"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in message ...
I've had this from the year dot, so just assumed it was part of Windows, but suddenly thought I'd ask if anyone knows
a way round it:

Sometimes closing something leaves no window/process as the "active" one (in default colour scheme, all title bars are
grey none blue).

For example, if I'm doing something, and open Task Manager, then close Task Manager, I have to click back on (or
Alt-Tab to, use the Taskbar button, etc.) the window I was working in to get focus back to it.

I've just experimented, and it's only _some_ applications: for example, Firefox (11.0) and Explorer (Windows, not IE)
both _do_ get focus back.

Mine's been that way from day one, also. I find if I minimize my window, whatever is under it gets the focus. But if I
close it, then I have to click on either the old window or the task bar to change focus. In my case, not even IE picks
up the focus on closing a different app.

I posted a similar question years ago about the differences in focus for different programs, but never got a fix or even
a really reasonable explanation other than "that's just the way it is." My example was when in OE (or even WLM on my
Win7 machine), if I move the cursor from the Folders list to the Message side, I can scroll through the messages without
clicking on anything. But in Explorer, I have to click in the right-hand pane in order to scroll.
May be a different focus issue, but similar I think. Sorry, I can't help you, but I'll be following this thread, too :-)
--
SC Tom