Windows 10 pro missing title bar and part of the top of window

Anonymous
2018-05-17T13:52:25+00:00

Hello, we are experiencing problems with certain application in windows 10 the top of teh window (the first inch)is missing... the title bar the close minimize  button are not there and if there a window underneat it it will close that window instead it happens with file explorer, google chrome, adobe reader dc.

all those apps are up to date the windows are also up to date, i can't an answer anywhere i tried using system restore but the problem comes back shortly after ( a day or 2 )

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Accessibility

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Anonymous
2018-07-02T10:39:39+00:00

I am also experiencing this issue on a Lenovo PC. 4th Generation Intel i3 Processor - Dual screen setup. GeForce 210 GPU. Windows 10 Pro x64 - Latest build.

This is the first report I could find explaining the exact same symptoms.

I have noticed the following:

  • This is a rare but extremely frustrating issue.
  • It can occur on the top or at the bottom of the window, but not limited to just those areas.
  • The issue only occurs with maximised windows and does not seem to affect all apps.
  • This problem can be evasive and has been occurring intermittently in the past. It comes and goes depending on what apps are open.
  • Some have reported that Office Protected View could be a trigger, but disabling this only works in limited cases.

Troubleshooting Steps Performed: (Since April/May 2018)

  • Update Windows
  • Update all Affected Apps
  • Clean Install new display drivers
  • Clean boot
  • SFC scan and DISM
  • Check event viewer
  • Run affected apps in compatibility mode
  • Uninstall all OEM software
  • Uninstall all non-essential apps
  • Uninstall all graphics drivers
  • Replace graphics card (AMD and NVIDIA)
  • Remove graphics card altogether and run integrated GPU only
  • Update BIOS
  • Disable CPU Virtualization Features in BIOS
  • Replace PC Tower - Latest W10 PRO x64 Clean Install on New PC
  • Replace both Monitors with 2x New Identical Monitors - Both connected via digital outputs

Findings:

  • None of my troubleshooting steps have yeilded any results. The issue always returns eventually.
  • We seriously need some action from Microsoft regarding this issue.

Possible Cause:

Due to the scope of affected apps and the fact that only multiple display setups seem to be affected I suspect this may be a display driver/hardware/configuration compatibility issue/conflict probably related to a recent windows 10 update since build 1703/1803 causing display issues.

Temporary Workarounds:

  • This is a quick and easy workaround: SHIFT + CTRL + WIN + B
    • This key sequence empties the video buffer and restarts the driver, and does the same for the keyboard, the mouse and the soundcard. It was meant for helping some users and techs with stuck graphic elements, black screens, stuck sleep modes, stuck mouse buttons and buzzing or looping sounds.
    • The issue will return eventually.
    • Limited success
  • Changing the primary monitor or just slightly changing the layout of multiple monitors and clicking apply resolves the issue for an unknown amount of time.
    • Limited success
  • When I use shift + right clickon the taskbar icon of the affected application and select 'restore window' the interface returns, but when I maximise again it the issue returns.
    • This is my personal choice. You can effectively work around the issue by avoiding the symptoms.
    • Any window showing the issue symptoms need to be restored as above and NOT MAXIMISED AGAIN.
    • Snapping Windows to the Left or Right side of a display and resizing them sideways is a quick way of using non-maximised during multi tasking workflows.
    • Success may be limited
  • Some apps that support Full screen mode (Not to be confused with maximized mode) can be restored by hitting the F11 key to enable full screen and hitting F11 again to exit full screen. My interface then returns, however, some apps like Acrobat Reader DC does not respond to F11 because it has it's own full screen shortcut which will also work the same way.
    • This would be my second choice due to how quick you can tap F11 twice.
    • Once you re-open or move the window the symptoms could return (If in maxmised state)
    • Success may be limited

Possible Solution:

  • There have been reports that the following third party hotfix fixed the issue. You may want to create a system restore point before trying this:
  • Changing to a single display setup may get rid of the symptoms completely. Very inconvenient, but may be viable if you can get by with one display and you have no viable/effective workarounds.
    • Not tested yet, but someone can confirm if this helps them.
  • The only other effective way I can think of is going back to an earlier (Prior to 1703) build of Windows 10 or even going back to Windows 7/8

What can we do if we want a real solution?

TAGS:

dual tripple multiple monitor multi monitor full screen maximize display top bottom toolbar interface menu tool bar toolbar title bar bottom bar status bar missing black white blank transparent maximize

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-01-23T16:44:54+00:00

    Actually, just an update of something that has just this minute happened to us. One of our users has just reported the same problem, but this time it was at the bottom of the screen. I was able to see the issue in action and it was showing exactly the same symptoms (only affecting maximised applications, only affecting some applications, able to click through affected apps and activate unaffected apps) except at the bottom of the screen. The taskbar was unaffected, so it was the area covering between the top of the taskbar and about 10% of the screen height above it.

    Also, this happened on the secondary monitor this time.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-01-23T16:34:47+00:00

    Excellent summation. Fixes 3-6 are fairly pointless since #1 does the same thing, just a lot more quickly. However, all fixes so far are temporary.

    Just one thing to add, I have had this happen on my secondary monitor a handful of times. It is almost always on the main monitor, but not every time.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-01-23T16:23:57+00:00

    -Edited for some corrections-

    So for those of you who jumped to the last page to see what the current status is, here's a summary and the latest that I can tell...

    Root issue is a missing top (or now also bottom) of a window on one of the monitors (usually the primary monitor), on Adobe Acrobat, File Explorer, and/or Google Chrome have been reported.  The Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons are missing along with the rest of the top (approximately) one inch of the window.

    So far, there's no similarities in hardware other than the obvious...multiple monitors.  Dissimilar PC brands, graphics adapters, etc.

    We've been dealing with Windows 10 here and I don't think there's been a mention of any other OS.

    There is no universal fix for this issue as of yet.  Some fixes work for some people and others work better for others.

    I've lifted some direct quotes from some of the posts, so please excuse the plagiarism.

    Possible workarounds sorted in order of perceived most effective first:

    1. When the issue occurs, hit CTRL+SHIFT+WIN+B.  This resets the graphics display and usually sorts out the issue when it occurs, but it will reoccur eventually, and this will have to be done again.
    2. The "https://www.quicken.com/support/transparent-menu-bar-issue" site has a fix to download specifically for Quicken's transparent menu bar issue, and has worked for some, but as others have pointed out, this "fix" disables Hardware Acceleration and is not a desirable workaround as "hardware acceleration is used to offload the work to the GPU and disabling it does not do anything good for performance."  Those that are using CAD applications or other graphics intensive applications will not want to run this fix.

    3. Changing the resolution of the screen and turning back to the original resolution works temporarily, but the issue returns for all.

    1. Some have tried "going into 'display settings', dragging one of the monitors up a touch, hitting apply, then putting it back again" with good, temporary results, but you might as well change the resolution or use #1 above.
    2. Rebuilding the user profile has also been reported to work temporarily, but is obviously not what you want to do each time this happens.
    3. Rebuilding the PC will also work temporarily, but obviously you don't want to do that.

    So that's where we are currently (I believe).  If anyone has anything else to add or if I missed something, please reply.  Thanks!

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-01-23T16:20:42+00:00

    Same here.  C'mon MICROSOFT!  Please help us!

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