ESO switches to desktop in the middle of playing, at random

Kalcipher1

In the last week this just started happening. The game will minimize itself and/or switches to desktop. It is quite jarring and can be a real killer in a dungeon or trials. I searched google before posting and it seems that this is a minor random issue that has surfaced now and then since launch. Again, this has only just started happening perhaps 7-8 days ago. Any clue what the issue might be? This machine is running Windows 8.1. While I did read several other posts regarding something similar during the course of ESO since launch, I have played on/off since launch... but it has never happened to me before a week ago. Perhaps a compatibility issue with a recent hotfix to Morrowind..?!?

Hippie4927

That's been happening to me since I installed the game and it is very random. It happened last night and probably won't happen again for a month or two. Most of the time it is only slightly annoying but I have almost died in a dungeon because of it.

Thorvarg

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en-GB/discussion/239130/crashing-to-desktop-have-a-g502-mouse#latest

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en-GB/discussion/337655/constant-disconects#latest

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en-GB/discussion/312939/lag-random-disconnects-fixed-pc-na#latest

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en-GB/discussion/334347/crash-to-login-no-error-comes-in-mysterious-waves-solved#latest

Conclusion: Disable IPv6 on the Router and/or delete ShadowCache.cooked in your Documents Folder.

It already did help 100+ Players.

Aionna

The same thing started happening to me yesterday, I am running Windows 10 (not the creators update).
At first, I didn't know what caused it; but when I closed the game, I saw that the command window would pop up and close too fast to see what process was running.

This can happen after a windows update or a driver- program-process misbehaving.

Thorvarg

Anasion wrote: »

The same thing started happening to me yesterday, I am running Windows 10 (not the creators update).
At first, I didn't know what caused it; but when I closed the game, I saw that the command window would pop up and close too fast to see what process was running.

This can happen after a windows update or a driver- program-process misbehaving.

Did you read my post ? IT ALREADY DID HELP MANY PLAYERS !!! OMG, i really don't know why i want to help ignorant People. It's always the same.

Joffi

Hmm. "The game will minimize itself and/or switches to desktop" is a description quite different from crashes, disconnects, and log in woes.

Rude.

Aionna

Thorvarg wrote: »

Anasion wrote: »

The same thing started happening to me yesterday, I am running Windows 10 (not the creators update).
At first, I didn't know what caused it; but when I closed the game, I saw that the command window would pop up and close too fast to see what process was running.

This can happen after a windows update or a driver- program-process misbehaving.

Did you read my post ? IT ALREADY DID HELP MANY PLAYERS !!! OMG, i really don't know why i want to help ignorant People. It's always the same.

Why the tone? I really don't get it..If you didn't like my post then it is simple don't reply. Instead, you went ahead with depreciatory comments.

All I said , is that the command window minimizes the game - you can not see it because it is popping too fast. It might be a program or a process, this also can happen with a minor Microsoft update, a driver misbehaving etc but you can't be sure because it pops up too fast.

Also in @Kalcipher1 's post it says that the game minimizes or switches at desktop and not crashing at desktop or that the game is throwing them in the login screen as the posts you mentioned.

And my comment might not help in this case, but it might help some others.

Thorvarg

Sorry for my rude Tone, but i was upset because my Solution is the one, the only Solution. It's proved !

Ignotus

Thorvarg wrote: »

Sorry for my rude Tone, but i was upset because my Solution is the one, the only Solution. It's proved !

Sounds legit. Definitely not snake oil.
I'd put $100 on disabling IPv6 or deleting shadercache.cooked having nothing to do with the game minimizing. Also, it's not ShadowCache.cooked.

I've not had any issue with the game minimizing, but I have been noticing a mystery window opening and closing for less than a second on occasion over the last few days. I need to figure out a way to troubleshoot it. It actually just happened again just now while I was posting this. I don't currently have the game running. I see a mystery window pop up on my primary monitor for maybe a quarter second and it's gone too fast for me to see what it is.

Serehelmbet

I have the same problem. For me, it started yesterday. Never happened before and my system has not changed.

Thorvarg

Conclusion: Disable IPv6 on the Router

Serehelmbet

Thorvarg wrote: »

Conclusion: Disable IPv6 on the Router

I have already done that. What now?

Thorvarg

Just Play. If you encounter sometimes a single Disconnect, it maybe the forced Disconnection of your ISP. I disabled IPv6 2 month ago and i did not encounter a DC anymore.

Hippie4927

Thorvarg wrote: »

Just Play. If you encounter sometimes a single Disconnect, it maybe the forced Disconnection of your ISP. I disabled IPv6 2 month ago and i did not encounter a DC anymore.

You don't seem to understand that this thread is not about disconnects or crashes. It is about the game being minimized. There is a difference and your fixes don't work for this problem.

Elsonso

This is often caused by some background process grabbing focus, as has already been noted in the thread here. This causes ESO to be placed in the background.

