Windows taskbar

[cardboard_killer]

Since Windows last update, the taskbar no longer minimizes (disappears) when playing IL-2. Anyone know how to corrrect this? I'm running Il-2 from the steam app if that makes a difference.

[Thad]

I haven't experienced this problem. Have you selected Full Screen mode in the game? 

[norsetto]

I have the May 2020 Update (Build 19041.450) which I have installed few days ago, no issue for me (I'm playing full screen). Are you on the November 2020 update?

[cardboard_killer]

16 minutes ago, norsetto said:

I have the May 2020 Update (Build 19041.450)

 

This is my build, but dated August 2020

30 minutes ago, Thad said:

Have you selected Full Screen mode in the game? 

Not an option as I'm using the steam web starter.

-------------------------

 

I've set the task bar to hide, and that seems to work, but I've never been a fan of the hiding task bar in windows.

[354thFG_Leifr]

It is mildly frustrating as I cannot use the SRS radio overlay if I am in fullscreen, however if I choose to do so I have to tolerate the Windows taskbar which used to disappear.

[THERION]

1 hour ago, Leifr said:

It is mildly frustrating as I cannot use the SRS radio overlay if I am in fullscreen, however if I choose to do so I have to tolerate the Windows taskbar which used to disappear.

 

You got the Windows Taskbar when not in fullscreen mode? Strange, this never happened to me. I have the taskbar fixed, not in hide mode - maybe this might be

the issue.

 

Before using SRS I tried both fullscreen on and off on different occasions when fiddling around with my graphic settings / performance optimization. But finally

I did not see any advantage in having fullscreen on.

 

SRS is a good thing...

[354thFG_Leifr]

Yes, and it's only recently that this functionality has changed although I cannot say when exactly.

My taskbar is set to 'fixed' (Lock the taskbar) too, it is how I have always kept it. I don't mind really, it's just an inconvenience to have to alter a Windows setting (set to auto hide taskbar) every time I wish to use the SRS overlay in IL2.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Leifr

[ciribob]

You can enable a setting in SRS to not have a task bar icon for the overlay

 

Minimize all the other SRS windows to the tray, open the overlay and you'll see no icon in the task bar. I added this to fix the same bug in windows 7 years ago

 

@Leifr

[354thFG_Leifr]

1 hour ago, ciribob said:

You can enable a setting in SRS to not have a task bar icon for the overlay

 

Minimize all the other SRS windows to the tray, open the overlay and you'll see no icon in the task bar. I added this to fix the same bug in windows 7 years ago

 

@Leifr

 

Morning Ciribob, thank you for taking the time to respond.

I am not sure this directly fixes the issue, I cannot use the SRS Overlay in IL2 'Fullscreen' and I still have to set the taskbar to hide if I desire to play IL2 in 'Windowed Borderless' and maintain SRS overlay functionality. IL2 does not seem to set itself properly as 'Windowed Borderless' and maintains the taskbar by default along the bottom edge of the screen.

 

Actually, I found a new annoyance last night whilst playing in 'Windowed Borderless'. IL2 would automatically minimise and prioritise any other application with a pending message (such as a Steam message, Discord message, etc), and I would have to refocus the application to hide the taskbar. At some point something has changed as I did not have this issue previously, I am unsure if it is BoX or Windows.

[ciribob]

Hmm sounds like a windows bug as IL2 in full screen borderless (not exclusive) should hide the windows task bar when it's in the foreground / is the active window

 

The SRS change I suggested also should keep the task bar hidden as it has no task bar icon, so the bar doesn't show when switching between IL2 and SRS

[354thFG_Leifr]

Hi folks.

 

I have spent the morning having a look through my Windows setup and cannot come to any reasonable conclusion other than this being a distinctly IL2 issue. The game behaves almost as if it does not have the focus assigned to it; unless I run in fullscreen mode, the Windows taskbar will always be present. This is made more frustrating by any active notifications on my desktop or system tray (Discord, Steam etc) as the game will continue to run with the taskbar lit up at the bottom of the screen. I have tried resetting Windows Explorer whilst playing, running in administrator mode for it (and any active apps such as Discord) and various cycles of ALT+TAB / Windows key.

 

Every other game in my library functions correctly when in Windowed or Borderless mode, and interacts fine with the Windows desktop. The taskbar correctly disappears and the focus remains on the game window until I ALT+TAB or otherwise exit the game. I am suspect of IL2 as not even the Windows 'snip' tool wishes to work when the game has loaded.

 

Obviously this isn't a massive problem as I can play in fullscreen just fine, but I do wish for the functionality to correctly return and so that I may use the excellent SRS overlay.

[ciribob]

@Leifr you can try using SRS as I do in VR, where you cannot see the overlay

 

Enable the text to speech option and with that and hotkeys (and the status hotkey) and you're good to go!