Office applications "timeout" and need mouse click to keep working

In Excel, the highlight (outline) of the last used cell disappears and the
title bar (very top) turns from blue to grey. Must click anywhere to "wake
up" before a new cell can be selected (by click)

In Word, the insert point (|) disappears and title bar goes grey. Same
thing - must click to activate.

This happens with other apps too, like browser title greys out

Some software you have installed (intentionally or otherwise ) is
stealing the focus. Please determine when this started occurring, and
what happened just before that behavior started. Otherwise you may want
to scan for malware or other nasty software.

MyCRE wrote:

> In Excel, the highlight (outline) of the last used cell disappears and the
> title bar (very top) turns from blue to grey. Must click anywhere to "wake
> up" before a new cell can be selected (by click)
>
> In Word, the insert point (|) disappears and title bar goes grey. Same
> thing - must click to activate.
>
> This happens with other apps too, like browser title greys out

Thanks. I did a complete system scan in safe mode and no malware. Can't
pinpoint a date of problem commencement or software installation. Is
"stealing the focus" a technical term? Please elaborate. thanks.

"Bob I" wrote:

> Some software you have installed (intentionally or otherwise ) is
> stealing the focus. Please determine when this started occurring, and
> what happened just before that behavior started. Otherwise you may want
> to scan for malware or other nasty software.
>
> MyCRE wrote:
>
> > In Excel, the highlight (outline) of the last used cell disappears and the
> > title bar (very top) turns from blue to grey. Must click anywhere to "wake
> > up" before a new cell can be selected (by click)
> >
> > In Word, the insert point (|) disappears and title bar goes grey. Same
> > thing - must click to activate.
> >
> > This happens with other apps too, like browser title greys out
>
>

Basically it means that some other application is jumping quietly into
the foreground - perhaps on a schedule or in response to some key
combination or other action. If you look at the Task Bar in Windows do
you see any of the listed programs where the "button" looks slightly
different (indicating that it's the active program)?

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q



"MyCRE" <MyCRE@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:76FFBE03-FBDC-4E8D-9B77-75535CB82F84@microsoft.com:

> Thanks. I did a complete system scan in safe mode and no malware. Can't
> pinpoint a date of problem commencement or software installation. Is
> "stealing the focus" a technical term? Please elaborate. thanks.
>
> "Bob I" wrote:
>
>
> > Some software you have installed (intentionally or otherwise ) is
> > stealing the focus. Please determine when this started occurring, and
> > what happened just before that behavior started. Otherwise you may want
> > to scan for malware or other nasty software.
> >
> > MyCRE wrote:
> >
>
> > > In Excel, the highlight (outline) of the last used cell disappears and the
> > > title bar (very top) turns from blue to grey. Must click anywhere to "wake
> > > up" before a new cell can be selected (by click)
> > >
> > > In Word, the insert point (|) disappears and title bar goes grey. Same
> > > thing - must click to activate.
> > >
> > > This happens with other apps too, like browser title greys out
> >
>
> >

The "Active program" has the "focus", any keypresses or mouseclicks will
be sent to it. If some other program, "steals the focus" by becoming the
"active program" then then you get the effect you observe. Some program
is running, setting itself as active, and then your program looses
focus. You have anything set to run in Scheduled Tasks?

MyCRE wrote:

> Thanks. I did a complete system scan in safe mode and no malware. Can't
> pinpoint a date of problem commencement or software installation. Is
> "stealing the focus" a technical term? Please elaborate. thanks.
>
> "Bob I" wrote:
>
>
>>Some software you have installed (intentionally or otherwise ) is
>>stealing the focus. Please determine when this started occurring, and
>>what happened just before that behavior started. Otherwise you may want
>>to scan for malware or other nasty software.
>>
>>MyCRE wrote:
>>
>>
>>> In Excel, the highlight (outline) of the last used cell disappears and the
>>>title bar (very top) turns from blue to grey. Must click anywhere to "wake
>>>up" before a new cell can be selected (by click)
>>>
>>>In Word, the insert point (|) disappears and title bar goes grey. Same
>>>thing - must click to activate.
>>>
>>>This happens with other apps too, like browser title greys out
>>
>>

None of the displayed task icons acts differently or appears active. I guess
that I could go into msconfig and turn everything of at startup and see what
happens?

"Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)" wrote:

> Basically it means that some other application is jumping quietly into
> the foreground - perhaps on a schedule or in response to some key
> combination or other action. If you look at the Task Bar in Windows do
> you see any of the listed programs where the "button" looks slightly
> different (indicating that it's the active program)?
>
> --
> -Ben-
> Ben M. Schorr, MVP
> Roland Schorr & Tower
> http://www.rolandschorr.com
> http://www.officeforlawyers.com
> Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
> http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q
>
>
>
> "MyCRE" <MyCRE@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:76FFBE03-FBDC-4E8D-9B77-75535CB82F84@microsoft.com:
>
> > Thanks. I did a complete system scan in safe mode and no malware. Can't
> > pinpoint a date of problem commencement or software installation. Is
> > "stealing the focus" a technical term? Please elaborate. thanks.
> >
> > "Bob I" wrote:
> >
> >
> > > Some software you have installed (intentionally or otherwise ) is
> > > stealing the focus. Please determine when this started occurring, and
> > > what happened just before that behavior started. Otherwise you may want
> > > to scan for malware or other nasty software.
> > >
> > > MyCRE wrote:
> > >
> >
> > > > In Excel, the highlight (outline) of the last used cell disappears and the
> > > > title bar (very top) turns from blue to grey. Must click anywhere to "wake
> > > > up" before a new cell can be selected (by click)
> > > >
> > > > In Word, the insert point (|) disappears and title bar goes grey. Same
> > > > thing - must click to activate.
> > > >
> > > > This happens with other apps too, like browser title greys out
> > >
> >
> > >
>
>