Windows is minimizing/changing to window mode to games/browser

[sharon122]

So let me explain, for example I want to play BulletStorm, i'm playing like 2 min and it's minimizing the game all the time (I get back to the game and it's still minimizing).

In Battle Field Bad Company 2 it just changing the game to window mode (I know it because suddenly I can see the bar where's the start/clock and name bar where's the game's name shown + I need to click the game window to go back to Full Window mode ( I can't play when it's window mode I have to click it)

In the Google Chrome/Firefox I can see it when I type (like now) the flickering line of typing disappear suddenly and I need to click the browser again to see it and obviously writing again.

P.S

Got this problem yesterday, 64x bit Win7

 

[TanyaC]

Bit hard to offer any help without any knowledge of your system configuration. Can you update your system specs. What type of computer, what graphics card, etc.

What resolution are you trying to run the game at, how much memory is on your graphics card?

thanks

 

[sharon122]

Bit hard to offer any help without any knowledge of your system configuration. Can you update your system specs. What type of computer, what graphics card, etc.

What resolution are you trying to run the game at, how much memory is on your graphics card?

thanks

I don't think that's problem because I have this pc for a year+ was playin' the same games before this happened.

Anyway :

Using Windows 7 64 bit 4GB RAM intel core i5 (4 CPU) 650 3.20 GHZ, Video Card is ATI Radeon HD 5670, System Manufacturer : Gigabyte Technology, using DirectX 11

updating the Video Card will help?

 

[TanyaC]

Bit hard to offer any help without any knowledge of your system configuration. Can you update your system specs. What type of computer, what graphics card, etc.

What resolution are you trying to run the game at, how much memory is on your graphics card?

thanks

Anyway :

Using Windows 7 64 bit 4GB RAM intel core i5 (4 CPU) 650 3.20 GHZ, Video Card is ATI Radeon HD 5670, System Manufacturer : Gigabyte Technology, using DirectX 11

updating the Video Card will help?

I'd start with making sure you have the latest drivers.

The card seems to be an old card (released in 2009), at the entry to mid level, looking at various websites. Over time games become more demanding, both in GPU requirements and power requirements.

This post should probably be moved to the gaming sub forum.

Upgrading your card might be a worthwhile option if you want to continue to support new games. You didn't say if you have the 512mb or 1gb RAM model of the card. If you have the 512mb model, that would help justify an upgrade if you wish to continue to play new games.

Are you running any screen management or windows explorers shells or replacements, like Desksoft's WindowManager? This has been known to cause problems with some programs running full screen/windowed or minimised.

Can you pinpoint any system change at which the problem started occuring? For example, did you install any new program? If so, did you try a system restore to before that?

Have you got DX9 installed? Some programs need DX9 as well as DX11, though you will usually get fatal errors in those games if DX9 is missing? Are you seeing any error messages?

Have you tried lowering the resolution the game runs at, playing with with other various settings?

 

[sharon122]

Bit hard to offer any help without any knowledge of your system configuration. Can you update your system specs. What type of computer, what graphics card, etc.

What resolution are you trying to run the game at, how much memory is on your graphics card?

thanks

Anyway :

Using Windows 7 64 bit 4GB RAM intel core i5 (4 CPU) 650 3.20 GHZ, Video Card is ATI Radeon HD 5670, System Manufacturer : Gigabyte Technology, using DirectX 11

updating the Video Card will help?

I'd start with making sure you have the latest drivers.

The card seems to be an old card (released in 2009), at the entry to mid level, looking at various websites. Over time games become more demanding, both in GPU requirements and power requirements.

This post should probably be moved to the gaming sub forum.

Upgrading your card might be a worthwhile option if you want to continue to support new games. You didn't say if you have the 512mb or 1gb RAM model of the card. If you have the 512mb model, that would help justify an upgrade if you wish to continue to play new games.

Are you running any screen management or windows explorers shells or replacements, like Desksoft's WindowManager? This has been known to cause problems with some programs running full screen/windowed or minimised.

Can you pinpoint any system change at which the problem started occuring? For example, did you install any new program? If so, did you try a system restore to before that?

