NeoSmart Technologies' ToolTipFixer 1.0.0


Recommended Posts

Press Start | Programs; and right-click on "Accessories," then press "Open." Close the window that opens up, then go to your taskbar (next to the system clock) and hover over an icon, what do you see?

If you're using anything from Windows 95 to Windows XP, chances are, you're just about to experience The Wow - a 14-year-old bug that Microsoft finally admitted to in 2006:

Before.png

Microsoft's advice? Reboot your PC.

NeoSmart Technologies' ToolTipFixer 1.0.0 is a patch to address this issue that Microsoft refuses to fix: just run the (free, small) patch once, and you're set. If you want your messed up tooltips back, just uninstall it and no harm done!

Not tested on Windows Vista

After.png

linkicon.gif Link: Windows XP's ToolTip Bug.. Fixed!

softicon.gif Download: Download ToolTipFixer 1.0.0 (88kb)

souricon.gif News source: NeoSmart Technologies

Edited by Computer Guru

It happens to everything >.<

The technical explanation is that in the Win32 API, tooltips are coded to have HWND_TOPMOST as their z-index - meaning that they are on top of everything.

However, due to a series (many) (obvious) bugs and miscodings in the Windows Shell, when you perform certain actions with dialogs and Windows that are supposed to appear above current windows (like the context menu when you right click the start menu items) end up coming even above the HWND_TOPMOST entries as well - that's not supposed to happen.

Then it seems (from here on in, i'm only guessing based on what i can see) that the parent window/dialog (in this case, the start menu, then the taskbar) inherits the window status when the child is closed, and keeps it.

Think of it like Dominoes. The first window is made topmost - no problem. as it closes, it's parent takes that z-index. then its parent, and the next, and the next - until you end up with something in the same x-y plane as a HWND_TOPMOST item, and it ends up with a lower z-index; therefore obscuring that item from view.

Basically, it is something that could be avoided by properly handing off z-indexes and keeping these always under HWND_TOPMOST items.

You are mighty welcome, guys.

I do not use XP anymore to use this, but finally a patch! That was the most annoying thing about XP for the years I used it :angry:

I formatted my Vista two weeks ago, haven't looked back - can you tell me if you follow the steps at the very top of the original post, do your taskbar tooltips get messed up?

I know I saw it once or twice in the 8 months I used Vista RTM; but I don't know if it is 100% reproducible like it is in XP.

You are mighty welcome, guys.

I formatted my Vista two weeks ago, haven't looked back - can you tell me if you follow the steps at the very top of the original post, do your taskbar tooltips get messed up?

I know I saw it once or twice in the 8 months I used Vista RTM; but I don't know if it is 100% reproducible like it is in XP.

No, I haven't seen it ever in Vista and doing the steps aforementioned yielded no results. Looks like they fixed it in Vista.

Hmm. Runs on startup, creates a t.txt in my root, eats up 8 mb of ram, and made an unrecoverable system error after install.

Sorry, but looks rather dangerous.

Also, I don't know since when, but I don't have that problem on my computer. Tried the right click open thingy... Nothing happens.

t.txt is a left over from the debug process, it used to contain the all the HWND_handles for open win32 controls. Must have forgotten to remove it - now it just creates the empty file without writing the handles to it. I guess the inevitable .0.1 build is coming out soon to make t.txt disappear :)

Kill ToolTipFixer.exe in taskmanager than try the right-click, open thing and see if you still have that bug. (what OS)

I'm running Windows XP SP2 manually slipstreamed along with all the other patches and everything.

I tested this in classic and normal mode with the taskbar set to auto-hide or not and with it set to to top, bottom, or side. Each time it could be reproduced so long as tooltipfixer.exe was killed.

Running tooltipfixer.exe fixed the problem and prevented it from happening again.

I'm running Windows XP SP2 manually slipstreamed along with all the other patches and everything.

I tested this in classic and normal mode with the taskbar set to auto-hide or not and with it set to to top, bottom, or side. Each time it could be reproduced so long as tooltipfixer.exe was killed.

Running tooltipfixer.exe fixed the problem and prevented it from happening again.

I uninstalled it and still don't have the issue :)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Guess it's one of those things best used by devs to thoroughly test stuff.
    • is it all upside down there? traffic lights reverted too?
    • Bluesky COO warns social media regulations could destroy competition from small startups by Paul Hill Fears that increasing government control of social media risks regulatory capture by the biggest social media firms were raised again recently. Bluesky’s chief operating officer said in an interview that social media bans for children and tighter regulations for social media firms risk creating a world where there are only a few social media platforms run by companies with the deepest pockets. Regulations on social media firms have been very lax since they appeared for mainstream users in the 2000’s. This gave Meta, Snapchat, and Google time to build up their user bases and get entrenched, with Meta being the most successful. Now that Meta has succeeded, it has been attempting regulatory capture. By pushing for more regulations of social media, Meta hopes to make it more difficult for rivals to challenge it. For its part, it doesn’t need to worry about the cost of regulation because it has a lot of money to spend, whereas startups do not. Speaking to CNBC, Rose Wang, Bluesky’s chief operating officer, said: “I support the protection and the safety of youth, the question that we have then is at what cost, because essentially what I’m scared of is in the long term, we’re headed to a world where there’s about three to five platforms, and extreme heavy regulation of those platforms, and basically the whole compliance teams of these platforms are 10 times the size of our entire team. So, basically, we’re living in a world where it’s almost impossible for smaller entrants to come in and build healthier spaces. These platforms have led to a place where the bottom line is the thing that drives what they do... so I understand why governments have to step in and regulate, because the platforms have done nothing right.” She said that while she is not against regulation, there needs to be more channels between the small to mid-sized players and regulators to help protect them. She says that big tech players, on the other hand, “who we know are circumventing regulation,” need to be regulated. Essentially, the Bluesky position is one of nuance, rather than absolutes. While Bluesky’s proposal may preserve competition in the social media space, it still doesn’t address the massive privacy implications these age verification measures introduce, such as handing over sensitive identity documents to access age-gated content. Source: CNBC
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      DJC50PLUS earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      DJC50PLUS earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Proficient
      Eric Biran went up a rank
      Proficient
    • Dedicated
      Conjor earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Week One Done
      Windows Guy earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      493
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      249
    3. 3
      Steven P.
      71
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      70
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!