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Applications stealing focus - reg key no longer fixes

Anonymous
2010-04-08T18:42:59+00:00

I want to prevent any applications from stealing focus in windows 7 (and Vista).  Tweakui used to modify the below Registry key to 0.  Then there was a key that affected the number of flashes a "want to steal focus" window would make in the taskbar.

ForegroundLockTimeout

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

This reg key is apparently no longer working.  Focus stealing is a major problem, from canceling/oking window that pop-up, to getting virus's from IE windows.  Applications are still written to do this, including MS Office 2007.  If you are typing an email something can pop up and get the next key stroke.  I need to fix this.  Any ideas, or has Windows completely removed a needed feature.

tags: steal focus apps active regedit

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Apps

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Anonymous
2011-10-23T11:13:03+00:00

I solved the problem in this way:

I noticed that just before the focus was "stolen", the PC got "busy" for a second (beside the mouse appeared the small circle indicating the processor is working hard on sth).

So I started the Task Manager and gave a close look at the processes. I noticed that one process took over a relevat percentage of CPU usage exactly an instant before the focus was stolen from the task manager window.

Since it was a process that I don't need to be active all the time (sth about Vodafone Mobile connection, which I rarely use) I just stopped the process and then didn't allow the process to be started every time I turn on the PC. I did this last step using Piriform's free software  "CCleaner", but I'm sure you can find different tools for this...

This was enough to fix it ...

Hope this helped!

Bye!

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Anonymous
2012-05-21T14:22:05+00:00

Hello all,

I would encourage you all to leave feedback for the Windows team at the following location:

http://mymfe.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Feedback.aspx?formID=195

If you have further information or solutions for the community, I would encourage you to start a new thread at the following location:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/desktop?page=1&tab=no

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-05-16T04:28:02+00:00

    Me too! For years I've been completely perplexed as to how this has persisted. Apparently most people don't have enough going on with a PC to notice it? No idea.

    Full screen games should be obvious though... NEVER EVER EVER, **** EVER- interrupt a full screen game. Yet they do. Why is that rule so hard to understand?

    And I love typing along and having an installer pop up while I hit space and dismiss/approve whatever mystery box flashed in front of me. God what a stupid design to even leave it up to the app!!!

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-06-21T19:17:09+00:00

    This is THE biggest pain! I use a text editor with an FTP client to upload changes to my sandbox server. Everytime it 'detects' an update, it steals the focus from my text editor - this is the 'edit' feature of Filezilla. Any help would definitely be appreciated!

    Filezilla 3.3.3 (or nearly every version before) 

    Notepad++ 5.6.8 (although will work with any editor)

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-06-15T16:48:00+00:00

    This is just plain untrue.

    When in a fullscreen application or a game, even Microsofts own Microsoft Security Essentials will steal focus when auto-updating. Happened to me last night while playing Empire: Total War, and a quick google will reveal fellow sufferers (http://www.technipages.com/prevent-other-windows-from-popping-up-and-stealing-focus.html for example).

    I have a far worse problem however.

    MSSE only may do this once a day, but I also use a VPN connection to surf the internet. Whenever that VPN connection breaks down, the same issue occurs. Any fullscreen application is catapulted back to the stupid "connection lost / error message / redial in x seconds" window and I have not found a single option to get around this.

    Since the VPN is quite unstable, I get constantly interrupted.

    I understand that it's too late for this to be fixed for XP, where there was an explicit option to suppress the DUN notifications that, of course, did NOT work(you still got catapulted back to the desktop just like in Win7, guess it runs in the family), but as someone who not only is using a legit Win7, but also a MS Mouse and MS Keyboard, I would expect to at least be able to work or play without being hassled by the OS I am operating under. I've bought all the sacrificial lambs to appease the angry MS OS, for crying out loud!

    After half an hour of googling, all I have found is regkey hacks that (supposedly) don't apply anymore, or only work if the app is already open and minimized or simple venting and frustration.

    So much for for Win7 aiming at reducing classic Win annoyances.

    Is there any option, setting, reghack, workaround or planned fix that might fix this decade long annoyance of attention-craving DUN-error-messages?

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