Game Development Community

Alt-tab Issues In Vista - Fix Neeeded - Please

by torque1a · in Technical Issues · 11/05/2007 (7:48 am) · 8 replies

Is there a fix for the ALT-TAB problems experienced with Vista.

Run game, hit alt-tab to another app, alt-tab back to Torque and 100% guaranteed a crash. It's been like this since 1.5 but is there a fix?

Thanks.

#1
11/11/2007 (2:12 am)
Why, oh why would you want to run Vista? If you're sure the crash is Vista related, just install XP.
#2
11/11/2007 (7:13 am)
Torque1a - Intersting. 1.5 has this in its list of Important Bugfixes
Quote:
Proper alt-tab fix for Windows
Does the default code do this or your altered version? Sorry thats not much help, but I do not own 1.5 so I can't check it out myself.

As far as installing XP. A friend of mine did that, later had an issue with his PC which was under warranty. The support for his warranty ended as soon as they found out XP was installed on the machine. Didn't know installing Software voided warranties. Oddly they still sell machines with XP on them.
#3
11/11/2007 (10:11 am)
Works fine for me... So don't say 100%
#4
11/12/2007 (8:49 am)
It does NOT work in Vista. It 100% of the time crashes out. I have a confirmation from an outside test lab that on 40 different Vista configured PC's when
1. in full screen
2. running a TGB game
3. using 1.5.1
4. alt-tab out while game is running
5. and alt-tab back to game
6. game crashes

We have 9 Vista PC's in-house and it does the same on each as noted above
#5
11/12/2007 (8:55 am)
As I noted in another topic about this, it worked on my Platinum Vista installs when I did exactly what you posted. It flashed like crazy moving between apps, but that is pretty normal when moving between video modes.

EDIT:
What versions of Vista is your test lab using? What video cards?

Oh, and I thought I should note that it worked on my fiance's Vista Home machine as well.

Both configurations that I tried it on are using on-board graphics controllers. The Platinum is a Nvidia Quadro NVS 258 and the Home is an Intel, I believe.

It may cause a crash in the vast majority, but it worked on mine. But then I often have such things happen.
#6
11/12/2007 (9:11 am)
In response to: Lee Latham - why not just change to XP... the reason is if we want to release a commercial product one has to think through the various potential buyers/users of the software. Your comments to the thread suggest we should tell all the Vista users to change to XP which is not a cure to a problem that could be fixed inside the engine.

As a minder the alt-tab problem only happens in Vista. I have not had the problem with XP, etc.
#7
11/12/2007 (9:40 am)
Seems that with such consistent crashing it would be trivial to fix the problem.
does it happen in debug and release modes?

have you trapped the stack and noted the crash condition?

seems like it would be easy to fix.
#8
11/12/2007 (11:25 am)
It crashes on PeekMessage in ProcessMessages, only when using the OpenGL driver (D3D is fine), after restoring the application.

Edit: I've found that it does work for Intel's integrated chips, but not on a 8600 GT, so maybe faulty Nvidia OpenGL drivers.