While using FS9, from time to time, I wish to minimise the program so I can use other programs such as a third party aircraft configuration, fuel planner or Active Sky. I always fly in full screen mode which necessitates pressing 'alt + enter' to get the heading bar at the top. I can then either click the '-' to place FS in the task bar or click on the two squares to minimise the screen. However, when I go back to FS9 afterwards, I can never get FS back to it's original state with the heading bar at the top. When I click on the 'box' in the top right corner of the minimised screen to maximise it, half the minimised screen disappears leaving the other half there but nothing else happens. All I can do is exist FS.FS9 has only started doing this in the last couple of months. Before then it was fine. Around the time it started doing this I hadn't installed anything. I have over a dozen third party payware aircraft which don't give me any problems.I have the latest drivers on everything, the FS9 patch and the latest FS2004 FSUICP.dll. I have re-installed FS and the problem didn't go away. I didn't un-install it first though, just ran the CD's again. A proper un-install may be an option. FS9 has always run smoothly since installing it when it first come out and this is the first problem I have encountered with it. I have the CH pedal, yoke and quadrant and have not experienced problems with them. My system specs are;Athlon 64bit 3200+GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB video card2GB DDR 400 RAMAudigy 2 sound card Does anyone else have this problem and is there a solution?Thanks for reading this.Meeko

Hi,I have (occasionally) a simular problem.Sometimes when switching to my desktop or another application from full-screen FS2004 (via Alt-TAB), and going back to FS the screen remains all black with the wait-cursor spinning.I think it's related to the graphics driver, but I'm not sure.It also can be caused by certain (complex) aircraft initializing again or something.I don't have a cure however...

Thanks for replying Egbert. It's a frustrating problem, even more so when I no idea what's causing it.MeekoNew Zealand

If your keyboard supports it, why not simply use the Windows key (between Ctrl and Alt)? Use it all the time with full screen and no problems to speak of (except that FS is in Pause mode upon reentering a session).

You can change that. Settings > General > Uncheck "Pause on task switch".As for minimizing a full-screen FS session. IMHO, the Windows/Start key on the keyboard is indeed the best way to do it. You press it, FS minizes, and you can do anything you want. To get it back, you simply click on the sim's taskbar button and back to full-screen you go. I've never had any problems with that either.Now, the Alt + Enter thing. I don't have any problems going from full-screen to window mode, but back is a bit more troublesome. In my experience, Cloud9's Bglman module can cause the screen to go black, which leaves FS pretty much incontrollable.

Thanks for the replys.It seems silly but I had never thought of using the 'Start' key between Ctrl and Alt. The good news is it works. There's still something going on in my system somewhere. When trying to maximise FS9 yesterday, and nothing was happening, I brought up the task manager. It showed I was using 100% CPU. There was a sudden spike to 100% when I click on the maximise button and then it leveled off and nothing else happened. Much appreciated .....Meeko Dunedin New Zealand