Windows 7: Pop-up windows open behind other windows

Replies (17) 

* Please try a lower page number.

* Please enter only numbers.

* Please try a lower page number.

* Please enter only numbers.

2 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

HI, I just installed windows 7 and the same thing caused me headaches in plenty. The problem is not a specific application for example installing windows essentials click download button and then wait for it to download after half an hour of frustration you try again and then get a message that is is already downloading. you start closing the browser windows and there it is wating for you to press next or something stupid like that.

The problem was correctly described , how do you make the new window open in front?

1 person found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

3 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

I discovered on my own by accident, after years of putting up with this nonsense, that the fix is in mouse settings. In Windows 8

Go to Control Panel, Ease of Access Center, Change how your mouse works, find the heading «Make it easier to manage Windows» and uncheck «Activate a window by hovering over it with a mouse».

Find the similar sections in Control Panel in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

If you check the above window, it does not make it easier to manage Windows, it makes it excruciatingly more difficult! Every time you take your mouse out of a window, it deactivates the window and puts another one (usually unintended) in front of the window you were working on. Unless you are aware that your mouse is crazy you have no idea what is happening!

It is amazing to me that this issue was not resolved by the Geek Army before now! This issue has been annoying people for 5 years or more but no solutions were offered.

Windows Installer .. preparing to install pop up

I keep on getting this pop up during start up.

Windows Installer .. Preparing to install

It will pop up several times and nothing will happen.

I just have to click on cancel because it’s not doing anything.

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate

What should I do to remove this?

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community and thank for giving us an opportunity to assist you.

From the issue description, you keep receiving pop-up message saying “Windows Installer preparing to install”.

To help you suggest steps to resolve the issue, I would appreciate if you could answer the following questions:

1. Does the issue occur while performing specific task on the computer?

2. Have you made any changes on the computer prior to the issue?

You can resolve the issues by using the methods discussed below:

Method 1: Start the Windows Installer service and check if that works.

a. Click «Start», type «Services.msc»(without the quotes) and press

b. Double-click Windows Installer

c. Set the Startup type of Windows Installer to «Manual»

d. Click «Start» to start the service.

Method 2: Unregister and re-register the Windows Installer to do that follow the steps provided below.

a. Click «Start«, click «Run«, type «MSIEXEC /UNREGISTER«,(without the quotes) and then click «OK «. Even if you do this correctly, it may look like nothing occurs.

b. Click «Start«, click «Run«, type «MSIEXEC /REGSERVER«, (without the quotes) and then click «OK «.

Even if you do this correctly, it may look like nothing occurs, or you may briefly see an hourglass. After you run this command, the operation is complete.

c. Try your Windows Installer-based application again.

Method 3: Try performing System File Checker scan (SFC scan) on the computer. System File Checker scan will replace corrupt or missing system files on your computer.

Check the below mentioned link for further guidance on SFC scan:

Use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7

Hope this information helps. For Windows related issue or anything related to Windows Operating System feel free to contact us or Let us know and we will be happy to help.

Windows Installer keeps popping up or starting

Does your Windows Installer process run every time you boot the Windows device? Or maybe you are working, and it suddenly pops up randomly? Why does this happen? How do you stop it from running at random times in the background? This post takes a look at some scenarios & discusses your options.

The Windows Installer or m siexec.exe is a Windows OS component and an application programming interface, located in the System32 folder, that is used for the installation, maintenance, and removal of software. So when you see this process running, it definitely means that some software is being installed, changed, or uninstalled. Many software use the Windows Installer to carry out the installation process.

Windows Installer keeps popping up

If this is happening with your permission and knowledge, then it is fine – as you may be in the process of installing, uninstalling, or repairing your installed software. But if it is not, then you need to investigate further.

This post will probably raise more questions than answers – that is something you will have to answer for yourself – and that may show you the direction to work.

1] Terminate the process manually

Terminate the process manually and see if it appears again either in the current session or on restart. To do this, right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager. Under the Process tab, you may see the m siexec.exe process. Right-click on it and select End task. This will terminate the Windows Installer process.

2] Check Windows Installer version

Ensure that the latest version of Windows Installer is installed. Right-click on m siexec.exe , in the System32 folder, select Properties > Details. The latest version as of writing is 5.0.10586.0.

3] Run System File Checker

Maybe your Windows Installer file has been corrupted. Run System File Checker and reboot once the scan is completed. See this post if Windows Installer Service can not be accessed.

4] Give it some time to run

Now ask yourself, did you install any new software in the last day or two? If so maybe some background process or updating is still going on. Give the Windows Installer time to run and see if it shuts down after a while.

5] Check for PUPs

When you installed the software, did it install any third-party offers? Check the Control Panel. Maybe they are being installed. Check if any software which you installed or updated recently, bundled other software. If so it may be using this process. You may want to uninstall unwanted applications.

