Stop the system from changing focus to another program

[Guest mm]

As one might expect here, I have windows 98SE.

 

My email program used to grab the focus of the system sometimes when

new email came in. Lately, it grabs it every time, I think. And

Eudora is on top, when I'm trying to look at something else.

 

My browser, FireFox2, also grabs the focus when a page is loading. It

can do it 3 times for just one screen, at different stages.

 

It's driving me crazy.

 

CAn I turn off the switching of focus to the program that has

retrieved new files, or whatever the rule is here? Can I just turn it

off altogether so that I am the sole decisor of what program is on

top?

 

Thanks.

 

If you are inclined to email me

for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

[Guest Don Phillipson]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

"mm" <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote in message

news:rl5ov3l0cb1q56rk3vq4s7no0r2did614u@4ax.com...

> My email program used to grab the focus of the system sometimes when

> new email came in. Lately, it grabs it every time, I think. And

> Eudora is on top, when I'm trying to look at something else.

>

> My browser, FireFox2, also grabs the focus when a page is loading. It

> can do it 3 times for just one screen, at different stages.

>

> It's driving me crazy.

>

> CAn I turn off the switching of focus to the program that has

> retrieved new files, or whatever the rule is here? Can I just turn it

> off altogether so that I am the sole decisor of what program is on

> top?

 

"Focus" is non-standard so we are not quite sure

what you mean. Win98SE is a multitasking OS (can

do several things simultaneously) i.e. has no "focus"

although it recognizes one of several windows as currently

active. Do you mean Firefox or Eudora hangs Windows

or just runs too slowly?

 

If so we need first to know your housekeeping practice,

e.g. when OS was last updated, whether it is free of

viruses and malware, when Temp. Internet Files and

junk files were last emptied, usage of SCANDISK

and DEFRAG etc., besides PC details (speed, RAM,

available disk space.)

 

--

Don Phillipson

Carlsbad Springs

(Ottawa, Canada)

[Guest Gary S. Terhune]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

Oh, come on, Don! "Focus" is a well-known computer term. When you have more

than one window open, only one can have "focus". If you type, or use your

mouse on the window, it must have "focus". None of the other windows that

are open have focus. Take two instances of Notepad, for example. When you

type in some words, the window where the typing shows up is window with

focus.

 

To the OP, no, there is no built in Windows utility that allows you to

control focus. It can be done in the original programming, and I believe

there might even be a third-party app that will help you get the windows

under control, but that's the best I can offer. Haven't you tried this

before? You have dial-up and like to stay ahead of the page you're reading

but this focus problem makes that impossible?

 

--

Gary S. Terhune

MS-MVP Shell/User

http://www.grystmill.com

 

"Don Phillipson" <e925@SPAMBLOCK.ncf.ca> wrote in message

news:OKX%231WjmIHA.5692@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> "mm" <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote in message

> news:rl5ov3l0cb1q56rk3vq4s7no0r2did614u@4ax.com...

>

>> My email program used to grab the focus of the system sometimes when

>> new email came in. Lately, it grabs it every time, I think. And

>> Eudora is on top, when I'm trying to look at something else.

>>

>> My browser, FireFox2, also grabs the focus when a page is loading. It

>> can do it 3 times for just one screen, at different stages.

>>

>> It's driving me crazy.

>>

>> CAn I turn off the switching of focus to the program that has

>> retrieved new files, or whatever the rule is here? Can I just turn it

>> off altogether so that I am the sole decisor of what program is on

>> top?

>

> "Focus" is non-standard so we are not quite sure

> what you mean. Win98SE is a multitasking OS (can

> do several things simultaneously) i.e. has no "focus"

> although it recognizes one of several windows as currently

> active. Do you mean Firefox or Eudora hangs Windows

> or just runs too slowly?

>

> If so we need first to know your housekeeping practice,

> e.g. when OS was last updated, whether it is free of

> viruses and malware, when Temp. Internet Files and

> junk files were last emptied, usage of SCANDISK

> and DEFRAG etc., besides PC details (speed, RAM,

> available disk space.)

>

> --

> Don Phillipson

> Carlsbad Springs

> (Ottawa, Canada)

>

>

[Guest dadiOH]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

mm wrote:

> As one might expect here, I have windows 98SE.

>

> My email program used to grab the focus of the system sometimes when

> new email came in. Lately, it grabs it every time, I think. And

> Eudora is on top, when I'm trying to look at something else.

>

> My browser, FireFox2, also grabs the focus when a page is loading. It

> can do it 3 times for just one screen, at different stages.

>

> It's driving me crazy.

>

> CAn I turn off the switching of focus to the program that has

> retrieved new files, or whatever the rule is here? Can I just turn it

> off altogether so that I am the sole decisor of what program is on

> top?

 

IIRC, TweakUI (available from Microsoft) has a setting to prevent windows

from stealing focus.

 

 

--

 

dadiOH

____________________________

 

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...

....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from

LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.

Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

[Guest Ron Badour]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

Tweak UI, General Tab, Prevent applications from stealing focus: If

"Prevent applications from stealing focus" is enabled, applications will not

be allowed to steal focus from the window you are working in. Instead,

their taskbar icon will flash to indicate that the application is trying to

get your attention.

 

Tweak UI is available from:

http://downloads.pcworld.com/pub/new/utilities/system_resources_tune_up/tweakui133.exe

Right-click the TweakUI .inf file and select install. Should a notice

appear saying a disk is required, click OK and another screen appears. Click

browse, go to the folder containing Tweak and click OK and OK.

--

Regards

 

Ron Badour

MS MVP 1997 - 2008

 

 

"mm" <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote in message

news:rl5ov3l0cb1q56rk3vq4s7no0r2did614u@4ax.com...