Just about any program that thinks that whatever it is doing is important enough to be in the foreground can do this. Anti-virus or Security Suite application. Windows Update. If you can identify the source and disable it, or change to a different application, that could fix it. Windows Update sounds like it might get a fix related to this in the next major update.

I run in Windowed (Fullscreen) but I am wondering whether this happens is Fullscreen.

Flameheart

Same here, since a few days. Happens not that often but is annoying as hell while raiding or doing an instance.
Playing in full screen mode. Sometimes you are able to realize the pop up of an application box in the back ground, but it vanishes too fast to actually get a clue what routine or exe is running there that might cause the issue.

So lets wait for the Win10 update.

PS: I tested it with windowed (fullscreen) mode and there it does not happen, but it will free your mouse arrow on the in game screen, as if you hit the according control key for that. This is far less annoying but still annoying.

Hippie4927

lordrichter wrote: »

This is often caused by some background process grabbing focus, as has already been noted in the thread here. This causes ESO to be placed in the background.

Just about any program that thinks that whatever it is doing is important enough to be in the foreground can do this. Anti-virus or Security Suite application. Windows Update. If you can identify the source and disable it, or change to a different application, that could fix it. Windows Update sounds like it might get a fix related to this in the next major update.

I run in Windowed (Fullscreen) but I am wondering whether this happens is Fullscreen.

Yes, it happens in fullscreen. I always play in fullscreen and it happens occasionally.

BlackSparrow

Ignotus wrote: »

I've not had any issue with the game minimizing, but I have been noticing a mystery window opening and closing for less than a second on occasion over the last few days. I need to figure out a way to troubleshoot it. It actually just happened again just now while I was posting this. I don't currently have the game running. I see a mystery window pop up on my primary monitor for maybe a quarter second and it's gone too fast for me to see what it is.

Yep, this has been happening to me, too. I'll be playing the game on full screen, and I'll see a dialogue window pop up for a fraction of a second, then disappear. The game won't minimize and will still display as full screen, but I have to click the screen to pull it back to the front to interact with it again. It's not a huge deal during normal adventuring, but I can see that split second of inaccessibility being fatal during a difficult boss fight or VMA.

Serehelmbet

It seems this will be only happen when you are on Vvardenfell.

Thorvarg

Hippie4927 wrote: »

Thorvarg wrote: »

Just Play. If you encounter sometimes a single Disconnect, it maybe the forced Disconnection of your ISP. I disabled IPv6 2 month ago and i did not encounter a DC anymore.

You don't seem to understand that this thread is not about disconnects or crashes. It is about the game being minimized. There is a difference and your fixes don't work for this problem.

My Mistake. I really misunderstood it. Maybe this is because English isn't my1st Language. Sorry Ladies and Gentlemen

BlackSparrow

Wahnfried1883 wrote: »

It seems this will be only happen when you are on Vvardenfell.

Nope. It happened three times while I was fishing in Greenshade and Malabal Tor yesterday.

Joffi

I've been looking around and though some have tried some of these things, I figured they may help others.

The most prominent culprit is another running program, such as a dvr/game session recording app or bloatware. Try disabling anything running in the tray one program at a time and see if the issue stops on one. Remember video card driver app bundles often include things like this, so check in driver settings too.

The most probable in my mind is an automated system care process, such as an antiviru program, defrag, or the like trying to start a scan or something. I would check any of these have a time scheduled for not playing hours and any "keep trying if busy" ticks are unticked.

It might sound odd, but some people say it's screensavers, especially nonstock. Disabling g the screensaver completely might prove helpful.

If not running in windowed mode, try turning it on. If running windowed mode, try turning it off. Though this is only a bandaid fix as it doesn't address the underlying problem, and works only for some, if it works, it works.

The problem with troubleshooting this is it is not a single silver bullet issue.

Aionna

Joffi wrote: »

I've been looking around and though some have tried some of these things, I figured they may help others.

The most prominent culprit is another running program, such as a dvr/game session recording app or bloatware. Try disabling anything running in the tray one program at a time and see if the issue stops on one. Remember video card driver app bundles often include things like this, so check in driver settings too.

The most probable in my mind is an automated system care process, such as an antiviru program, defrag, or the like trying to start a scan or something. I would check any of these have a time scheduled for not playing hours and any "keep trying if busy" ticks are unticked.

It might sound odd, but some people say it's screensavers, especially nonstock. Disabling g the screensaver completely might prove helpful.

If not running in windowed mode, try turning it on. If running windowed mode, try turning it off. Though this is only a bandaid fix as it doesn't address the underlying problem, and works only for some, if it works, it works.

The problem with troubleshooting this is it is not a single silver bullet issue.

For me it was esrv.exe, Intel driver update utility. I played today without an issue (fullscreen mode). If you have this application installed, you might try uninstalling it and check if it is the one causing the issue .

