Help or Comments Appreciated

[Col_Klink]

I know maybe not the correct forum, but the Colonel needs a little help. Recently any game I'm playing in full screen randomly minimizes itself for no reason. It's damn annoying. This all started after either #1 defragging the drive, or #2 Windows update. I can't even do a system restore. It has to be something trying to update itself or starting up in the backround but I can't single it out. No viruses, spyware or adware at least as far as I can tell from Norton, Adaware, Spybot, CCleaner etc. Someone please point the Old Colonel in the right direction. The Old Colonel possibly sees a format and a reload in his near future. Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuullllltz!

[Jonathan]

Several things can be causing this.

1. Windows Update is telling you update. To solve this problem, turn off automatic updates or fully-update.

2. Screen saver is coming on while you are playing. Solution is to turn off screen saver.

3. You are getting some sort of system message that is switching you out of your active game window and to the default message. Find out what that message is and disable it.

4. Maybe y ou are accidentally tabbing out of the window. To do this, you might try running in windowed mode if that is at all possible.

5. For any number of reasons, your computer has found it necessary to restart and is prompting you to do so. If this is the case, do it.

I would take a look at what all is running in your status bar and see if any of that is causing that. You can RUN MSCONFIG to disable these items, but BE CAREFUL!

Hope this helps.

[robj250]

I had the same thing happen to me.
It turns out that my computer started trying to reboot using a different drive.

[Col_Klink]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Several things can be causing this.

1. Windows Update is telling you update. To solve this problem, turn off automatic updates or fully-update.

2. Screen saver is coming on while you are playing. Solution is to turn off screen saver.

3. You are getting some sort of system message that is switching you out of your active game window and to the default message. Find out what that message is and disable it.

4. Maybe y ou are accidentally tabbing out of the window. To do this, you might try running in windowed mode if that is at all possible.

5. For any number of reasons, your computer has found it necessary to restart and is prompting you to do so. If this is the case, do it.

I would take a look at what all is running in your status bar and see if any of that is causing that. You can RUN MSCONFIG to disable these items, but BE CAREFUL!

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply and ideas.
Already thought of the windows update. Did not make a difference.
Screensaver is disabled.
Have not received 1 message.
No accidental tabbing out, this does it in numerous games. For instance SH3 or 4 when cruising, I can be on the other side of the room 20' from the keyboard and it minimizes. It minimizes in Fighter Ace while your cruising along with Autopilot engaged, same with MSFS10.
And it never tried to restart. Actually usually you can just go down to the task bar, click on the minimized icon and your back in the game. However you usually have just crashed a P51 into the deck, had your tail shot off, or drove your type VII into the mud by the time 20 or 30 seconds passes. The only time it ever totally crashed anything was in SH4 when it minimized while in a menu screen.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think it is something running in the backround. I have probably 30 processes running and have been shutting what ones i can down 1 at a time but this process is taking forever. The only thing running in the sys tray is Norton and I have done everything but uninstall it with no difference. One thing I did notice was it seems that this all started after using windows update. If I look at system restore what was updated at least according to the restore point was software update service 2.0 and 3.0. But in my course of trying to figure this out evidently when I updated either directX or the Nividia drivers it screwed the restore points and now I have a mess. And its a frustrating mess. What I am hoping is someone had the same problem and found the process or program running in backround which caused it. I am really not looking forward to formatting and reloading windows.

Thank again
Klink

[Jonathan]

Windows Update is a hassle. Anyone that knows what "DevilsOwn" is should be well acquainted with this.

Windows Update and Windows Live! is the devil.

[sasquatch]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Windows Update is a hassle. Anyone that knows what "DevilsOwn" is should be well acquainted with this.

Windows Update and Windows Live! is the devil.

Hmmm, if Windows update is the devil, what does that make Norton Antivirus Update? That's the main thing that kills my processor

[Sailor Steve]

Have you considered the possibility that the problem might be due to...









HOGAAAAAAN!!!


Sorry, couldn't resist.:rotfl:

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

Hmmm, if Windows update is the devil, what does that make Norton Antivirus Update? That's the main thing that kills my processor

The problem might also be caused by your Nvidia firewall...which is damn near impossible to remove. I run AVG Antivirus, since it uses LESS resources, but it still takes alot.