Alt tab functioning automatically and minimizes the app

Question

Original title : Regular, Constant Automatic Alt Tabbing out of Everything

So ever since I refreshed my laptop (there was a huge performance issue), anything that I open--firefox, steam, control panel, you name it--automatically alt tabs every ten to twelve seconds. When it alt tabs, it plays a notification sound. For windowed apps, it alt tabs it without minimizing it (Like if you were on firefox and opened something else, the top bar turns grey) and selects it again. This process takes about one second. For fullscreen apps, it completely alt tabs and minimizes the app, without selecting it again. I'm not running any third party programs, and I uninstalled Norton. Again, this problem started after I refreshed my laptop. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi,

I can understand the inconvenience caused to you. I will certainly help you with this issue.

The issue could be a possibility that the alt+tab key are stuck and pressed in the keyboard.

1. Did you check with a different keyboard?
2. What is the model of your computer and mouse/touch screen ?

I would suggest you to follow the methods given below and check.

Method 1: Use the hardware troubleshooter to fix the issue.

The Hardware Troubleshooter is an automated tool which will check the hardware connected to the computer for any known issues with it and provides the details and on how to fix them. Follow these steps and run the troubleshooter.

1. Press Windows + W key on the keyboard
2. Type troubleshooting in the search tab and press Enter.
3. Click View all on left panel**.**
4. Click Hardware and devices, new window will popup.

Follow the on screen instructions.

If the issue persist, follow method 2.

Method 2: Check in safe mode and clean boot mode of the computer.

Step 1: Check in Safe mode with Networking

Safe mode is a troubleshooting option for Windows that starts your computer in a limited state. Only the basic files and drivers necessary to run Windows are started. The words Safe Mode with networking appear in the corners of your monitor to identify which Windows mode you're using.

Steps for booting into Safe Mode on Windows 8:

1. Try to hold the Shift button and mash the F8 key, this will sometimes boot you into the new advanced “recovery mode”, where you can choose to see advanced repair option
2. You will need to click on the Troubleshoot option.
3. Now select Advanced Options.
4. Now choose the Windows Startup Settings option, by the looks of things we were never meant to find Safe Mode.
5. Finally hit the Restart button.
6. When your PC reboots you will be able to boot into Safe Mode from the familiar looking Advanced Boot Options screen.
7. Now when your computer will restart you can see different option of safe mode with networking then try to boot the computer in safe mode with networking.

Refer the link below:

Start your computer in safe mode

You can restart the computer to put it back in normal mode.

If the issue doesn’t occur in safe mode, follow step 2.

Step 2: Perform Clean Boot

Placing your system in Clean Boot state helps in identifying if any third party applications or startup items are causing the issue. You need to follow the steps from the article mentioned below to perform a Clean Boot.

How to perform a “clean boot” in Windows

Note: Refer "How to reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshooting" to reset the computer to start as normal after troubleshooting.

Try to reboot the system and check if it helps.

If the issue persist, follow method 3.

Method 3: Perform SFC scan

I would suggest you to perform SFC scan and check if that helps. The sfc/scannow command scans all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions.

Refer the link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

Note*: System File Checker is a utility in Windows that allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files*.

Hope this information is helpful. If the issue still persists, please post back for further assistance, we'll be glad to assist you.

____________________

Thanks & Regards,

Isha Soni

Answer 2

Hey, thanks for replying!

Here's what I've done so far:

• No, I haven't tried with a different keyboard (I just use the one built into my laptop)
• My laptop is an HP ENVY m6 Notebook pc
• I did a hardware scan (step one) and a problem was detected.

It's looking like there's a problem in the keyboard. I wanted to contact you first before I formed any conclusions. Thanks!

Harrison