Firefox migrating between desktops

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RogerSC

Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby RogerSC » 14.08.2010 00:48:52

I've been using dexpot now for a little while with Windows 7. The main problem that I've noticed is that when I have firefox up, it can migrate between desktops. I start it in desktop #4, and the next time I look it has moved to desktop #1 or desktop #2. While I've had apps show up in more than 1 desktop, it is much more common to see firefox actually having changed desktops, kind of migrating for some reason.

I haven't noticed this with other apps, firefox seems to be the main wanderer.

If you could figure out a way to nail firefox down to one desktop, it would be great.

Thanks.

-Roger

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sgtevmckay
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Re: A few problems / bugs

Postby sgtevmckay » 14.08.2010 02:44:31

I have also witnessed this.

In my case I have found that this mainly happens when I am loading Firefox, and prematurely switch screens. Firefox will either move with the desktop switch or move to a different screen if multiple switches of VD are made.

I have also found that this will sometimes happen when a bloated page is loading.
I will venture onto a page with a lot of flash and or iFrames. These take time to load and makes FireFox have fits. Whiles these pages load, about 1 out of 7 times, firefox will jump VD while this page takes an excessive time to load and I am switching between VD.

I also notice that If Firefox is slowed by other processes in other VD that are taking up serious system resources, this will happen as well, also during VD switching.

There are some options built into Dexpot that may meet your need.
Have you tried Assigning Firefox to a specific VD?
Or is this not compatible to your needs?
Image

RogerSC

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby RogerSC » 18.08.2010 02:54:40

I'm the guy with the migrating Firefox...it has nothing to do with changing desktops during Firefox startup, I don't do that *smile*. It just happens when I click on the desktop that Firefox is in, or Firefox feels like it's time to move.

I've found a partial workaround, though. I created an automatic rule that any window with "Mozilla Firefox" in the title bar should be moved to desktop 4. So as soon as Firefox makes its move, the rule grabs it back. This is fine, except for a couple things...first off, if I was using it when it migrated, then the focus is left in the desktop that it migrated to, but I know where to go to find it (desktop 4 *smile*).

The other thing is that Firefox browsers that are brought up in another desktop are immediately moved to desktop 4. This is a bit unfortunate, since, for example, I have MS Outlook running in desktop 1, and Firefox is often brought up there via a URL in an email. Then I have to switch to desktop 4 to see the URL. Okay, that's not as bad as losing the ability to locate a web page window on any desktop where it is convenient.

But, in the end, I do prefer always knowing where to look for browser windows, as opposed to having them moving now and then, and then having to find them. Having the icons in the desktop preview/desktop switcher widget is helpful in finding them, but it wastes time and I lose my personal focus *smile*.

I'd really like to see the problem fixed, dexpot would be just about perfect for me if it were. As it is, I'm keeping my eyes open for other virtual desktop management software to see if there isn't something better out there. If this happened with applications other than Firefox, I'd most likely not be able to use dexpot at all, but luckily this behavior seems limited to Firefox so far.

Thanks.

-Roger

RogerSC

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby RogerSC » 19.08.2010 20:54:06

Oh, by the way, I've now had a few putty migrations (the Windows ssh login app), and a remote desktop login has moved between desktops as well.

I can't tie the putty's down to a single desktop, but I have added a rule for the remote desktop login.

I'm seriously shopping around for other virtual desktop software at this point. When I tried Virtual Dimension, that I used to use on Windows XP, it didn't seem to work right on Windows 7...specifically, the right-click on the window frame to allow moving an app to another desktop didn't seem to work right, I need to try it again to see if I can live with that. I never had the migrating app problem with Virtual Dimension, although rarely an application (usually Firefox *smile*) would appear in all the desktops...that was easy to fix, since Firefox restores itself when it is exited and brought up again. The frequency of that happening with Virtual Dimension is nowhere even close to Firefox moving around, which seems to be happening several times an hour, and is very distracting.

I've also been looking at "GoScreen", which looks very complex and over-featured, so that kind of turns me off on it, but it seems to have lots of fans.

Anyways, at this point, dexpot is just looking too unstable to be useful to me on Windows 7. I'll watch for updates, but as it is, it is more trouble than it's saving me at this point.

Thanks.

-Roger

RogerSC

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby RogerSC » 19.08.2010 22:46:10

Okay, I've now installed Virtual Dimension and am happy again. The problem that I saw when I first installed it is gone, so it must have been a problem in the installation. Very stable, easy set of problems to deal with, no more apps wandering around, or flashing focus as apps are flung back to the desktops where they're supposed to be from where they've wandered to.

I'll keep my eye on dexpot, it could be a better product if there were support for these issues, I can't believe that I'm the only person seeing them. It is a tribute to the features in dexport that I've stayed with it as long as I have, as disruptive as these problems are.

It's also interesting that a product designed for earlier versions of Windows and basically unsupported for the last few years, Virtual Dimension, is better behaved on the next version of Windows than one whose web site claims current support, and support on Windows 7.

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Sebastian
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Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Sebastian » 20.08.2010 14:28:59

:dex:,

we're not sure whether your issue is related to your activating windows on other desktops. There's an option for that in 'Settings/Plugins and Extras'.

Could you check that?
Best regards (wave)
Sebastian Brands, Dexpot GbR

RogerSC

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby RogerSC » 21.03.2011 08:37:02

Sebastian,

Hi, I'm back looking at this again...what setting do you recommend for activating windows on other desktops in "Setting Plugins and Extras"? I currently have it set to "do nothing"...I think that the default was "copy to this window". I don't think that it's related, but I'm willing to try anything *smile*.

