Jump to content

Welcome to Geeks to Go - Register now for FREE

Need help with your computer or device? Want to learn new tech skills? You're in the right place!
Geeks to Go is a friendly community of tech experts who can solve any problem you have. Just create a free account and post your question. Our volunteers will reply quickly and guide you through the steps. Don't let tech troubles stop you. Join Geeks to Go now and get the support you need!

How it Works Create Account
Photo

Weird Duplicate Tabs, only visible when clicking alt + tab

Windows 11

Best Answer Silvanosh , 09 August 2023 - 08:23 AM

Hey! I'm actually the person who made that reddit post, recently I got a reply on it that told me turning hardware acceleration on in google chrome does fix that issue, however it can cause a few d... Go to the full post »


  • Please log in to reply

#1
Phlegmbot

Phlegmbot

    Member

  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

Hi, all!

 

Ever since getting a new PC with Win11, Alt+Tab display all of the open windows PLUS *numerous duplicates* of any Chrome Window playing video (NOTE: This also includes ANY Chromium-based browsers, like Avast! I had stopped using Chrome for a few weeks, thinking the issue would stop, but it quickly began happening in Avast as well.)

NOTE: Closing the browser turns the duplicates into little title squares (see attached), but does NOT fully get rid of them.

This is NOT a video driver issue -- Intell helped me test.

 

I posted in a Chromium Bugs forum, but they were unable to help. They suggested I try something, but they provided no instruction, and I don't understand the steps (I've posted that suggestion at the very bottom of this post)

 

Some response to questions from the OTHER forum:

- I don't believe it's a video driver issue b/c it's not happening across all browsers or with videos played in video players or editing programs; it's solely Chrome and Avast (Interesting about Edge -- to be fair, I've only used Edge for watching YouTube once or twice and not for very long. If you folks want, I'll do a longer test, see what happens).
 

- When I restart Windows Explorer via Task Manager per a suggestion, it shuts down all the ghost windows, including the reduced windows that were just images of the top bar.

- I've tried shutting off, and even uninstalling, all extensions to see if the problem still occurs. It did occur again!

- It seems (to my admittedly very untrained eye) to be directly related to Chrome w/in Win11 based on the info I've provided. (That's not to say the problem isn't perhaps Win11 -- this thing was NOT ready for release, and I just wish I could've bought a new PC with Win10, but such a thing didn't seem to exist.=\ )

- RE: "Does closing or exiting Chrome get rid of the little squares?": No. The full ghost images (or whatever you want to call the duplicate windows) are gone, but the small title bars remain (unless I open Task Manager, Right Click Windows Explorer & Restart.)

 

- After restarting, the ghost windows WILL reappear. And they will ALL mirror what is being played in the REAL window. In order to alt+tab to ANYTHING, I have to navigate through ALL the ghost windows, which at times gets up to 10 or 12!

 

This was the final suggestion given me, that I can't understand, and asking for clarification was not helpful:

 

I still think using Spy++ might be helpful to get info about these ghost top-level windows, when they exist and are getting rendered. It does sound like an issue with Explorer, or some other process that has hooked into Explorer. The fact that killing Explorer fixes the ghost windows temporarily makes it sound like the windows don't actually exist, or have stopped being rendered by the process that created them. But yeah, disabling things to see when the problem goes away is most likely the most fruitful way to go.
 
 
Comment 19 by [email protected] on Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 6:47 PM EDT
OK, found the Visual Studio link...and DL'd the .NET version. but I'm confused as to what I do w/that and how it related to Spy++. I'm no techie.
 
Comment 20 by [email protected] on Mon, Jun 13, 2022, 8:43 AM EDT Project Member
I think spy++ comes with VS (not sure about .NET version, but it probably does, if you choose to install it). - Look in a dir like this: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\Tools\spyxx_amd64.exe (probably not Professional but something specific to the version of VS you downloaded)
 
 
 
NOTE: Attached images were taken w/my phone. Screen caps of it are not possible.

 

Attached Thumbnails

  • 1.gif
  • 2.jpg

  • 0

Advertisements


#2
zep516

zep516

    Trusted Helper

  • Malware Removal
  • 8,085 posts
Window duplication with Alt-tabbing - Windows 11
Open | Windows

My issue started when I updated to windows 11. After updating every time I alt-tab from Google Chrome specifically it will show a duplicate in the alt tab operation when attempting to alt tab. Such as when I have 2 processes like Notepad and Gooogle Chrome, when I first alt-tab from Notepad to Chrome it will show 2 Notepad and Chrome when alt-tabbing, but after tabbing from Chrome it will then show 2 Chrome windows while tabbing. This will show another Chrome instance after every tab away from Chrome, getting so bad as to where I cannot use the tab function when Chrome is open on my computer anymore, it will duplicate itself infinitely. All tabs lead to the same Chrome page and when the page is closed the tabs will stay but then be blank instead of showing the page that was opened. I was wondering if anyone had figured out how to fix this yet, I have looked around on the Windows help pages on Microsoft and other than a few other complaints of this happening I haven't found an answer yet. If anyone could help me or has the same issue and has figured out how to fix or even decrease the amount of times this happens I would take any advice at this point! The only way I've found to remove these tabs after they show up is a complete reset of the computer.

