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Something is interrupting my games

P

pcfountain

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 4, 2004
Messages
101
I am having a problem where Windows switches to my desktop in the middle of games. I am playing, and suddenly the desktop appears, and I can see an application appear in my taskbar for a split second. The app does not have a title, and it happens too fast to switch to it or see what is causing it. My game does not crash, I can just click on it in my taskbar to resume, but it is very annoying. It happens every 30 minutes or so while I am playing. I have seen this problem in Civ 4, Need for speed underground 2, and Dungeon siege 2. I am running Windows XP home with all the latest updates. I have Norton Anti-Virus running but that usually doesn't interfere with anything.

Thoughts? Is there any way I could monitor my system or find out what app is causing this interruption?

My system:
ABIT AN8
Athlon64 Venice 3000+ o/c to 2.4Ghz
1 GB Corsair XMS Pro Series
PowerColor Radeon X800XL
2x Maxtor 250GB SATA
Lite-On DVD burner
 
pcfountain said:
I am having a problem where Windows switches to my desktop in the middle of games. I am playing, and suddenly the desktop appears, and I can see an application appear in my taskbar for a split second. The app does not have a title, and it happens too fast to switch to it or see what is causing it. My game does not crash, I can just click on it in my taskbar to resume, but it is very annoying. It happens every 30 minutes or so while I am playing. I have seen this problem in Civ 4, Need for speed underground 2, and Dungeon siege 2. I am running Windows XP home with all the latest updates. I have Norton Anti-Virus running but that usually doesn't interfere with anything.

Thoughts? Is there any way I could monitor my system or find out what app is causing this interruption?
Click to expand...

Probably some type of pop-up or malware.
 
Draax said:
Probably some type of pop-up or malware.
Click to expand...

Seconded. Other possibilities include anti-virus, or very unlikely... an auto-save of Word/ other program that might be running in the background.
 
I've seen Folding do that - not to all games, but Civ4 is effected, as well as BF2 and Steam based games. If you are not folding, I would scan for spyware / malware / adware / etc as something is demanding processing up front. There are a few nasty apps that do that - and don't feel bad, they install them selves when you visit what ever website they belong to of if you open IE they run like lemmings to your computer.

Peace,
Tim
 
Go visit sysinterals.com and go get some of their fine *FREE* utilities to find out what's going on. Do the standard check for hidden windows, hidden processes, TCPIP/Netstat views to see what's talking and what's listening, check your startup folder, your startup registry entries, etc. You'll find whatever it is fairly quickly.

Chances are is that it's a IM program, virus scanner or as others have said, some spyware phoning home.
 
Slartibartfast said:
something is interrupting my games, too: work, girlfriend, eating, sleeping...
Click to expand...

QFT good one... it's called Fiance 1.0 soon to be upgraded? to Wife 1.0 this weekend!
 
Also check our Antivirus and anti spyware programs to make sure they aren't trying scan. If something like that pops up, windows will automatically change the focus.
 
turn norton off and see if it still does it or turn off its auto updating

folding bumps me to desktop on some games
 
Check scheduled tasks and make sure Norton isn't somewhere in there. One button checkup has ruined a many gaming sessions for me.
 
somecallmeTim said:
I've seen Folding do that - not to all games, but Civ4 is effected, as well as BF2 and Steam based games. If you are not folding, I would scan for spyware / malware / adware / etc as something is demanding processing up front. There are a few nasty apps that do that - and don't feel bad, they install them selves when you visit what ever website they belong to of if you open IE they run like lemmings to your computer.

Peace,
Tim
Click to expand...


Only if you are running the GUI version of Folding, the console version does NOT have this issue.

 
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