windows Fullscreen games to desktop HELL

[MarkToon]

Hi all,

 

I am at my wits end with this issue that I am having with my PC, so I'm posting here to see if I can get some advice/tips/guidance, before I unleash Thor's hammer on this thing.

 

EDIT – UPDATES Below – will continue to update until resolved

 

So hardware specs:

 

OS: Windows 10, 11 and then back to 10 (all clean builds, full format etc)

GPU: Asus Nvidia RTX 3080 (currently the latest drivers, though I have tested many others)

CPU: AMD 5800x (BIOS: 7C84v18—Though I have installed—7C84v17—7C84v16—7C84v15) and the issue persists.

Motherboard: MSI x570 Tomahawk Wi-Fi (all drivers up to date as of this post)

RAM: G skill Trident Z 32gb (x4 sticks) (Tested extensively using memtest & windows memtest) normally XMP, but I have tried stock and the issue persists.

Display: Samsung Odyssey G7 32" (FW: M-TG700CCAA-1014.1) using display port.

PSU: Corsair RM850x

Mouse: Corsair Dark Core SE

Keyboard: Corsair K70 TKL

Controller: Xbox wireless Elite

 

Yesterday I gave the PC a nice DEEP CLEAN, and ensured that all connections were clean and firmly reinstalled.

 

Symptoms: 

 

Upon playing ANY game in FULL-SCREEN mode, I can play for a short period of time and the game  will suddenly drop to desktop. There is no specific timing, though it certainly starts within 10 mins of play time and then every few minutes afterwards.

 

The games do not close down as they are still available to jump back into when I select them from the taskbar, though soon after it again will drop back to desktop.

 

Playing games in WINDOWED or BORDERLESS modes does not show this same behaviour, and works perfectly fine.

 

Desktop work, Media (photos/videos) or any desktop based application, say Microsoft Word or Photoshop, also don't show this behaviour.

 

The issue is SPECIFICALLY full screen games.

 

There are no spikes in GPU/CPU activity, no issues with temperatures, no applications or notifications popping up etc

 

What I've done:

 

These symptoms started to appear around the time that Windows 11 became available in a slightly more stable build, just before Christmas 2021. I was running Windows 10 at the time (I don't recall the specific version number) and I started to get this issue. After troubleshooting (google) I decided I would complete an update to Windows 11, just to see if that would remedy it. 

 

It did not.

 

So after more troubleshooting, including re-edits, scans, virus scans, various Windows 10 setting adjustments, turning off all gaming windows features inc game mode, turning off AMD PBO etc, disabling C-State in bios and a few others I can't specifically remember, and lastly going through the various BIOS versions & Nvidia GPU drivers.

 

I decided to revert to Windows 10.

 

Now I am currently on a clean build with only one game installed that I know will trigger the issue quickly (though all games do tbf, this one is just quick to get into), that game is Rocket League via Epic (I know I know....EPic rah rah rah).

 

The issue still persists, so I'm starting to think this is a hardware issue, and that has me worried. Currently, have champagne taste but lemonade pockets!!

 

I have replaced the display port cable, in the hope it may be something as simple as that, but alas it is not. I have tried changing ports, but that doesn't make any difference. Furthermore, I think it's also worth mentioning that I only use ONE monitor, no multi-monitor options are enabled.

 

I have also extensively combed through windows' event logs, and nothing seems to stand out in relation to the issue I'm experiencing, though I will admit I am not the most fluent in understanding all them logs. I did run a program that runs in the background as a CMD window, and it monitors all activity, hoping for it to tell me what application, notification etc was pulling me back to desktop, but nothing showed up at all. I have disabled all notifications etc, ultimate focus mode!!

 

Each install of windows was as clean as I could possibly make it, all drives formatted etc (it's been painful and long-winded....much like this post)

 

So what's next?

 

Well, I have no idea, I'm really at a loss at this point. So here I am, asking for some advice from you very knowledgable folk (I'm sure of it) in the hope that you have an idea that I haven't thought of as yet, before I go down the route of RMA's.

 

I have no shame if it is something super simple, as it will be a lesson learned, so throw at me whatever you have in mind.

