Topic: Windows 7 & 8: solution needed: prevent and stop programs stealing focus??

[devnullius]

FROM: http://superuser.com/a/434596

I really need something that stops those annoying popups / programs / dialogues / whatever that jump into focus whenever I'm typing on something else.

It's HORRIBLE behaviour and DANGEROUS! I sometimes click stuff away, accidently, because I was typing a sentence but end on another screen with another program. Nothing to prevent this either, it seems

So... Anyone on SCForum has an idea? Registry settings XP TweakUI will not work any longer... 

Devvie

[Fintech]

Who use WinXP any longer, or am I on a full of wrong way in this case?...

[Samker]

I spent a hour looking for solution to this problem... here is Microsoft "official" page: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_programs/applications-stealing-focus-reg-key-no-longer/4ee5be7d-31ef-493b-b092-f6f6139f99cd

It's to long for me to read. You probably found this page before me...

However, here you have two possible solutions:

1. http://www.joejiko.com/blog/prevent-applications-stealing-focus-windows-8/

2. http://www.happydroid.com/focus

*Don't forget to test this file on Virus Total before running: https://www.virustotal.com/

[devnullius]

I spent a hour looking for solution to this problem...

 
 

[devnullius]

FROM: http://www.joejiko.com/blog/prevent-applications-stealing-focus-windows-8/#comment-1317315808

The reason the ForegroundLockTimeout fix usually doesn't work for stolen focus is that it is completely misunderstood. (By the way, this has been a problem at least since Windows XP.) Look at the components: "Foreground" "Lock" "Timeout". Its job is to release a lock (time it out) if the program in the foreground has been idle for a certain length of time. The 200000 = 200 seconds ~ 3 minutes. So the program in the foreground, i.e., the program you have open but are not working on, would be able to block anything stealing the foregrounds for 3 minutes, IF (and here's the rub), IF it took control of the foreground using a LOCK. Generally, well-written programs only use the lock at critical moments when it absolutely, positively can't be interrupted -- moments that are few and far between. We're not talking about being inconvenient; we're talking about critical to the program running successfully. So most of the time, for most of your programs, the window you are touching is unlocked, and subject to theft. This setting should be called Foreground-Don't-Hog-Focus, because it is limiting how long it can stay locked. I don't know that there is any practical solution in Windows if your program is NOT requesting a lock, and a thieving program doesn't want to check to see if the foreground window is idle before it demands to be put at the top.

By the way, there used to be more detailed info on the MS site years ago, but they removed it. Some of what I know is from that article; some is from the 3 years I have been experimenting with this setting.

[devnullius]

2. http://www.happydroid.com/focus

Added it to my checkdisk.zip toolbox
https://app.box.com/s/j5kpjw8djmxortpb5l43

focus.exe

This application is for Windows PC (Vista, 7, 8 ...)


Did you ever got kicked out of your favorite game, video player or productivity app for an unknown reason ? It was active, in the foreground, and suddenly got minimized ?

The problem is easily solved if the culprit is an app that displays itself when this happens. But if only the desktop shows, without anything suspicious on it, then how to find the app causing this ? I googled for some time and didn't find anything satisfying. So I decided to write my own tool.

It's really simple to use. Just download, unzip it anywhere and run the focus.exe file. No need to install. It runs in text mode and prints a line whenever a new app grabs the focus ( = comes to the foreground, kicking the previous app to the background). Just let it run minimized while you're normally using your PC. As soon as you encounter the issue again, go to the focus.exe window and look at the last lines. They will tell you what app stole the focus from you.

[Samker]

I don't get it... is the problem solved or not?

[devnullius]

I don't get it... is the problem solved or not?

No, can't be solved. But for games / video watchers this is a handy tool to show what is stealing focus away...