This is a very odd problem that I started having about 3 months ago. I didn't figure out any solution to it until about a month ago. What is happening is "iexplore.exe" is starting with windows (I believe this is not normal) and causing issues with program windows gaining focus. The quick fix is to end task on this instance of iexplore.exe, which is only using about 3 MB of ram, much less than IE would normally use. Everything works fine until the next restart.
problems in detail:
I first noticed this when I could no longer alt+tab out of full screen games. ctrl+alt+del will bring up the task manager and take focus, but alt+tab does nothing.
I also noticed that when I clicked the start menu, and then clicked back to a window behind it, the start menu would close, but the window I clicked would not gain focus.
fixes I have tried:
NAV full system scan
msconfig - diagnostic startup, still starts iexplore.exe and problem still exists.
safe mode - problem does not exist in safe mode
other info:
windows xp pro sp2
I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place, and thank you in advance for any help with this issue.
problems in detail:
I first noticed this when I could no longer alt+tab out of full screen games. ctrl+alt+del will bring up the task manager and take focus, but alt+tab does nothing.
I also noticed that when I clicked the start menu, and then clicked back to a window behind it, the start menu would close, but the window I clicked would not gain focus.
fixes I have tried:
NAV full system scan
msconfig - diagnostic startup, still starts iexplore.exe and problem still exists.
safe mode - problem does not exist in safe mode
other info:
windows xp pro sp2
I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place, and thank you in advance for any help with this issue.