6] Check msiexec.exe

Did you download or install anything of doubtful value? Maybe something is installing Malware or a PUP on your system. Run a full scan with your antivirus software along with AdwCleaner, which is a good tool to remove PUPs, Browser Hijackers & Adware.

If m siexec.exe is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder, then it is the legitimate Microsoft process. If it is located in any other folder, it could well be malware, as malware files can me named anything.

7] Re-register the Windows Installer engine

You may want also to consider re-registering the Windows Installer engine. To do so, open Command Prompt, type the following and hit Enter:

Now to register it again, type the following and hit Enter.

8] Run Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter

Download the Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter. This tool is the replacement for Windows Installer Cleanup utility which was discontinued. This tool will help you fix potential issues with Windows Installer.

Specifically, it will fix the following problems:

1. Problems that prevent new programs from being installed, uninstalled or updated
2. Corrupted registry keys that are related to these issues.

This troubleshooter works on Windows 10/8.1/8/7.

Let us know if anything helped, or if you have other suggestions.

Install Windows pop up screen

‎11-17-2020 12:34 PM

• Mark as New
• Bookmark
• Subscribe
• Permalink
• Print
• Email to a Friend
• Flag Post

I have a HP Pavilion 14m-cd0000 x360 Convertible PC and I did a factory restart, now I pop up window pops up on the starting screen saying “the computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an error. Windows instillation cannot proceed. To install windows click ‘ok’ to restart the computer and restart the installation.” The problem is when I press okay on the pop-up, it restarts the computer and the same pop-up window shows up, and this keeps happening and it’s and endless cycle.

‎11-17-2020 12:38 PM

• Mark as New
• Bookmark
• Subscribe
• Permalink
• Print
• Email to a Friend
• Flag Post

Every time I read one of these Factory-Reset-Failed posts I cringe and continue to wonder why everyone seems to think a factory reset is a miracle cure when, in many cases, it only serves to make things worse!

If a factory rest starts out OK and then halts part way through, that is nearly always an indication of a failing drive — which is a hardware issue that a factory reset will do nothing to fix.

To check for hard drive failing, if your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

***If my post helped, click the thumbs-up symbol to say thanks***

***Please mark Accept As Solution if my post solved your problem***

I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP

‎11-17-2020 01:48 PM

• Mark as New
• Bookmark
• Subscribe
• Permalink
• Print
• Email to a Friend
• Flag Post

I ran an extensive system check on the laptop and everything showed up good but the pop up window still shows up. Any suggestions on this

‎11-17-2020 04:50 PM

• Mark as New
• Bookmark
• Subscribe
• Permalink
• Print
• Email to a Friend
• Flag Post

The tests on check for hardware issues, not software or Windows. Clearly, something went wrong or you would not be getting the popup and there is no way of removing that because we have no idea what is causing it.

The restart indicates something failed during the reset and no amount of rebooting is going to fix that. The only thing that might work is a reset from external media.

———- Factory reset using external HP image you make ———-
HP provides a Cloud Recovery tool that you can use, together with a 32GB USB stick, to create your on HP reset media.

This works the same as the factory reset described above.

———- Factory reset using external HP image you buy ———-
For those PCs not supported by the Cloud Recovery, in some cases, HP offers Recover Media for sale. This can not be downloaded; instead, it must be ordered from HP.

HP Recovery Media is a set of DVDs and a CD, or USB stick, that will erase the hard drive (removing all data, settings, and applications, reinstall the original OS, drivers, and some HP Utilities.

In some cases, you may be able to order a USB stick instead of disks.

You can look online for Recovery Media starting with the linked paged: http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers

Once there, input your Product name or number. On your Software and Drivers Download page, select your Operating System and and Version. Click «Update».

If HP Recovery Media is available for your machine, down near the bottom of the page, you will see an entry for Order Recovery Media-CD/DVD/USB. Click the «+» symbol to expand that entry and click on Order Media for details.

Or, if you prefer, you can do the same by contacting HP Customer Support.

If HP no longer carries the media you need, another site you should check for HP Recovery Media is: http://www.computersurgeons.com/

These work the same as the factory reset described above.

***If my post helped, click the thumbs-up symbol to say thanks***

***Please mark Accept As Solution if my post solved your problem***

I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP

Configuring your web browser to allow pop-up windows

Most web browsers include a feature to block pop-up windows. While this may eliminate unwanted or bothersome pop-up windows, the feature sometimes can impede the functionality of legitimate or useful websites.

Some popular Penn-affiliated websites requiring pop-ups include U@Penn and the Penn Online Directory.

Follow the instructions below to configure your web browser to allow pop-up windows for your selected websites.

• Apple Safari (macOS)
• Google Chrome .current (Windows/macOS)
• Mozilla Firefox.current (Windows/macOS)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows)
• Microsoft Edge (Windows 10 only)

Note: If you have installed third party applications to block pop-ups (examples include the Google, MSN, and Yahoo! toolbars), be sure to consult the vendor documentation to allow pop-up windows for desired websites.

