# Windows 98 problem

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-problem/184826>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 27, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-problem/184826 "2003-06-27T19:45:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-problem/184826/1 "2003-06-27T19:45:19Z")

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Generally, when I have two or more windows onscreen at once (for example, 1 window on the left side of the screen and another on the right), I can pass the mouse over the non-active window without anything being affected. However, starting today, when I merely pass the mouse over an inactive window, the window becomes activated and it brought to the foreground. Usually you have to click on the window for this to happen. This is a very aggravating problem and I can’t figure out how to rid my comp of this. Anyone know how to correct this? Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-problem/184826/2 "2003-06-27T20:04:15Z")

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I’ve seen similar things happen when a mouse is going bad. Make sure that neither of the buttons is stuck down. If not, hook up another mouse and see if you have the same problem.

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**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-problem/184826/3 "2003-06-27T20:17:36Z")

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This focus model appears in some Unix [window managers](http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=56) by default, and in others can be activated optionally. Microsoft published an unsupported system configuration tool, [TweakUI](http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/tweakui), that allows Windows Explorer to behave this way as well. If the problem is not hardware-related, you might want to see whether someone has installed TweakUI and changed the focus model.

Usage instructions:

> [@](#):
>
> Remember the Windows 95 PowerToy, XMouse? With this feature turned on, Windows’ focus followed your mouse pointer. (If you moved your mouse over any window, Windows switched its focus to that window.) The problem with XMouse, however, was that trying to turn it on and off was a bit complicated.
> 
> The PowerToys developers resolved this problem by making the new XMouse part of Tweak UI. Open Tweak UI, select the General tab, and select Activation Follows Mouse (X-Mouse). Click Apply or OK, and X-Mouse is on. To turn it off, simply deselect this same option.

from [here](http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/6883/98tweak.html).

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**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-problem/184826/4 "2003-06-27T20:21:38Z")

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Thanks to both of you…It turned out it was Tweak UI causing the problem.