BUG? CMD windows not clickable on Vista64

[madyarov]

When XMBC is running I cannot activate CMD windows (with command prompt) by clicking inside the window. I have to either click them in the task bar or use Alt-Tab to activate. Occasionally some popping out little windows with error messages also appear to be non-clickable. The extended buttons also do not work in the CMD windows: XMBC does not recognize any clicks there. Interestingly enough, I can switch from one CMD window to another with a mouse click but not from a window of another type into a CMD. Everything starts working as soon as I kill XMBC (except the extra buttons, of course).

I am running XMBC v1.52 on Vista 64bit SP1. UAC is on. It was working fine on Windows 2000. I read in FAQs that XMBC does not work on Vista with applications run in Administrator mode. But both the CMD window and XMBC are listed in Task Manager as running under my user name.

Any ideas? I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

[phil]

I read in FAQs that XMBC does not work on Vista with applications run in Administrator mode

This is only true if XMBC is not running as a privileged user (admin) under UAC. By default, if your account is an admin account (even though with UAC you usually don't run as admin) XMBC should be running as admin. This is achieved using the launcher service so if you start XMBC manually, you would have to run it as admin (right click run as admin).

Therefore, my only question, is does the account you run under have local admin rights (even though UAC means you don't actually get admin till you OK the UAC prompts)? Or do you have standard user rights, where the UAC prompt asks for a different account credentials when requiring admin rights?

For what its worth, I've never experienced this problem with command windows, so I cant really help much in suggesting why it does not work/how to fix it. Im using Windows 7 x64 now but was using Vista x64 for several years prior to Win 7. As for other buttons in the command windows on my Win 7 x64 machine seem to work fine - but it does depend what you map the buttons to do (simulated keystrokes work fine).

I have UAC enabled - my account is an admin but with UAC most apps do not run with admin rights. XMBC is launched at startup by the service (so it does have admin rights).

Thanks,
Phil

[phil]

To check some UAC details... Open task manager,
Goto the processes tab, and open the view menu, select columns.
Tick/Turn on the "User Account Control (UAC) Virtualizaiton" column (hit OK)

Look in the processes list: Whats in the UAC column for XMouseButtonControl?

Hit show processes from all users....
Do you have XMouseButtonSvc.exe (running as SYSTEM)

Thanks,
Phil

[phil]

Me again....

I just tried it here, created a standard user account (win7 x64).
Logon as that user.

XMBC works fine with cmd.exe windows
XMBC Does not work with elevated windows (included elevated cmd.exe windows) but I can still click on them and activate them, and use the right button etc. It just does not perform any of the button mappings in these windows.

Are you SURE you dont have anything else interfering. Does it all work OK when you exit XMBC? What about if you disable XMBC (right click the icon in the systray and tick the disable option)?

Now I'm really at a loss!

Thanks,
Phil

[phil]

Aha...

So I just installed a Vista x64 (sp1) virtual machine. I think I might have recreated your problem.
What have you got the left button set to in XMBC?

I found if I set the left button to "left click" instead of the default "nothing don't intercept" then I cant click on the cmd window. I cant reproduce this in Windows 7 x64 so right now I'm putting it down to a problem in the OS itself. But why on earth would anyone set the left button to "left click" is beyond me (because thats the default anyway)

EDIT: Found this http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums ... 7fa6c66649 Source like the same problem because XMBC uses SendInput to simulate clicks.

Let me know - and sorry for the flood of replies
Thanks,
Phil

[madyarov]

Phil,

Thanks a lot for the prompt response and all your efforts. How did you guess?! Ineed, I had all the regular buttons set up manually to what they should do by default. I must have changed them from "Nothing, don't intercept" when I first installed the XMouse and then forgot. Apparently, "Do Nothing" did not seem right to me - I wanted all the buttons to work . I changed that back now to the default and it seems that everything is working perfectly now! Somehow even extra buttons in the CMD applications start working! Thank you!

Best regards,
Andrew.

[phil]

Phew

Glad I managed to figure out that one - but it is indeed strange that setting it to "left click" in vista breaks the command prompt when it does not in Win 7 - I guess MS must have "fixed" the sendinput problem to the command prompt in 7. I wonder if Vista SP2 / (SP3 when its out) also fixes it....

Thanks anyway for the mental challenge - glad its working now
Phil