Safari (macOS)

Safari for macOS has no per-website control over blocking pop-up windows. Pop-ups are either blocked, or they are not. To allow pop-ups:

1. From the Safari menu, choose Preferences. and click the Security tab.
2. Ensure the Block pop-up windows option is not checked. Unchecking this option will allow pop-ups.
3. To block pop-ups once again, check the Block pop-up windows checkbox.

Note: If you are concerned about allowing pop-ups globally for all websites that you browse, consider using another web browser that allows website exceptions such as Chrome or Firefox.

Chrome .current (Windows/macOS)

1. Open Chrome, then go to the web page that you want to allow pop-ups.
2. In Chrome’s URL window, highlight the entire web address of the current page, then choose the Copy command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Copy command.
3. Click the icon with three horizontal bars in the upper right side of the browser toolbar.
4. Click Settings.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings section and click Show advanced settings. .
6. In the Privacy section, click Content settings. . The Content settings window appears.
7. Scroll to the Pop-ups section, and then ensure the Do not allow any site to show pop-ups radio button is selected.
8. Click Manage exceptions. .
9. In the Hostname pattern field, choose the Paste command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Paste command, and ensure the Behavior dropdown menu is set to Allow.

Notes: Pasting the web address of a page you wish to allow pop-ups is recommended, rather than typing the generic main web address. For example, you might visit www.example.com/requirepopup.html, but the page is actually hosted at popup.example.com/forms/popupform.html. In this example, you must allow popup.example.com, not www.example.com. Note also that entire websites must be allowed, not individual directories or pages, so in this example Chrome will automatically add the top level popup.example.com to its Allowed sites.

Click Done.

Close any remaining dialog boxes.

Firefox .current (Windows/macOS)

1. Open Firefox, then go to the web page that you want to allow pop-ups.
2. In Firefox’s URL window, highlight the entire web address of the current page, then choose the Copy command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Copy command.
3. Click the icon with three horizontal bars in the upper right side of the browser toolbar.
4. Select Options (Windows) or Preferences (macOS).
5. In the left sidebar, click on the Content icon to display the Content section.
6. In the Pop-ups section, ensure the Block pop-up windows checkbox is selected, then click the adjacent Exceptions... button.
7. In the Address of web site: field, choose the Paste command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Paste command, and then click Allow.

Notes: Pasting the web address of a page you wish to allow pop-ups is recommended, rather than typing the generic main web address. For example, you might visit www.example.com/requirepopup.html, but the page is actually hosted at popup.example.com/forms/popupform.html. In this example, you must allow popup.example.com, not www.example.com. Note also that entire websites must be allowed, not individual directories or pages, so in this example Firefox will automatically add the top level popup.example.com to its Allowed sites.

Click Save Changes.

Close any remaining dialog boxes.

Internet Explorer (Windows)

When a website attempts to launch a new pop-up window, you may see dialog boxes alerting you of pop-up windows that have been blocked. Follow the instructions below to allow pop-up windows on a per-website basis.

1. Open Internet Explorer, then go to the web page that you want to allow pop-ups.
2. In Internet Explorer’s Address field, highlight the entire web address of the current page, then right-click and choose the Copy command.
3. From the Tools menu (the gear icon on the far right), select Internet options. The Internet Options dialog box opens.
4. Click on the Privacy tab.
5. Under Pop-up Blocker ensure the Turn on Pop-up Blocker checkbox is checked, and then click Settings. The Pop-up Blocker Settings dialog box opens.
6. Right-click in the Address of website to allow: field, then choose the Paste command.

Notes: Pasting the web address of a page you wish to allow pop-ups is recommended, rather than typing the generic main web address. For example, you might visit www.example.com/requirepopup.html, but the page is actually hosted at popup.example.com/forms/popupform.html. In this example, you must allow popup.example.com, not www.example.com. Note also that entire websites must be allowed, not individual directories or pages, so in this example Internet Explorer will automatically add the top level popup.example.com to its Allowed sites.

For more information about pop-ups, see Learn more about Pop-up Blocker, located at the bottom of the dialog box.

Click Add.

Close any remaining dialog boxes.

Edge (Windows 10 only)

Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 has no per-website control over blocking pop-up windows. Pop-ups are either blocked, or they are not. To allow pop-ups:

1. Click the ellipsis icon (. ) in the upper right corner of your web browser, and then click Settings.
2. In the Advanced settings section, click View advanced settings.
3. In the Block pop-ups section, click the switch to Off. Pop-ups are now allowed.
4. To block pop-ups once again, click the switch to On.

Note: If you are concerned about allowing pop-ups globally for all websites that you browse, consider using another web browser that allows website exceptions such as Chrome or Firefox.