OT: Fleeting window image on monitor

[winchman]

Dell Inspiron with Intel I5 processor and Windows 10 Home. All updates have been successfully installed. I'm using the Chrome browser with Adblock Plus. McAfee isn't showing any issues. I haven't changed any of the settings or installed any new apps in months. However....

For about the last month, I've been seeing a small window image appear in the upper left area of the monitor. It stays on the screen just long enough to catch a glimpse of it, but not really see the content. Most times it looks almost blank, but sometimes it looks like it might be a bunch of text. I've never seen anything I'd call an picture. It seems to be fading away as soon as it appears. There doesn't seem to be any pattern as to when, how often, or what I'm doing when it happens...just boom, there it is, and then it's gone.

Any idea what's causing it or how to make it stop.

[SirLesPatterson]

I've been noticing it too. I think this might explain it but there seems to be various fixes such as disabling a scheduled task, etc. Supposedly a fix is coming down the pipe soon.

https://www.windowscentral.com/fix-c...kly-windows-10

[winchman]

Thank you for the info. It's good to know I'm not imagining it and that there's a fix in the works.

[RB211]

Thats a script, or some console program executing. It can be legit, or it could be a script used for nefarious purposes. Probably legit.

[winchman]

Wait...I just realized that I don't have Office 365 installed on my computer. I also don't have Outlook or any other mail app, since I use the website for Magic Mail provided by my ISP.

I do keep a tab open on Chrome with my school email account, which uses Outlook/Office 365. I'll close that tab to see if that makes the fleeting window go away.

[RB211]

Wait...I just realized that I don't have Office 365 installed on my computer. I also don't have Outlook or any other mail app, since I use the website for Magic Mail provided by my ISP.

I do keep a tab open on Chrome with my school email account, which uses Outlook/Office 365. I'll close that tab to see if that makes the fleeting window go away.

It's most likely part of norton

[winchman]

Closing the tab with the Outlook account didn't help. I just saw one of the fleeting windows.

I don't have Norton on this computer. Based on my prior experience with Norton, I wouldn't be surprised to learn it's causing the problem without even being installed.

[SirLesPatterson]

Wait...I just realized that I don't have Office 365 installed on my computer. I also don't have Outlook or any other mail app, since I use the website for Magic Mail provided by my ISP.

I do keep a tab open on Chrome with my school email account, which uses Outlook/Office 365. I'll close that tab to see if that makes the fleeting window go away.

Open Task Scheduler, Library, Microsoft, Office and see if there is a officebackgroundtaskhandler item.

[RB211]

Closing the tab with the Outlook account didn't help. I just saw one of the fleeting windows.

I don't have Norton on this computer. Based on my prior experience with Norton, I wouldn't be surprised to learn it's causing the problem without even being installed.

Sorry, I meant McAfee.
Really, when the system updates, or a piece of software updates, or for any useful purpose, something is opening a command window which resembles a dos prompt to run a script. The script executes and finishes in a blink of an eye. Nothing non normal about this.

[winchman]

Here it is. I'll see if the "last run time" coincides with the next time I see one on the screen.




The fleeting window doesn't seem to be causing any problems. It raised my concerns simply by being new and unexplained.

[A.K. Boomer]

It's a subliminal message,
resistance is futile - you will be assimilated into the microsoft collective.

[SirLesPatterson]

From what I've read it's that officebackgroundtaskhandler that's the issue and that Microsoft will supposedly release an update to fix the screen you see flashing up briefly. So you can ignore it and wait or disable that officebackgroundtaskhandler task as others claim that solved it for them. But don't take my word for it.

[winchman]

I just saw one of the fleeting windows, and I immediately opened the Task Scheduler. The "last run time" shown for OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration coincided exactly with the time I saw the FW.

That pretty much nails it down I think. Thanks for the info.