Windows 10: Starting new program opens program window in background

Hello,
I have this problem - when I start any program its window appears in background - behind others. Even it is the first program I start its windows is not active and I need to click it to make active.
That issue appeared when I was with Windows 8.1 and after upgrade to Windows 10 remains.

What I have tried - changing the register value of ForegroundLockTimeout to 0 but it didn`t work.

Please if anybody can help with this problem...

:)

 

new program window opens in background

I had run System file checker scan and dism but none of these find anything.

 

new program window opens in background

Thanks for getting back to us. We'd like to follow up if you were able to run System File Checker scan and DISM. In case you missed it, you may check this
link
for instructions.

We'll keep an eye out for your response.

 

Hello toc Welcome to the Ten Forums!

With most programs you will find the option to "keep on top of other windows" you check off. That keeps the active window for the particular laying over the top of any others.

Otherwise you may see the top or bottom edge depending on where you have the task bar set for underneath the task bar. If at the top you may have to right click on the task bar properties to check off the auto hide option long enough to either close up or minimize an open window when that happens.

Now as far as going into the registry to start changing things that can lead to more serious problems in a fast hurry. Settings in there often effect multiple things not just one or two programs you may having problems with. Hopefully you create system restore points before proceeding.

 

Thanks for reply!
I have never set a program to "keep on top of other windows" or task bar to autohide.
The registry change I revert back when I saw it didn`t work.

 

Not every program will see that option while many will. Most will automatically keep from going under the task bar however. And then you have some others that will. It's actually a mix up of things that tend to vary depending on the type of program and how written it was.

As for setting the task bar to auto hide that is an easy one there. When going to right click on the task bar itself the properties screen is brought up by simply scrolling right to the bottom for the "Properties" option and cilck on that. Once the screen appears look to upper left hand corner for the Task bar tab and just below the first item for locking the task bar you will see the option for Auto hide box you simply click to check off.





As for the Keep on top of other windows option I rarely need to even use it here either except for some programs when clicking the option to bring up a setting console or some other screen that either hasn't been set for that or doesn't have any setting at all but simply slides underneath. But when you have a window crawl under the task bar you don't need a registry edit but a fast right click to hide the task bar until the window is moved or simply closed up. Then all you do is right click again to uncheck the Auto hide box and click apply.

Now here's even worse to try and figure out! While setting up a Virtual Machine or "VM" for remote access something strange came about! *Eek





That VM somehow became.... multidimensional or something! *Biggrin It ended up with some type of mirror effect there.

 

I am not sure that you understand my problem *Smile May be I didn`t explain it properly.
In my last post I mean that I know where to find these settings, but I never checked autohide taskbar or make some program to be always on top.

I will try to explain again - the problem is: when I start any program /browser, Visual Studio, some office app, etc./ - the newly started program windows appears at background of other opened programs. It is opened as it is set - like normal or maximized, but I have to click it to become active and at foreground.

 

I understand that they are opening up in the background. As you can see from the second I posted that was another oddity lacking explanation as well since that simply came up on it's own until I was able to get the VM closed up.

With your problem you may have to start looking over the processes that are running at any given time since something is trying to remain in the forefront which would explain why each other new program is made secondary. You will need to look over all the startup items set to run at Windows startup by opening up the Task Manager and going to the Startup tab there to see what programs are loading automatically.





To disable anything which you will likely need to do one program at a time to track or rule out anything there you can either right click on the item or highlight and then go to the bottom right corner and hit the Disable button.

You could also have a process without a program to be attached if you have made any recent program changes right before this began. Then if you had any good System Restore points available you could roll things back to that point or just before to avoid going back too far. For the moment however the first thing you need to try would be to identify the culprit if possible by examining the running processes in the Resource and Performance monitors to see what is running all the time if not chewing up the most memory.

 

I know its an old post but the problem is the same, and I don't believe it has been resolved.
Often (not always) the new program launched (this morning it was Explorer) would startup but show its window behind the other windows on my desktop.

Regards

 

Hello gf outlookcom Welcome to the Ten Forums!

Well despite the thread being a few months old now the OP so far hasn't replied back with any type of update on the situation there. Often here having one or more web browser windows open and then clicking either the pinned icon for File Explorer or on a shortcut in the additional addon type Quick Launch toolbar the explorer will be on top until you click on something else already opened. If some program however is set to be on top that would tend to see any new explorer hidden from view.

One idea used on Windows 7 as well as other previous versions of Windows would be to "Clean Boot" by way of using the msconfig utility to uncheck all but the bare essentials and see if the problem remains. But as you said the "new program" points right at that as being the likely culprit except that just happens to be File Explorer itself while a good look at anything you have seen go on lately at the same time the problem was first seen would likely be the clear indicator for the source of the problem since any new windows should automatically open out in front of everything else by default.

The clean boot idea however would still be the advice to give that a try and see if you can isolate the actual problem by seeing if you can track it down to something just added on lately. It does seem to suggest a 3rd party is responsible.

 

@NightHawk thanks for reply. I have already found a solution - clear install of Windows 10 and everything is OK now *Smile

 

That will do it! You may want to see this thread marked solved since you took the final solution!

 

*Wink Unfortunately sometimes it will end up taking the long route in order to get something cleared up. Just think the 10240 upgrades were coming out much worse!

 

Windows user interface does not have such feature as "set program to be on top". It never had. I have no idea know what you were talking about in your previous messages ("With most programs you will find the option to "keep on top of other windows" you check off"???) or in this one ("set program to be on top"???).

The ability to make some window to always stay on top exists at the Windows API level, but it is not in any way accessible through standard Windows user interface and is not casually available to the user. Some specific Windows applications might decide to provide user access to this feature (like Windows Task Manager, for one example), but this is just a peculiarity of those specific applications. Such applications are rare, so your older "With most programs..." is out of question.

 

Got some news for you! The Task Manager window will also get bumped aside when you go to click on let's say a second browser window or anything brought into the forefront as the freshly active item. For having control over things Windows or otherwise you wouldn't expect a keep on top option to be found in Windows but go with a 3rd party app for that purpose. 5 Simple Ways To Keep Selected Windows On Top [Windows]

On the other hand...

AutoHotkey was a familiar tune found in the HowToGeek blog about this. The 3 Best Ways to Make a Window Always-on-Top on Windows