Ignotus

@Kalcipher1 @Anasion @Wahnfried1883 @Flameheart @BlackSparrow

I may have found an answer. Do any of you have Microsoft Office installed? The issue for me appears to be related to a scheduled task for Office. If I manually run the task in question, I get the mystery popup window to appear. The name of the task is OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration. I set the task to only run when the PC is idle. That supposedly works, but I read that the task gets reset whenever Office updates. I guess you could disable the task as well. You can do a search for the task name above and you should be able to find several postings about it.

Here is more info.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Office-365-ProPlus/OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration-command-prompt-window/m-p/73050

Flameheart

Ignotus wrote: »

@Kalcipher1 @Anasion @Wahnfried1883 @Flameheart @BlackSparrow

I may have found an answer. Do any of you have Microsoft Office installed? The issue for me appears to be related to a scheduled task for Office. If I manually run the task in question, I get the mystery popup window to appear. The name of the task is OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration. I set the task to only run when the PC is idle. That supposedly works, but I read that the task gets reset whenever Office updates. I guess you could disable the task as well. You can do a search for the task name above and you should be able to find several postings about it.

Here is more info.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Office-365-ProPlus/OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration-command-prompt-window/m-p/73050

I indeed have MS Office 365 installed. Seems as if this is the issue. As already mentioned above I realized the pop up task window, but the time frame was far too short to get a clue what routine/application caused it and without that you have a high chance to use the wrong description/words for getting any useful information in a google search. The explained pop up scedule of 1 hour fits to my personal experience too. It happened yesterday while doing vet pledges and I died in a black field at the endboss of FG2 because of that *** up...

Personal computing still manages it to suprise me. The last application I would have thought of as a reason would have been MS Office..my thoughts lent more towards malware, viruses or malware/virus scanners.

Thx, that was a big help.

Now I just have to find the settings for that somewhere on my machine...

Here a more detailed information how to select the settings: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_officeinsider-mso_win10/officebackgroundtaskhandlerregistration-flashes-a/2600497e-78e4-41a1-9040-461cd2c3ea13

Another (and maybe the safer temporarily) solution would be to disable the scedule completely under:

This PC-->Management-->Task Scheduler-->Find OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration task under Active Tasks-->Disable it-->Problem solved.

The later one you might need to do after any PC restart, because the application/scedule might autostart after every relaunch, or at least after every MS Office update.

Oh my, Microsoft gets pretty harsh comments for this f...up on its support sites :-)

This is now happening in the main release (as I, nor my clients are on the insider build)

Version 1703

OS Build: 15063.296


I have at least 16 clients affected with this and they are all panicking and giving me grief about it, thinking that it is some kind of virus! or malware, with the recent incidents in the news.


I had to do a lot of investigation to get to the bottom of it and ended up here!


Is there any indication of a fix for this? MS doesn't even seemed to have responded officially yet on this thread?

Seriously, Microsoft, what is it with this GARBAGE? You lost all your decent developers and the B-team remaining behind can't build software that works anymore, so you get your interns to create all these little hacked together workarounds to keep things operational? I DO NOT WANT your auto-startups, scheduled tasks, triggered scripts, etc. Even if they do work as intended, their ephemeral nature will just confuse users and frustrate support technicians ("it wasn't working half an hour ago, but it suddenly seemed to started working now...")


Some people have suggested making these scheduled tasks run as SYSTEM. The recent Windows Defender exploit discovered by Travis Ormandy should have taught us a lesson about being too liberal with the SYSTEM account, particularly when it comes to executables that with only the vaguest documentation about what exactly they are doing.

Maybe they are glad at Zos that it was not their fault this time :-)

jschleter

Great find Ignotus! My fingers are crossed that this fixes the issue.

Jayelf

I sometimes hit the window key accidently.

JasonSilverSpring

Jayelf wrote: »

I sometimes hit the window key accidently.

I know it is off topic, but I have done this as well. Fortunately my keyboard has an button to disable the windows key. Now, I only have a problem if I forget to disable the windows key. For a desktop user the Windows key is in a good place, but putting it between Ctrl and Alt can really wreak havok on gamers. LOL

etelameren_turjake

Had this couple of days ago, when I did some book discoveries in Vvardenfell. I think one possible culprit could be the lorebook addon dataminer (noted in recent changelogs), which might do some "ET phone home" -stuff, reporting new lorebook locations for the plugin author.

JasonSilverSpring

Ok, I am now also having this issue of the game suddenly minimizing and me being brought to my desktop. I have noticed a pattern for me so far. It seems to be doing it each time my desktop background changes. I have Windows 10 setup to change my desktop background every 30 minutes and I have noticed that just as my game minimizes my desktop changes. I have had this setting for a while now and I do not yet have the Creator's update.

I wonder if this is a Windows change or something with ESO.

Anyone else having this problem also have rotating desktop backgrounds?

altemriel

must be something on your side, it never happened to me (PC EU)