Have you got DX9 installed? Some programs need DX9 as well as DX11, though you will usually get fatal errors in those games if DX9 is missing? Are you seeing any error messages?

Have you tried lowering the resolution the game runs at, playing with with other various settings?

I don't know how to check if it's 512mb or 1gb RAM, i'm bot using any program screen management program, it's not only happens when i'm in a game, like now, i'm typing and suddenly that line of typing disappear and I need to click the window (Google Chrome) to get it back, it's the same thing with going to window mode even it's already windowed (and yes, I have an online game that is running on window mode and I get the same thing).

Using DX11, about lowering the resolution, I don't think it will help, because my specs are over the requirements of the game + the game is kinnda old (the online one)

 

[TanyaC]

To check the memory run dxdiag (Start, run, dxdiag, enter). This will tell you how much memory your card has.

Sorry, my bad re the description of the problem. I misunderstood.

It sounds to me like a driver corruption problem, or possibly a defect with the card.

I'd install the latest drivers, and it might also be worth running System File Checker. - Start, Run, SFC /SCANNOW. That could take several minutes, and you will need your Windows Installation CD.

Do you have another card you can test with? If your motherboard has onboard graphics you could also try that instead of your ATI card and see how that goes. If everything is fine with onboard you may have a problem with your card.

A little obscure now, but worth mentioning is checking the video cable connections or replacing the video cable. Perhaps remove the video card, then reseat it in the PCIe slot.

There are also some diagnostic programs around that you can run to test your card. You could try these...

GPU-Z: techPowerUp! :: Downloads
ATITOOL: Download ATITool 0.27 Beta 4 Free - Free overclocking utility designed for ATI video cards - Softpedia
DXDIAG - On your computer

hth

 

[sharon122]

To check the memory run dxdiag (Start, run, dxdiag, enter). This will tell you how much memory your card has.

Sorry, my bad re the description of the problem. I misunderstood.

It sounds to me like a driver corruption problem, or possibly a defect with the card.

I'd install the latest drivers, and it might also be worth running System File Checker. - Start, Run, SFC /SCANNOW. That could take several minutes, and you will need your Windows Installation CD.

Do you have another card you can test with? If your motherboard has onboard graphics you could also try that instead of your ATI card and see how that goes. If everything is fine with onboard you may have a problem with your card.

A little obscure now, but worth mentioning is checking the video cable connections or replacing the video cable. Perhaps remove the video card, then reseat it in the PCIe slot.

There are also some diagnostic programs around that you can run to test your card. You could try these...

GPU-Z: techPowerUp! :: Downloads
ATITOOL: Download ATITool 0.27 Beta 4 Free - Free overclocking utility designed for ATI video cards - Softpedia
DXDIAG - On your computer

hth

The info I gave you were form dxdiag in the first place but I can't find it, maybe can you say me the exactly tab + how it wrote there?

Too bad but I don't have another graphic card.

Can you explain me how to use that ATITool? I don't understand it.

about the SFC /SCANNOW and cable check ill do it tomorrow and update

 

[TanyaC]

Your ATI control panel/catalyst control center will also tell you how much ram is on your card, and what driver version you are running. I'm sorry, I have only nVidia cards here.

I found what looks like a better testing tool than ATITool.

Check this one out: FurMark: VGA Stress Test, Graphics Card and GPU Stability Test, Burn-in Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

Pretty easy to understand too.

This will run your card through it's paces

Good luck

 

[sharon122]

Your ATI control panel/catalyst control center will also tell you how much ram is on your card, and what driver version you are running. I'm sorry, I have only nVidia cards here.

I found what looks like a better testing tool than ATITool.

Check this one out: FurMark: VGA Stress Test, Graphics Card and GPU Stability Test, Burn-in Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

Pretty easy to understand too.

This will run your card through it's paces

Good luck

What do I need to see with this program, I run a test and turned it off when it showed me a warning that it reached 60C on the GPU (it need to show the warning on 100C but I changed it to 60C) it reached to 1300 frames when the warning appeared (tested with 1600x900full screen no AA) I did a screenshot but I don't know here did it save it

 

[TanyaC]

What do I need to see with this program, I run a test and turned it off when it showed me a warning that it reached 60C on the GPU (it need to show the warning on 100C but I changed it to 60C) it reached to 1300 frames when the warning appeared (tested with 1600x900full screen no AA) I did a screenshot but I don't know here did it save it

60C is not a problem for a GPU.

