Applications launched don't get focus on Windows 2000
(Last modified: 09Jan2003)
This document (10055387) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.
fact
Novell Client 4.8 for Windows NT/2000
Novell Client 4.71 for Windows NT/2000
Novell ZENworks for Desktops 3.0
Novell ZENworks for Desktops 2 SP1
Microsoft Windows 2000
symptom
Application objects don't appear in the foreground with Win2000.
Application launched via Application Launcher/Explorer is displayed in the foreground but does not have the focus.
Application launched via Application Launcher/Explorer is not the active window.
You have to click on the application in order to start typing in it.
Application you are launching opens behind Application Launcher.
Application Launcher is on top of application.
Application shows up in the background.
Application is hidden by Application Launcher.
If you run NOTEPAD, you have to click on it in order to start typing in it.
Application objects and Windows 2000 (Win2K)
NAL doesn't show up as the active window.
cause
Microsoft changed the way applications behave between NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. The behavior in NT 4.0 was that anytime you launched an application that wasn't a child of that application (e.g., launching NOTEPAD.EXE through the NAL Explorer window), the newly launched application would steal the focus from any other application that was currently running. The behavior in Windows 2000 was changed so that applications that were launched wouldn't steal the focus from the application that was already running unless the new application that was launched was a child of the application that was currently running (e.g., opening a GroupWise e-mail message while the GroupWise client window is open).
fix
This behavior is configurable in Windows 2000 using the TweakUI utility. (To download the TweakUI 1.33 update from the Microsoft Web site, use the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp). The "General" tab of the TweakUI control panel applet shows a check box that says, "Prevent applications from stealing focus." By default, this box is checked, and that is why applications appear in the background when launched through NAL Explorer. Unchecking the box will cause newly launched applications to steal the focus. Download and install the TweakUI utility on all Windows 2000 workstations and manually change this value by going into the Control Panel and running the TweakUI icon.
For a more automated way of changing this behavior, the TweakUI setting mentioned above corresponds to the "ForegroundLockTimeout" value in the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop" key in the registry. It is a DWORD value, and 30d40 in HEX corresponds to "on." To turn it off, set the HEX value to 0. Apply this to all Windows 2000 workstations by exporting the registry key and delivering it through NAL, or look for a corresponding value in a Microsoft Group Policy for Windows 2000 and deliver the change that way.
document
| Document Title: | Applications launched don't get focus on Windows 2000 |
| Document ID: | 10055387 |
| Solution ID: | NOVL20185 |
| Creation Date: | 25Jul2000 |
| Modified Date: | 09Jan2003 |
| Novell Product Class: | Groupware Management Products NetWare Novell eDirectory |
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