dexpot loses my windows

[think2]

I'm trying out the beta fro the first time and I've found that it "loses" my windows. e.g. I have google chrome running but I can't see it unless I maximise it because in the non maximised state, dexpot has moved it completely off screen. I have two widescreen monitors. To get it back I had to use alt space to get the system menu, then size to resize it, then grab the title bar and drag it back on screen.

Can't really say how to reproduce except that I've been trying out the desktop manager "extra icon" and defining commands for single click, double click and middle click - however, these are very unreliable and don't do the right things at all - instead of doing what I selected, they may have resulted in the above disappearing windows problem.

[listerite]

I've also experienced this problem (sometimes I found that Dexpot will put the top of a window at the very bottom left of my right monitor (running dual monitors). Couldn't make the problem happen reproducibly though.

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Running Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1, dual monitors, Dexpot Version 1.5.99, Build 1776

[jim davis]

Happens rarely, but theres some bug where one or two of my Quotetracker windows simply fails to restore after a desk switch.

If you close qt and reopen , the missing window reappears on the lower right on Monitor 1.


It cannot be found under the hidden window list, seems to get completely lost by Dexpot. How is this possible?

[Patrick]

Can't really say how to reproduce except that I've been trying out the desktop manager "extra icon" and defining commands for single click, double click and middle click - however, these are very unreliable and don't do the right things at all - instead of doing what I selected, they may have resulted in the above disappearing windows problem.

Clicking the extra button in the desktop manager makes windows disappear?

[Patrick]

It cannot be found under the hidden window list, seems to get completely lost by Dexpot. How is this possible?

Such windows should show up in the hidden window list in the next version. Still trying to figure out how the get lost in the first place...

[jim davis]

At least you have seen the problem. I'm not sure what goes on "under the hood", in Dexpot but there are quite a few of the qt windows (maybe 60 or so) on my system.

Is it possible that has something to do with it? Or maybe a timing issue , where the restore routine doesn't get to finish everything before timing out in some way?

Again, I do many desk switches during the day, and it only happens once in a few hundred times, which makes the problem quite mysterious I'm sure.

Thanks for a great product.

[smacdav]

I have the same problem as jim davis for Eclipse, IBM Rational Synergy, and IBM Lotus Notes. All three of these run on the JVM--could that be part of the issue?

Edit: I don't get windows coming back; they just disappear and the only way to get out of the program is to kill the process in Task Manager.

[Steel Troll]

I'm having the same problem with my a couple of my translation software apps, which incidentally do use JVM.

[Patrick]

I have the same problem as jim davis for Eclipse, IBM Rational Synergy, and IBM Lotus Notes. All three of these run on the JVM--could that be part of the issue?

It's possible. Is there some way to reproduce the problem reliably?

[smacdav]

I can't speak for others, but I haven't found a reliable way to reproduce it.

I also just lost a remote desktop connection in Win 7 Pro 64 bit. That's not on the JVM, of course. Edit: My mistake; apparently the remote desktop connection had crashed while I wasn't paying attention. Dexpot did not lose it.

[Patrick]

Is this with the persistent taskbar option ("Keep all taskbar buttons visible") enabled?

[smacdav]

No. I don't like having buttons on my taskbar for applications on another desktop. In the interest of testing, I have turned it on, however, and will let you know if the issue occurs again.

[smacdav]

I don't know if this is relevant or not, but...

I am running Actual Window Manager with a taskbar on my second monitor showing only those applications running on the second monitor. I have noticed since turning on persistent taskbar that when I switch away from the desktop with Eclipse on it, Eclipse will sometimes (I haven't found a pattern yet) move to the primary taskbar even though it's running on the second monitor. When I switch back to the desktop that Eclipse is actually on then it moves back to the correct taskbar.

This may just be a bug in Actual Window Manager, but since Eclipse is the application that disappears most often for me, it seems like more than a coincidence that it's behaving oddly with regards to taskbars, too.

More on disappearing Eclipse windows: if I have two Eclipse windows open, switch away from the desktop with them on it, and switch back after a few minutes then I'm more likely to lose one of the Eclipse windows--usually the first one I opened. I haven't yet observed this with persistent taskbar, but it did occur with persistent taskbar disabled frequently in the past.

Edit: I just experienced the same behavior with IBM Lotus Notes. It seems there must be a connection.

One other potentially useful bit of information: my primary monitor is excluded from desktop switching. Are these applications somehow getting moved to that monitor temporarily when I switch away from the desktop they're on?

[darrenlmo]

Since updating to the latest BETA build 1805 windows minimize or disappear altogether. This has been happening for Microsoft System Centre Virtual Machine Manager in my training environment.

Sometime I can maximize the application, other times it disappears altogether. Reinstalled desktop from working image and same issue persists. Is there a way to get hold of the previous beta build?

[jim davis]

Can confirm losing windows is still a problem in 1805. Also, windows assigned to only 1 desktop randomly appearing on two.

I give dexpot admin rights and REALTIME priority to try to minimize issues, but thats not a fix.

Seems like an odd problem . What could cause seemingly random failure to restore windows? In Quotetracker (not a java app) seems to affect different windows, with no particular pattern.

[Patrick]

Please try this version. Save the attached file to your Dexpot installation folder (C:\Program Files\Dexpot).

dexpot.exe

Build 1805-wk1

(1.36 MiB) Downloaded 42 times

If the problem continues to occur, enable the Dexpot log file and send me the log the next time a window disappears.

[jim davis]

Caught a disappearing window . Log doesnt show me anything , but maybe you will see something.

The last desktop switch I did caused this window to vanish

15:56:01> Zaubere IE aus der Tasche: XRT: 59.73 (from 09:30 AM/1m) B:59.73 A:59.74 (198876)

Sending the entire log by email to patrick@dexpot.de

[jim davis]

Using that modified exe, Im afraid the problem is just as bad. Windows disappearing a few times a day. QuoteTracker particularly. I have quite a few qt windows open , maybe 30.

Looks like you use the window handle , not the title, so the fact that some of the windows change the title realtime should not be a problem.

Any theory as to why this is happening? Is it a windows bug or something in the code thats not quite right? Just seems odd that it would happen randomly, but I've seen stranger.

[Steel Troll]

Do any of you use Windows 7? I noticed that using a Windows key + arrow left or arrow right key combination sometimes brings the window back to the screen. However, not all "restored" windows can detect mouse clicks - they can be activated, but are unable to receive any input. You need to kill the application and re-start it.

It may have something do to with pop-up dialog boxes, I think. Total Commander is notorious for doing this, especially when I open a file from an archive or copy files - maybe when those actions produce child dialog boxes, and then these get lost, it's impossible to return to the main window?

[dgw]

One reasonably reliably way I can produce the disappearing windows is clicking an URL in an Outlook email in one window that switches to a different window where the browser is. I don't think either the browser or the Outlook window disappear but other windows will.
The only way I have been able to get them back is to place the cursor over the icon in the task bar and right click on the application display that opens and hold the button for a few seconds. When I release the mouse button the Move/Size etc menu displays and I can click move and use the arrow keys to bring the window back. I believe they are usually off the bottom of the screen.
I am running Win 7 Pro, two monitors, all icons on the task bar, task bar at top of screen.