You need to run this test for a period of time, say 30 minutes. It is an artifacts test. It will run your GPU through it's paces and report if there are any problems. It's not 100% conclusive proof, but it's a real good start.

It if reports errors, then you may have a faulty card.

To attach an image click the paper click icon on the tool bar, next to the smiley face above this text.

 

[sharon122]

What do I need to see with this program, I run a test and turned it off when it showed me a warning that it reached 60C on the GPU (it need to show the warning on 100C but I changed it to 60C) it reached to 1300 frames when the warning appeared (tested with 1600x900full screen no AA) I did a screenshot but I don't know here did it save it

60C is not a problem for a GPU.

You need to run this test for a period of time, say 30 minutes. It is an artifacts test. It will run your GPU through it's paces and report if there are any problems. It's not 100% conclusive proof, but it's a real good start.

It if reports errors, then you may have a faulty card.

To attach an image click the paper click icon on the tool bar, next to the smiley face above this text.

Yea I know, I said that I don't know where program saved the screenshots.

Last question before the testing, which specifically test I need to run? (there is benchmark 720/1080 test, Burn In Test, GPU-Z and GPU Shark) + i'm using 1.9.1v of the program (up to date), but 1.8.5v has more options, which one to use?

 

[TanyaC]

GPU-Z and GPU Shark are just monitoring and information tools.

You want to run the burn in. Let it run for about 30 mins. See if your PC rashes or freezes.

If you card is faulty you should see unuisual behaviour like artifacts (Tearing, missing sections of graphics on the screen, flashing lines etc).

Did you try updating your drivers and replacing the cable? Did you try and reseat the graphics card? You should do these before running furmark tests.

good luck

Edit: Just start with the standard burn in test, not the xtreme burn in

 

[sharon122]

GPU-Z and GPU Shark are just monitoring and information tools.

You want to run the burn in. Let it run for about 30 mins. See if your PC rashes or freezes.

If you card is faulty you should see unuisual behaviour like artifacts (Tearing, missing sections of graphics on the screen, flashing lines etc).

Did you try updating your drivers and replacing the cable? Did you try and reseat the graphics card? You should do these before running furmark tests.

good luck

Edit: Just start with the standard burn in test, not the xtreme burn in

The driver is up to date, I don't have another cable, reset or reseat? because I don't know how to reseat it, same to reset

Edit : did the test, it flashed 2 flashes every 1-2 min, didn't lag or anything ( Test was on 1600x900 resolution no AA)

 

[TanyaC]

The driver is up to date, I don't have another cable, reset or reseat? because I don't know how to reseat it, same to reset

Edit : did the test, it flashed 2 flashes every 1-2 min, didn't lag or anything ( Test was on 1600x900 resolution no AA)

Reseating the card means to open your computers case, remove the card and replace it pushing it firmly at both ends to ensure it is snugly fitted into the PCIe slot. I would do the same for the cable at both ends (PC and monitor).

Furmark typically displays a static background with a slowly moving image overlay. It should not "flash".

What power supply are you using?

This is starting to sound more and more like a faulty card. Do you know someone you can borrow an ATI card from? Or your local computer store that can put another card in and test it?

 

[sharon122]

The driver is up to date, I don't have another cable, reset or reseat? because I don't know how to reseat it, same to reset

Edit : did the test, it flashed 2 flashes every 1-2 min, didn't lag or anything ( Test was on 1600x900 resolution no AA)

Reseating the card means to open your computers case, remove the card and replace it pushing it firmly at both ends to ensure it is snugly fitted into the PCIe slot. I would do the same for the cable at both ends (PC and monitor).

Furmark typically displays a static background with a slowly moving image overlay. It should not "flash".

What power supply are you using?

This is starting to sound more and more like a faulty card. Do you know someone you can borrow an ATI card from? Or your local computer store that can put another card in and test it?

Same to me, seems like the graphic card is kinnda defective, tomorrow i'm going to the shop I bought the pc from them.