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Game Minimization Under Windows XP


EagleTX

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So the readme file says not to use Alt-Tab because it can make the game unstable. But the latest Windows XP has this bad way of minimizing the game every 15 minutes or so, even while you are playing it! This has crashed my game sometimes. This is not a computer inactivity mode, it happens while I am playing the game. I've noticed it can happen with other software too.

 

Does anyone know how to tell WinXP not to minimize processes like Oblivion while I'm using them? Thanks!

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Guest Tessera

This happens when a program running in the background is trying to get the system's attention, or temporarily take over the interface.

 

Some of the more common culprits include:

 

Windows Automatic Update

 

Virus Shields

 

Anti-Spyware Programs

 

Odd Settings in Windows XP Firewall

 

...and any other programs that load with Windows and try to periodically update themselves over the web, or run automated system scans of any type. Automatic defraggers sometimes do this, too.

 

If you have any of those types of programs running on your machine (most people have at least one), then the fix is a pretty simple one:

 

Shut them off, before you launch Oblivion. :D

 

These types of programs usually load a small icon in your system tray, so look there and see if any of them are loaded and if so, just shut them off (usually you can right-click the icon to bring up a small menu). You don't need any of them to be active when playing a single-player game, anyway. They're just using system resources that would be better used for Oblivion itself.

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It should be noted that if you have installed any Windows updates that it wants you to reboot after:

--If you click "Restart Later", it will pop up again after (5 minutes?)

--If you attempt to kill the process, it will respawn after the same amount of time

 

However, if you just leave the Restart Now/Restart Later dialogue open, and drag it almost off the bottom of your screen (it will float in front of other processes, so this is necessary in order to have a 'clean' screen), it doesn't bother you.

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Well I have tried all the obvious stuff (anti-virus, printer, etc.) and I still haven't been able to fix this. But I just keep hitting F5 every 5 minutes and its not too bad. I'm going to try to determine which program is the culprit and I will report back if I find anything. If you have any tips as to how to go about this please let me know. I am pretty ignorant about this stuff.
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