 

Any further details, feel free to ask.

 

Kind regards

 

A lost gamer

 

UPDATES:

 

#1: I have tested any potential USB related issues, but after several attempts have not been able to resolve my issue. For now, I am going to assume that USB devices are not the issue here. I will repeat that I don't currently have any 3rd party software on this PC that relates to USB devices or RGB/Fans etc.

 

#2: I have tested the top-rated antivirus, anti malware based software on the market, that has a free trial of its top tier product (Kaspersky, Bitdefender etc) and not one issue was found. I ensured that each program was installed on a clean build and that all previous versions of AV software were removed prior. I also ensured that I ran as deep of a test as I could, ticked every box etc.

 

Suffice to say, not a single trace of anything was found.

 

Reverting back to Windows defender & Malware Bytes *free edition

 

I'm sure my inbox will be busy for these “premium” services!!

 

#3: This was a wild shot, but I have reverted back to BIOS version 7C84v15 as this was the last BIOS that I recall when this issue wasn't present. I know it was a long shot….but desperate times mean desperate measures.

Well, you'll be surprised to hear, my issue was still not resolved.

 

#4: I have been able to source an Nvidia 1070Ti, I cleared all display drivers and started afresh.

 

Again, the same issue occurred.

 

I've also used “stress” test software via AIDA64, Heaven, Cinebench and OCCT, all showed absolutely no issues and performed as expected, both with the 1070Ti & the 3080.

 

The suffering goes on.

[Kilrah]

Keyboard/mouse shortcut issue maybe?

[An0maly_76]

I wonder if this might be a malware / virus issue, maybe a worm that does this on a random timer, or perhaps reassigned a mouse button or game controller button with the minimize shortcut. You go to blast an enemy in-game, and the button for a certain weapon has been reprogrammed to minimize the game, maybe?

Edited March 18, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised

[Bad5ector]

@MarkTooncan you check your Windows Event Viewer next time it happens and see if there is any new notifications? There might be something you can glean from there... Most likely has to do with whatever software is running in the background. Can you give us an idea of what you have running?

 

I want to say there was an issue with an RGB software that caused this to happen. But either way, my bet is on background apps.

[191x7]

Which PSU?

 

RAM on XMP or stock?

[MarkToon]

22 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

Keyboard/mouse shortcut issue maybe?

I have been suggested elsewhere to fire up a game, then remove K+M USBs to see if the issue persists, not something I thought of before. So will try that and report back.

[MarkToon]

17 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

I wonder if this might be a malware / virus issue, maybe a worm that reassigned a mouse button or game controller button with the minimize shortcut. You go to blast an enemy in-game, and the button for a certain weapon has been reprogrammed to minimize the game, maybe?

Using the latest Windows defender & Malware Bytes, after completing deep scans & offline scans, nothing has shown up at all. Can malware/virus etc follow you even after a clean install inc formatting?

[MarkToon]

13 minutes ago, Bad5ector said:

@MarkTooncan you check your Windows Event Viewer next time it happens and see if there is any new notifications? There might be something you can glean from there... Most likely has to do with whatever software is running in the background. Can you give us an idea of what you have running?

 

I want to say there was an issue with an RGB software that caused this to happen. But either way, my bet is on background apps.

As mentioned, I have gone through event logs with a fine tooth comb and nothing appears to stand out to me at all. Any errors that popped up I have googled, but it's often minor/common windows non descript things.

 

I have no other software installed currently on this clean build other than: Malware Bytes, Epic store, Rocket League & latest GPU Drivers (ive tested the older ones too....issue persists)

 

No RGB software.

[An0maly_76]

3 minutes ago, MarkToon said:

Using the latest Windows defender & Malware Bytes, after completing deep scans & offline scans, nothing has shown up at all. Can malware/virus etc follow you even after a clean install inc formatting?

Certainly, if it's not in the database your software uses to check against. Personally, I think Defender is garbage, but it IS better than nothing. Malwarebytes is good but needs regular updating to maximize its effectiveness. New malware and viruses emerge every day, and something like this might be brand-new and not even known, much less considered malware. I use McAfee mostly, but Malwarebytes also. I'm not saying this is guaranteed your problem, but the randomness does sort of sound like something along those lines.

