Working around “Always On Top” or “Always in Focus” Windows Issue

This has been a problem since I had Windows 8 on a very expensive laptop. I’ve heard of it on Windows 7, but never had the pleasure of being introduced to the problem. After I upgraded to Windows 8.1, I still had the problem. The first time this happened was particularly embarrassing. I popped up while teaching a Windows class online. Of course a new bug pops up when you are in front of the public. Here is what is going on.

I open multiple windows, like most over achievers. All of the sudden, one window will not lose focus and fall behind the others. Up until now, the only way to work around this issue was to do one of two things. Minimize the problematic window or close and re-open the application. Since I like to switch between applications using Alt-Tab, this was a no go for me. Unfortunately, it was my only option.

I just discovered this fix. With the problematic window in focus, press Ctrl-Alt-Esc. No idea why, but the Window started to play nice again. Give it a try. I am a lot happier now.

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How to run GPResult on a remote client with PowerShell

In the past, to run the GPResult command, you would need to either physically visit this client, have the user do it, or use and RDP connection. In all cases, this will disrupt the user. First, you need PowerShell remoting enabled on the target machine. You can do this via Group Policy . Open PowerShell and type this command. Invoke-Command –ScriptBlock {GPResult /r} –ComputerName <ComputerName> Replace <ComputerName> with the name of the target. Remember, the target needs to be online and accessible to you.

Set up your Environment to utilize Invoke-GPUpdate

I’m sitting in O’Hare enjoying my 3 hour layover as I get ready to teach a Windows 10 class in Fort Wayne. I’m actually prepping for my class in Fort Wayne in a few weeks, 10982 Supporting and Troubleshooting Windows 10. This class is very much like the Windows 7 version that I used to teach so I decided to up the detail quite a bit. In the GPO troubleshootin chapter, I’m including a demonstration on how to use PowerShell’s Invoke-GPUpdate. I needed to make sure the environment is set up for me to be able to utilize this cmdlet. If you read the Notes section on Invoke-GPUpdate’s help file, you will see there are three firwall rules that need to be in place: Remote Scheduled Tasks Management (RPC) Remote Scheduled Tasks Management (RPC-ERMAP) Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-IN) I decided to create a little PowerShell script to crea...

Where did a User’s Account Get Locked Out?

Updated: May 15, 2015 When this article was originally published, two extra carriage returns were add causing the code to malfunction. The code below is correct. My client for this week’s PowerShell class had a really interesting question. They needed to know where an account is being locked out at. OK, interesting. Apparently users hop around clients and forget to log off, leading to eventual lock out of their accounts. The accounts can be unlocked, but are then relocked after Active Directory replication. This problem is solved in two parts. The first one is to modify the event auditing on the network. The second part is resolved with PowerShell. The first part involves creating a group policy that will encompass your Domain Controllers. In this GPO, make these changes. Expand Computer Configuration \ Policies \ Windows Settings \ Security Settings \ Advanced Audit Policy Configuration \ Audit Policies \ Account Management Double click User Account Management C...

Jason Yoder, MCT

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