#10 Can not switch desktop and VD stops responding

[Anonymous]

Hello
I am using this sinc few days now. First of all I must
say this is wonderful tool and very useful.

I had used it in past and now started using it again.
I am facing one perticular problem. I am using the
Lotus notes mail client also. When I get a new message
notification that small window probably goes to other
desktop or something. then I am unable to change
desktop or switch to Lotus notes. I have observed it
for 2-3 times.

Then If I kill the VD from task manager I get the new
mail alert.
But I loose all the applications running in other
desktop.

For example just now this happened. I had a Toll
called TOAD and 2 other GVIM sessions running in other
desktop which are now not accessible.

I cant see them in applications pane of task manager.
but in processes I can see them. If it was visible in
applications I could have 'switched' to them .

So I have to log off ..at this time TOAD and gvim both
asked for the save message they saved the files too.
but i have all of them closed.

Any help will be highly appriciated..

OS : win xp patch service pack 1

Thanks and regards
Sanjeev

[John Hardin]

This is probably due to a fundamental design flaw in Windows. In Windows, the application itself handles all requests to manage its window - versus X, where there is a Window Manager that handles things like resize, hide, restore and move requests.

The result of this is that if some application sends a "hide" or "restore" event to a window, and the application is off busy doing something else and doesn't respond to that event, the application that sent the request will hang. I see this a *lot* in SQL Server Management Studio and Visual Studio, and it's quite annoying.

Once the application stops navel-gazing and responds to the window request, all of the queued requests from VD will be flushed - leading to all the desktops you clicked trying to get the flipping thing to respond being displayed in quick succession...

I don't know if there's a good workaround for this apart from learning when applications stop listening to events and disciplining yourself to not touch their virtual desktop while they're busy.