Edited March 18, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[Bad5ector]

1 minute ago, MarkToon said:

Malware Bytes, Epic store,

Are those always running in background when this occurs? If so, try closing them.

[MarkToon]

6 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Which PSU?

 

RAM on XMP or stock?

I will update my OP with this information

 

PSU: Corsair RM850x

 

RAM is normally XMP, but I have tried stock and the issue persists.

[MarkToon]

3 minutes ago, An0maly_76 said:

Certainly, if it's not in the database your software uses to check against. Personally, I think Defender is garbage, but it IS better than nothing. Malwarebytes is good but needs regular updating to maximize its effectiveness. New malware and viruses emerge every day, and something like this might be brand-new and not even known, much less considered malware. I use McAfee mostly, but Malwarebytes also. I'm not saying this is guaranteed your problem, but the randomness does sort of sound like something along those lines.

Yeah, It's certainly not impossible, so I will look into other software I can grab for free to scan deeper

[Bad5ector]

5 minutes ago, MarkToon said:

Can malware/virus etc follow you even after a clean install inc formatting?

Well, if you didn't blow away the partition of your system drive there is a chance a good virus / malware could corrupt a sector and hide in there. Bad sectors are usually ignored during a regular format. If in doubt, always delete your partitions before doing a Windows install with diskpart or the install's GUI.

[MarkToon]

3 minutes ago, Bad5ector said:

Are those always running in background when this occurs? If so, try closing them.

Yeah, normally they would always be running in the background(epic only if required), for 6 months since I built this PC they have run absolutely fine.

 

For the purpose of testing, though, I have turned off Malware bytes and the issue persists. It's so annoying!

[MarkToon]

2 minutes ago, Bad5ector said:

Well, if you didn't blow away the partition of your system drive there is a chance a good virus / malware could corrupt a sector and hide in there. Bad sectors are usually ignored during a regular format. If in doubt, always delete your partitions before doing a Windows install with diskpart or the install's GUI.

I formatted the drives during the fresh installation of windows, in the GUI it provides. I had to repartition those drives upon Windows installation on the desktop.

[Bad5ector]

Certainly sounds like something is pulling focus away from the game... you wouldn't experience that in windowed mode or borderless, because that's how they work. Think about when you have a dual screen setup, if you pull focus away from the game in full screen, it minimizes. But in borderless or windowed, you can click out of the screen, pull focus to say the desktop, but the game stays full screen on the other display. If you're just playing along in borderless or windowed and whatever you have pulls focus away for a second, it won't matter because you instantly click the screen to resume focus. You don't notice it because your screen never minimizes.

 

At least that's what it sounds like. Malware and Virus could cause this for sure, but so could say faulty keyboard / mouse or other hardware plugged in I guess. 

[Bad5ector]

4 minutes ago, MarkToon said:

I formatted the drives during the fresh installation of windows, in the GUI it provides.

Formatted, or deleted partition? Big difference.

[Allan B]

So i had the same issue, when i upgraded to Windows 11.  Games minimizing while playing.  I noticed also when on the desktop I would randomly see the taskbar and icons "refresh".  I have an Asus X570 and i got annoyed and did a mass uninstall of a bunch of software, I don't know what it was but everything related to the hardware, going back to basic drivers.

Uninstalled:

Armory Crate

Steelseries keyboard software (i think this fixed it but not sure)

Corsair Mouse 

Anything LED lighting related services (this one as well, was some lighting service that was always taking 2-3% CPU)

 

 

[191x7]

12 minutes ago, Allan B said:

So i had the same issue, when i upgraded to Windows 11.  Games minimizing while playing.  I noticed also when on the desktop I would randomly see the taskbar and icons "refresh".  I have an Asus X570 and i got annoyed and did a mass uninstall of a bunch of software, I don't know what it was but everything related to the hardware, going back to basic drivers.

Uninstalled:

Armory Crate

Steelseries keyboard software (i think this fixed it but not sure)

Corsair Mouse 

Anything LED lighting related services (this one as well, was some lighting service that was always taking 2-3% CPU)

 

 

Simply uninstalling Armory Crate doesn't remove the services and executables that cause crashes. You have to use the official tool available on the motherboard website to remove it.