> As one might expect here, I have windows 98SE.

>

> My email program used to grab the focus of the system sometimes when

> new email came in. Lately, it grabs it every time, I think. And

> Eudora is on top, when I'm trying to look at something else.

>

> My browser, FireFox2, also grabs the focus when a page is loading. It

> can do it 3 times for just one screen, at different stages.

>

> It's driving me crazy.

>

> CAn I turn off the switching of focus to the program that has

> retrieved new files, or whatever the rule is here? Can I just turn it

> off altogether so that I am the sole decisor of what program is on

> top?

>

> Thanks.

>

> If you are inclined to email me

> for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

[Guest mm]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:36:12 -0500, "Ron Badour" <Sorry@NoAddress.com>

wrote:

>Tweak UI, General Tab, Prevent applications from stealing focus: If

>"Prevent applications from stealing focus" is enabled, applications will not

>be allowed to steal focus from the window you are working in. Instead,

>their taskbar icon will flash to indicate that the application is trying to

>get your attention.

 

Got it! Gives the choice of flashing 3 times, or until I click on

that window. Came with "Prevent from stealing focus" checked. That

sort of surprises me. I'll have to check what other features change

the status quo.

>Tweak UI is available from:

>http://downloads.pcworld.com/pub/new/utilities/system_resources_tune_up/tweakui133.exe

>Right-click the TweakUI .inf file and select install. Should a notice

>appear saying a disk is required, click OK and another screen appears. Click

>browse, go to the folder containing Tweak and click OK and OK.

 

Yeah, the notice did appear, but like you describe, easy to get past

it. I wonder what use that precaution is. If I've managed to get

that far, surely I have the folder cotaining the tweak files.

 

Thanks to you dadiOH and all.

 

If you are inclined to email me

for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

[Guest mm]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 07:37:59 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:

>Oh, come on, Don! "Focus" is a well-known computer term. When you have more

>than one window open, only one can have "focus". If you type, or use your

>mouse on the window, it must have "focus". None of the other windows that

>are open have focus. Take two instances of Notepad, for example. When you

>type in some words, the window where the typing shows up is window with

>focus.

>

>To the OP, no, there is no built in Windows utility that allows you to

>control focus. It can be done in the original programming, and I believe

>there might even be a third-party app that will help you get the windows

>under control, but that's the best I can offer. Haven't you tried this

>before? You have dial-up and like to stay ahead of the page you're reading

>but this focus problem makes that impossible?

 

I did ask about this before on the Eudora group, because Eudora does

it sometimes and sometimes not, and it also plays notes so I know mail

has arrived. Much less reason to change focus even than the

webbrowser, and very annoying. But now I have DSL for the last 4

months, and I don't know if that makes the effect worse, but Eudora

seems worse and Firefox can take the focus 3 times in 15 seconds, for

just one tab. Now it's gotten really annoying.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

 

 

If you are inclined to email me

for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

[Guest mm]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 11:16:47 -0400, "dadiOH" <dadiOH@invalid.com>

wrote:

>

>IIRC, TweakUI (available from Microsoft) has a setting to prevent windows

>from stealing focus.

 

I used to have Tweakui on another computer, and I may have seen this

feature and thought I didn't want it then. But somehow the problem

has gotten worse. Thanks.

 

If you are inclined to email me

for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

[Guest Gary S. Terhune]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

I use IE and OE and I never seem to have this problem at all.

 

--

Gary S. Terhune

MS-MVP Shell/User

http://www.grystmill.com

 

"mm" <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com> wrote in message

news:23k1045kj6plvhei0f57q831efj98bs3eb@4ax.com...

> On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 07:37:59 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:

>

>>Oh, come on, Don! "Focus" is a well-known computer term. When you have

>>more

>>than one window open, only one can have "focus". If you type, or use your

>>mouse on the window, it must have "focus". None of the other windows that

>>are open have focus. Take two instances of Notepad, for example. When you

>>type in some words, the window where the typing shows up is window with

>>focus.

>>

>>To the OP, no, there is no built in Windows utility that allows you to

>>control focus. It can be done in the original programming, and I believe

>>there might even be a third-party app that will help you get the windows

>>under control, but that's the best I can offer. Haven't you tried this

>>before? You have dial-up and like to stay ahead of the page you're reading

>>but this focus problem makes that impossible?

>

> I did ask about this before on the Eudora group, because Eudora does

> it sometimes and sometimes not, and it also plays notes so I know mail

> has arrived. Much less reason to change focus even than the

> webbrowser, and very annoying. But now I have DSL for the last 4

> months, and I don't know if that makes the effect worse, but Eudora

> seems worse and Firefox can take the focus 3 times in 15 seconds, for

> just one tab. Now it's gotten really annoying.

>

> Thanks for the help.

>

>

>

> If you are inclined to email me

> for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

[Guest mm]

Re: Stop the system from changing focus to another program

 

On Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:08:12 -0400, mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com>

wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:36:12 -0500, "Ron Badour" <Sorry@NoAddress.com>

>wrote:

>

>>Tweak UI, General Tab, Prevent applications from stealing focus: If

>>"Prevent applications from stealing focus" is enabled, applications will not

>>be allowed to steal focus from the window you are working in. Instead,

>>their taskbar icon will flash to indicate that the application is trying to

>>get your attention.

>

>Got it! Gives the choice of flashing 3 times, or until I click on

>that window. Came with "Prevent from stealing focus" checked. That

>sort of surprises me. I'll have to check what other features change

>the status quo.

 

A little more follow-up. It's working, but it still changes focus a

couple times a day, but not nearly enough to bother me.

 

 

I haven't figured out what makes those times special. I turned it

off, saved it, and turned it on again, but it still does it a little.

 

If you are inclined to email me

for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)