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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  1. Anonymous
    2012-04-24T10:14:23+00:00

    This just happened to me. I was typing in the search box in Firefox and the Proxy server dialog popped up unawares (corporate network)

    I ended up typing my search request into the username box without realising it

    No Operating System should allow this to happen, especially when the current focus is in a text box!!

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-04-17T10:32:41+00:00

    Shawn,

    I've found a solution - using ARCH Linux with the KDE Desktop. The KDE Desktop which has multiple (global) configuration options for the level of focus stealing prevention application windows are subject to.

    Your answers are not helpful... Windows 7 is an empty shell till it has some 3rd party applications installed. If 3rd party applications are "misbehaving" then surely Windows 7 needs a "feature", like the one present in earlier Windows XP,  that can be turned on in order to 'disable' focus stealing.

    Like I said before (in this thread) try migrating a large iTunes library in your tests. Oh joy - my PC is unusable for 1-2 hours...

    If you don't work for MS perhaps you know someone who actually does?? Perhaps they could actually come on the thread, read all the hundreds of complaints and do something useful about this problem.

    Service pack 1 has hit and there is still no sign of a __working__ solution.

    Disappointed

    Mr Wya

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-04-13T09:44:23+00:00

    This issue can be easily reproduced by using Nlite to slipstream a bunch of hotfixes into an XP CD, when nlite begins the slipstreaming process and rebuilding cabinet files it will steal focus continuously from other apps (over 100 times it stole focus), I just slipped over 100 hotfixes using nlite the other day, I had to walk away from the PC while it did its job, it made using the PC impossible.

     

    I know it is the fault of nlite and was not written/optimized for W7, but my god Windows should have the ability to stop this behavior somehow.

    It is actually not nLite's fault but of hotfix update.exe program. The author tried to block the focus stealing but no luck.

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