Have anyone noticed this strange XP Explorer behaviour?

[Bob]

Hi,

I have just noticed this strange Xp Explorer behaviour and is wondering if
anyone has noticed and reported this.

Let's take some Microsoft product, say MSDN Oct 2005 Library or Windows
Explorer to demonstrate this strange behaviour.

1) Open say Windows Explorer and change the state to normal window (not
maximise).
2) Locate the button on the task bar associated with this program and let's
call this the button
3) Right mouse click on the button and select 'Minimize'
4) Right mouse click on the button and select 'Restore'
5) Now click (left mouse button) on this button as many time as you like and
the program's window state never changes. It will remain in the normal
restored state. The program is fully operational. You can use it. If you
can't get it to misbehave, try to repeat step 3 and 4 a few times.

The only way to take it out of this state is to Right Mouse Click on the
button to minimize it and then you use left mouse click to restore it. Once
it is removed from that state, the left mouse click on the button will
alternating between minimize and restore.

You can try it with Notepad, WordPad, Word 2000 and VB6 Program. But .Net
WinForm program does not.

Strange. I am running XP Pro SP2.

Bob

 

[needlove]

I tried several times to recreate your scenrio but could not.
You might try downloading process explorer from system internals,
http://www.sysinternals.com/. Open the process list and run one of the
programs you mentioned (I used notepad). Right click the process in the
process explorer window and click "Launch Depends..." in the menu box. It
should show in red color, files that are missing or having problems. You can
break it down from there or try to replace missing files. I would put my
windows CD in and run the system file checker first.

 

[Bob]

I tried several times to recreate your scenrio but could not.
You might try downloading process explorer from system internals,
http://www.sysinternals.com/. Open the process list and run one of the
programs you mentioned (I used notepad). Right click the process in the
process explorer window and click "Launch Depends..." in the menu box. It
should show in red color, files that are missing or having problems. You
can break it down from there or try to replace missing files. I would put
my windows CD in and run the system file checker first.

Know that tools like the back of my hand. I have tried on any machine in my
office and my home. I even got it working on
Win64 the latest and greatest. The initial attempts fail and copped some
laughter but eventually I had the
final laugh. One thing I have not try is a Win2000 machine. I may try it on
my Virtual PC to see if I can repeat it.

If files are missing, you would be told in no uncertain terms. You may not
even have a successful program. A stock standard VB6 generated plain app can
demonstrate that - one exe and a vb run time.

If you can't repeat it, keep trying the sequence - {Right Mouse Click
Minimise, Right Mouse Click Restore}. And then use LEFT mouse button to see
if you can toggle the window's state. I do not know what is the secret.
Something I can do it with one or two cycles. Other times I have to repeat
continuously a few.

In fact, while I was composing this reply, I switch over to try the Explorer
window and one cycle, the window misbehaves.

I could even do it on an RDP Terminal server session running on Win2003
Server. In fact that was when I first discovered this.

Talking about tool, if you put a spy++ on the application you were playing
with, say Notepad, which I managed to get it stays up, you will see that
when you click the task bar button very fast, the associated task window
does not receive any Windows messages (you can monitor all windows with that
task and you get nothing). If you click slowly you can see that it receives
WM_ACTIVATAPP.

Strange. Be patient and try to see if you can repeat it.

Bob