Plex HTPC lose focus on Win10

Plex Players Desktop Players
1

Afaik, this isn’t related to the plex player per se, thus not providing app version or such.

I have a standalone PC with Win10 connected to my TV. This machine serves as both my plex server, and a HTPC. I have a IR remote control connected to the PC to make it feel like a TV box.
For all intents and purposes this works absolutely brilliantly.
But… Since switching from the older Plex Media Player to the new Plex HTPC, I have noticed that Plex HTPC lose focus sometimes. That is, Plex HTPC is still in full screen mode, and nothing else is visible on the screen. But when I try to use the remote, or even my wireless keyboard to navigate Plex, nothing happens. The simple solution is to find my mouse pointer, click the plex app, and all is back in focus (I.e. remote and keyboard can again be used to navigate).
The question is what could cause this unfocus to happen?
I can’t pinpoint it to anything. I’ve had windows updates run in the background without losing focus. I’ve seen my security software wreak havoc with the RAM and CPU, but still keeping focus. I thought it might be the AMD software running automatic updates, but can’t really pinpoint it to said app. I also have to add, that I can’t really say that this started happening BECAUSE I switched to Plex HTPC.
If anyone has any idea why this suddenly is an annoyance, please enlighten me!

2

Does it lose focus while you are actively using it. Or when you come back to it after a time?

3

The only time I get this with our HTPC setup is when Plex HTPC is in a window, even a maximised window.

I do have Visibility in Settings to Full Screen and Keep Plex on Top of Windows to Always in Plex HTPC but at times, almost always when the wife starts Plex using a Windows shortcut I set up via Flirc, it runs windowed.

I have to use the keyboard to select an area in Plex HTPC and then use \ to change back to fullscreen before the remote will work again.

Edit - I did just add /fullscreen to the Target field of my Plex HTPC shortcut to see if it helps with the wifes use of the remote keypress. Seems to have resolved that issue and kept focus.

1 Like
4

Good question, and I should have included this information in my original post.

I can’t be 100% sure, but it would seem to lose focus when plex has been idle for a while.

5

Awesome feedback, and a lot to check. Thank you for taking the time!

I do have Visibility set to Full Screen and Keep Plex on Top of Windows set to Always.
And if I understand you correctly, this minimizes the chance of losing focus. Please correct me if I misunderstood you here.

I will look into to /fullscreen in the Target Field and see if this changes whether focus is lost or not.

6

Is it possible that you have a 3rd-party screensaver-like app active on that machine? Something that will only become active when the machine hasn’t been in use for some time?

Do you have some 3rd-party controller device plugged in? These sometimes come with annoying drivers or support apps which are stealing focus.

7

Dude, all amazing questions!

And to answer as best I can:

  • I have disabled all screensavers, and only use the one included in Plex HTPC. If there are any active, I can’t find it.

  • I do have a “third party” remote control connected (Microsoft, originally for the Media Center, but don’t have technical specs or full name any more), and a wireless Logitech keyboard (K400+). But no software installed for neither of them as it is not needed.

  • I also did a round when reinstalling the machine to get rid of as much of the third party software. As far as I know, none of the programs and apps installed should interfere with the focus. But I can’t be 100% sure, since not all actions performed by apps are necessarily enclosed or at least readily available.

8

It also loses focus after it updates. This means I have to locate my keyboard to change focus to the app.

9

Never encountered that issue and I’ve been using Plex HTPC since it began.

10

But does it update the app when the app is running?

11

No, it shuts down the app and then asks to install, so you’ll definitely see the dialog. This isn’t related to your focus problem.

1 Like
12

Update: I have added the /fullscreen argument to the target field of the shortcut. And it’s been up and running for three days now without losing focus.
I can’t be sure this has solved my issue yet, since three days without losinng focus before has been known to happen.
I will continue to monitor.

2 Likes
13

Fingers crossed …

1 Like
14

So, yesterday Plex HTPC lost focus while playing media.
This time, I chose not just to re-focus, but to close the app and investigate a bit.
Simply put; there was no windows update, no other notifications, or anything else that I could easily see that could have cause Plex HTPC to lose focus.
However, when I restarted the app, I noticed that there was an update being installed before the app opened.
Could this have caused it to lose focus? The fact that there was an update for the app itself?

15

Are you only rarely using this player device? Or do you never close the player app?
Because the last update for Plex HTPC has been released 9 days ago.

16

I use the device every day, but I restart the machine about once a week.
So It should be updated often enough.

17

I’m almost out of ideas.
Here is one more: find the offending app which is stealing the focus using the techniques mentioned in How to catch a process that steals window focus - Super User

18

Alright, the PID catcher power shell is now running, and we’ll see if anything gets hooked :slight_smile:

19

The PID Catcher has been running for 15h, but I am not sure it works correctly.

The output file has grown to over 2Gb, and filled up with this line:

Handles  NPM(K)    PM(K)      WS(K)     CPU(s)     Id  SI ProcessName                                                  
-------  ------    -----      -----     ------     --  -- -----------                                                  
    136       9     1792       7760       0,02  13960   1 dllhost

And, at no time during this have I experienced a loss of focus.

20

Well, the results are only useful if a focus was stolen. Only then you could take a look into the list and find another PID, using which you then hopefully can identify the culprit.