[An0maly_76]

15 minutes ago, Allan B said:

So i had the same issue, when i upgraded to Windows 11.  Games minimizing while playing.  *snip* got annoyed and did a mass uninstall

Uninstalled:

Armory Crate

Steelseries keyboard software (i think this fixed it but not sure)

Corsair Mouse 

Anything LED lighting related services (this one as well, was some lighting service that was always taking 2-3% CPU)

This is interesting. I have an Asus Tuf B550 Plus with a Corsair iCUE Commander Core XT. I recently set up for the monitor to blank at 30 minutes, the machine to sleep after about 45 minutes. For whatever reason, it wouldn't come back from sleep mode, and gave the black screen on restart. Disabled the sleep mode and no problem since. I do have both Armory Crate and the iCUE software running, AFAIK without issue -- as of YET.

Edited March 18, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised

[MarkToon]

22 minutes ago, Bad5ector said:

Certainly sounds like something is pulling focus away from the game... you wouldn't experience that in windowed mode or borderless, because that's how they work. Think about when you have a dual screen setup, if you pull focus away from the game in full screen, it minimizes. But in borderless or windowed, you can click out of the screen, pull focus to say the desktop, but the game stays full screen on the other display. If you're just playing along in borderless or windowed and whatever you have pulls focus away for a second, it won't matter because you instantly click the screen to resume focus. You don't notice it because your screen never minimizes.

 

At least that's what it sounds like. Malware and Virus could cause this for sure, but so could say faulty keyboard / mouse or other hardware plugged in I guess. 

So I have just tested the issue in relation to USBs.

 

I started the game and as soon as I did that, I removed ALL usbs from my PC. I don't have anything connected, including Wi-Fi & Bluetooth.

 

The issue persisted.

 

For reference, I'm using the following peripherals:

 

Mouse: Corsair Dark Core SE

Keyboard: Corsair K70 TKL

Controller: Xbox wireless Elite

 

Controller is not currently linked to the PC in any way.

[Kilrah]

44 minutes ago, MarkToon said:

Can malware/virus etc follow you even after a clean install inc formatting?

Are you wiping the entire PC? If you wipe the OS drive but keep games or such on another drive and those are infected it could come back. 

[Allan B]

36 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Simply uninstalling Armory Crate doesn't remove the services and executables that cause crashes. You have to use the official tool available on the motherboard website to remove it.

Yes, i manually removed all parts of it..  Same with the lighting service, i uninstalled a bunch of services manually..  sc delete "xxxx"..      Sadly I didn't do it systematically to narrow down the cause.  I don't think this is malware, this is installed software taking focus away from the full screen app causing it to minimize.

[MarkToon]

4 hours ago, Kilrah said:

Are you wiping the entire PC? If you wipe the OS drive but keep games or such on another drive and those are infected it could come back. 

I am wiping the entire PC, all 4 drives including the OS drive.

[MarkToon]

UPDATES:

 

#1: I have tested any potential USB related issues, but after several attempts have not been able to resolve my issue. For now, I am going to assume that USB devices are not the issue here. I will repeat that I don't currently have any 3rd party software on this PC that relates to USB devices or RGB/Fans etc.

 

#2: I have tested the top-rated antivirus, anti malware based software on the market, that has a free trial of its top tier product (Kaspersky, Bitdefender etc) and not one issue was found. I ensured that each program was installed on a clean build and that all previous versions of AV software were removed prior. I also ensured that I ran as deep of a test as I could, ticked every box etc.

 

Suffice to say, not a single trace of anything was found.

 

Reverting back to Windows defender & Malware Bytes *free edition

 

I'm sure my inbox will be busy for these “premium” services!!

 

#3: This was a wild shot, but I have reverted back to BIOS version 7C84v15 as this was the last BIOS that I recall when this issue wasn't present. I know it was a long shot….but desperate times mean desperate measures.

Well, you'll be surprised to hear, my issue was still not resolved.

 

The suffering goes on.