weird taskbar activation bug

Sometimes when I click on a taskbar button, a random other window is
activated for the duration of the button press. The correct window
appears after the button is released.

To be more specific, here's what happens on a "normal" system:
1. Window A is active.
2. User presses mouse on window B's taskbar button.
3. A remains active (but B's taskbar button is also highlighted).
4. User releases mouse.
5. Window B becomes active.
6. Window A is directly behind B (subsequent Alt-Tab will select A).

Here's what happens on my system:
1. Window A is active.
2. User presses mouse on window B's taskbar button.
3. Window C becomes active (B's taskbar button is also highlighted).
4. User releases mouse.
5. Window B becomes active.
6. This activation pattern is reflected in the Z-order, so C is now
behind B but in front of A, and a subsequent Alt-Tab will
activate C instead of A.

C seems to be chosen randomly. Sometimes C = B. It happens more
often (though not exclusively) when multiple FireFox windows are
present. I can reproduce it quite consistently by opening three
FireFox windows and clicking all their taskbar buttons in random order
a bunch of times.

I am running XP pro SP2 with all updates. This issue does not appear
to be affected by taskbar settings (locked, auto-hidden, on-top, etc.)

Has anyone seen this problem or heard anything about it?

Steve

Try this:-
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm
regards,
ssg MS-MVP

Steve Kobes wrote:

Sometimes when I click on a taskbar button, a random other window is
activated for the duration of the button press. The correct window
appears after the button is released.

To be more specific, here's what happens on a "normal" system:
1. Window A is active.
2. User presses mouse on window B's taskbar button.
3. A remains active (but B's taskbar button is also highlighted).
4. User releases mouse.
5. Window B becomes active.
6. Window A is directly behind B (subsequent Alt-Tab will select A).

Here's what happens on my system:
1. Window A is active.
2. User presses mouse on window B's taskbar button.
3. Window C becomes active (B's taskbar button is also highlighted).
4. User releases mouse.
5. Window B becomes active.
6. This activation pattern is reflected in the Z-order, so C is now
behind B but in front of A, and a subsequent Alt-Tab will
activate C instead of A.

C seems to be chosen randomly. Sometimes C = B. It happens more
often (though not exclusively) when multiple FireFox windows are
present. I can reproduce it quite consistently by opening three
FireFox windows and clicking all their taskbar buttons in random order
a bunch of times.

I am running XP pro SP2 with all updates. This issue does not appear
to be affected by taskbar settings (locked, auto-hidden, on-top, etc.)

Has anyone seen this problem or heard anything about it?

Steve

Steve Kobes wrote:
Sometimes when I click on a taskbar button, a random other window is
activated for the duration of the button press. The correct window
appears after the button is released.

S.Sengupta wrote:
Try this:-
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm
regards,
ssg MS-MVP

Hello ssg,

Thank you for your reply. I wonder if you might be able to supply a
little more information. Which of the various taskbar problems
addressed by the "Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!" utility did you read as
matching the symptoms I described?

--Steve