I haven't seen any windows move between desktops yet in version 1.5, but I've only used it for a few minutes.

Also, how do you move windows between desktops if they don't have "Dexpot" in their mouse right-click menu, like Firefox 4 and a few other applications that I've seen now? I use the desktop preview menu as a desktop selector, my taskbar has lots of other stuff in it, and when you have 12 desktops, the taskbar gets too crowded.

Thanks for your help.

-Roger

RogerSC

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby RogerSC » 21.03.2011 21:08:10

Sebastion,

Never mind, Firefox 4.0 just moved between desktops on me again. Back to Virtual Dimension and its foibles.

Sorry for bothering you.

-Roger

Fred Sanford

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Fred Sanford » 23.03.2011 21:32:06

Rather than create a new thread Im posting this here, since it may be related.

Seeing a very odd thing. Just migrated to Firefox 4 , and didnt have this issue with version 3.6.

The problem:

FF is only desktop 2. If I switch from desktop 1 to 2 and back , no problem.

I use a script written in autoit, that presses the hotkey (Alt-numpad 2) to switch to desktop 2 after preforming an action on desktop 1. When this script is invoked, it switches to desktop 2 correctly, BUT when I move back to desktop 1, Firefox follows to desktop 1 , (stays also on desktop 2). Seems that until I switch back to desktop 1, FF is not copied there (checked via the preview screen).

No idea why this is happening. I even cleared the "move to " hotkeys in case they were being triggered, but it made no difference. So what is causing this? Some weirdness in the new FF 4 .??

Fred Sanford

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Fred Sanford » 23.03.2011 22:04:48

I should have made it clear, that it seems to be the use of autoit and the virtual pressing of the desktop switch hotkey that triggers this issue. manually pressing does not seem to cause any problem. Again, this is a new problem since FF 4.

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Patrick
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Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Patrick » 24.03.2011 11:57:45

:dex:

Can you provide a minimal AutoIt script to reproduce the issue?

Fred Sanford

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Fred Sanford » 24.03.2011 14:16:30

I've determined its nothing to do with autoit.

I have another app (3rd party,written in java), calling up a web page using a mouse click on desk 1. FF is on desk 2, and it duplicates itself on desk 1 AFTER the web page has loaded.

Simply moving from desk 1 to 2 is fine, has something to do with the page load.

I tried firefox.exe=move in the ini file. No fix there.

Op sys is Win 7 X64

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Patrick
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Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Patrick » 24.03.2011 14:40:01

Check the Behavior of windows on other desktops option in the Dexpot settings under Plugins and Extras. When it's set to Copy window to current desktop, what you're describing is the expected behavior.

Fred Sanford

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Fred Sanford » 25.03.2011 04:14:55

No, I am aware of that setting, and its always been set to Do Nothing.

This is something that the new Firefox 4 is causing. Since I don't know how dexpot interacts with FF, I can't help you figure out what it is.

I can say that simply switching between desktops is not a problem. This only happens when a web page is loaded from an app on desk 1 , into FF opened on desk 2. When I go back to desk 1 , FF is copied there. Not random , happens every time.

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Patrick
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Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Patrick » 25.03.2011 09:23:02

When exactly does the Firefox window appear on desktop 1? You're on desktop 1, Firefox is on desktop 2. Some app opens a web link, then what happens?

Guest

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Guest » 26.03.2011 04:31:49

Problem has nothing to do with Firefox. Same issue with IE.

I tried reinstalling Dexpot, and redoing settings but that did not fix the problem.

This is what happens.

1) App is on Desk 1 only

2) Browser (IE or Firefox) is on Desk 2 only.

3) App loads a web page. Browser responds. At this point, browser does NOT move to desk 1.

4) I switch to desk 2 to view browser. When I move back to desk 1 , browser has been copied to desk 1, and is now on desk 1 and desk 2.


I recently updated my video driver (Nvidia) so this MIGHT be an issue. Don't know how, but I thought I should mention that.

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Patrick
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Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Patrick » 27.03.2011 10:03:16

Please enable the Dexpot log file, restart Dexpot, reproduce the problem, and email me the log file.

In step 3, do you have to use one particular app to load the web page, or will pressing Win+R (i.e. the Windows "Run" dialog), entering some URL and clicking OK also trigger the problem?

Fred Sanford

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Fred Sanford » 28.03.2011 04:38:42

I was able to duplicate the problem using the RUN box and a URL. I sent you a log via email

I also did this. I set the Behavior of Other windows setting to "Switch to respective desktop" , instead of "Do nothing "

When I did this, the problem went away. Seems that do nothing is actually doing something :lol:

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Patrick
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Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Patrick » 28.03.2011 11:21:18

Fred Sanford wrote:I was able to duplicate the problem using the RUN box and a URL. I sent you a log via email

Thanks. Please copy the attached dexpot.exe into your Dexpot installation folder and see if the problem persists.

dexpot.exe
(1.22 MiB) Downloaded 639 times

Seems that do nothing is actually doing something

You're right. The options are named from the user's perspective. Internally, "Do nothing" actually has to do something. The real do-nothing option is "Copy window to the current desktop". :D

Fred Sanford

Re: Firefox migrating between desktops

Postby Fred Sanford » 29.03.2011 01:03:39

A quick test seems to indicate that you have fixed the problem. What did you change?


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