Member Avatar for chound

I can never make games that use full screen to work. Eg. Diablo, Command and Conquer, 3dPinball (Full screen Mode), Flight Sim 2002 (The starting screen works since the first few screens are not full screen). All these open normally without any problem. But they get minimized. Whenever I try to mazimise them, They maximise, u see a black screen for few seconds then it minimizes again. How do I get rid of this problem?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Silkywings

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This thread shows a classic fullscreen-mode conflict rather than a game bug. Fullscreen DirectX/OpenGL apps ask Windows and the video driver to switch display modes; if the driver crashes or another program immediately steals focus the game will go black and then minimize. was right to check display settings, and 's idea of trying a lower desktop mode points in the right direction (note: 800x640 is not standard — use the usual 800x600 or 640x480 options if testing older titles).

Common fixes and short checklist:

  • Update the graphics driver and the DirectX runtime used by the era of the game. A corrupted/outdated driver often causes a brief black screen followed by a minimize.
  • Temporarily set desktop color quality to 16-bit (High Color) and try the game; many older engines expect 16-bit color.
  • Close background programs and overlays that can steal focus (instant messengers, auto-updaters, screen recorders, volume OSD, Steam/FRAPS overlays). A clean boot (disable non-Microsoft startup items) is a good test.
  • If multiple monitors are attached, disable the secondary displays or set the game monitor as primary. Multi-monitor setups commonly confuse fullscreen mode.
  • Use windowed mode or Alt+Enter if the game supports it; that avoids changing the desktop mode. For games that offer an in-game resolution list, pick a native desktop resolution or a standard legacy resolution the game supports.

Notes for the "missing bottom strip" case reported by : that symptom typically points to monitor overscan / scaling or an in-game/desktop resolution mismatch. Adjust the monitor OSD (position/size), or the GPU driver scaling options (set to maintain aspect or no scaling), or run the title windowed and resize.

If problems persist, the most useful diagnostics are OS version, GPU model and driver version, exact game title/version, and whether Event Viewer shows display-driver or application errors — those details point to either a focus/overlay issue or a driver-reset.

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Member Avatar for pizzafiend

What resolution is your monitor set to?

Member Avatar for chound

What resolution is your monitor set to?

1024 * 768

Member Avatar for caperjack

1024 * 768

that most likely you problem turn it down to 800x640 and try thr games

Member Avatar for Silkywings

I have the same problem. I am playing Mystery Stories - Island of Hope and the bottom 1/4" strip won't show. Since some of the clues are in the bottom strip I can't advance past the first chapter. I have tried both resolution 800 and 1024...no difference either way. Help pls

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