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
    2011-10-27T14:04:30+00:00

    My computers and drivers is up-to-date. New laptop and older tower with Windows 7.

    When installing MSSQl server tools on new computer I enterd server credentials and a MSN message got total focus AND my credentials enterd wrong window.

    Pressing enter fortunately sent my credentials to a surprised colleague.

    I can not BELIEVE no one at Microsoft has ever been affected by this!

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-10-27T14:09:01+00:00

    I can't say no one has, but I have not on any of my systems.  Even when I've tried to duplicate it using the instructions from others here, it only results in the window's button flashing on the Taskbar to get my attention, but the focus is not removed.  I just haven't found out why yet.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-10-27T15:46:12+00:00

    For me it happens if I have a conversation going with a friend in messenger and both the convo window and the main app are not minimized and I'm looking at websites on Firefox or even when I'm playing a game. When certain Ads that are embedded within the main messenger window and conversation window change this is when the focus gets stolen doenst happen all the time. So perhaps its not the app that is stealing it but these advertisements that have some embedded code to cause this? It wouldn't surprise me considering how sneaky advertising companies can be.

    My system GPU is a AMD 6970 with the latest drivers with Aero on.

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