 

Someone with a similar issue above, but no one answered the post, it's been there for 10 months

https://www.reddit.c...ing_windows_11/

 

I'll keep looking around....


  • 0

#3
Phlegmbot

Phlegmbot

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

 

Window duplication with Alt-tabbing - Windows 11
Open | Windows

My issue started when I updated to windows 11. After updating every time I alt-tab from Google Chrome specifically it will show a duplicate in the alt tab operation when attempting to alt tab. Such as when I have 2 processes like Notepad and Gooogle Chrome, when I first alt-tab from Notepad to Chrome it will show 2 Notepad and Chrome when alt-tabbing, but after tabbing from Chrome it will then show 2 Chrome windows while tabbing. This will show another Chrome instance after every tab away from Chrome, getting so bad as to where I cannot use the tab function when Chrome is open on my computer anymore, it will duplicate itself infinitely. All tabs lead to the same Chrome page and when the page is closed the tabs will stay but then be blank instead of showing the page that was opened. I was wondering if anyone had figured out how to fix this yet, I have looked around on the Windows help pages on Microsoft and other than a few other complaints of this happening I haven't found an answer yet. If anyone could help me or has the same issue and has figured out how to fix or even decrease the amount of times this happens I would take any advice at this point! The only way I've found to remove these tabs after they show up is a complete reset of the computer.

 

Someone with a similar issue above, but no one answered the post, it's been there for 10 months

https://www.reddit.c...ing_windows_11/

 

I'll keep looking around....

 

Thank you for that. Are you able to decipher what the other forum was trying to tell me regarding using Spy++? I don't understand the app or how to use it. But if it CAN help, I'd like to try it. When I asked over there, I got no answer.‍♂️

 

(If you don't know Spy++, maybe you can reach out to another helper who does??)

 

Thanks once again!


  • 0

#4
zep516

zep516

    Trusted Helper

  • Malware Removal
  • 8,085 posts

Hello, i have never heard of spy++  and  had to Google it

 

Spy++ (SPYXX.EXE) is a Win32-based utility that gives you a graphical view of the system's processes, threads, windows, and window messages.

 

I'm not even sure I'd know how to use it,


  • 0

#5
Phlegmbot

Phlegmbot

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

Hello, i have never heard of spy++  and  had to Google it

 

Spy++ (SPYXX.EXE) is a Win32-based utility that gives you a graphical view of the system's processes, threads, windows, and window messages.

 

I'm not even sure I'd know how to use it,

Yeah, it was recommended by the Chromium team. I tried Googling how to use it at the time and didn't get anywhere. Perhaps I should try again.

 

If there are any other helper you think might know, I hope you'll alert the to this thread.  If you've any other thoughts on what to do about the issue, please let me know. THANK YOU for trying!


  • 0

#6
Silvanosh

Silvanosh

    New Member

  • Member
  • Pip
  • 1 posts
✓  Best Answer

Hey! I'm actually the person who made that reddit post, recently I got a reply on it that told me turning hardware acceleration on in google chrome does fix that issue, however it can cause a few different issues occasionally.
If your computer is able to handle it though as far as I've tested it did get rid of the issue, you turn it on by going into Chrome Settings-System-Use Hardware Acceleration When Available!


  • 0

#7
Phlegmbot

Phlegmbot

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 457 posts

Hey! I'm actually the person who made that reddit post, recently I got a reply on it that told me turning hardware acceleration on in google chrome does fix that issue, however it can cause a few different issues occasionally.
If your computer is able to handle it though as far as I've tested it did get rid of the issue, you turn it on by going into Chrome Settings-System-Use Hardware Acceleration When Available!

Heyyy! How'd you find THIS thread?! And thanks for the reply -- that did indeed fix the problem. Thank you! But, yeah, I shut it off b/c of ANOTHER problem, but I no longer recall what THAT was. (I'm sure it'll rear its ugly head at SOME point!)


  • 0






Similar Topics


Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: Windows 11

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

As Featured On:

Microsoft Yahoo BBC MSN PC Magazine Washington Post HP