i have loaded work fine. On your above quote i had tried both options for some applications, the result is the same. However by default the setting is Maximized mode.
Surprisingly the same applications work fine, in an another account created in the same PC sharing same resources and Software.
I am not sure what can be the reason, i have tried clean boot and disabling some known hardware types, nothing works.