sometimes cant maximize completely the windows

Hi guys, i have alienware m11x r3 and, sometimes the window has a gap at the top of the screen (the window is not completely maximized). This happens when Windows 7 UAC launches.



Does anyone know how to fix it?

Thank you

 

I think that is reserved for the Windows 7 "maximise" snap feature - if you try to drag any window into that gap it maximises it. I don't think it appears in any other machine running W7 that I have used so I was going to have a little play with it this weekend when I got back to the rest of my shiny preciouses to compare (my M11x is brand new so haven't done much beyond set it up before taking it away for a week on business).

 

No its not reserved, when I hit the button it fills the screen, same when I drag a window there it will maximise it as well. OP probably has some setting which uses the space?

 

Apologies ftw, bad choice of words on my part! I meant that dragging a window into that stripe across the top maximises it, just like clicking the button, but I inferred it behaved similar to that snap to the side feature the Win7 adverts banged on about. However, once maximised, I find that the window still doesn't use the stripe's few pixels of vertical rez, and that the window is squared off rather than showing rounded corners that a none-maxed window does. Like I said, I need to wait to the weekend to compare to another Win7 machine to see if this is standard, but over the last year I haven't noticed this so I guess not...

 

What is the problem here, windows 7, drivers, both, anyone else with m11x r3 with the same problem?

 

I'm having exactly the same issue with a Dell XPS 17.

It is also running Optimus, with an NVidia Geforce 555M as the dedicated card.

Seems like it might be an issue with Dells...

Edit: Applications which run full-screen (i.e. not maximised in Windows) like games work absolutely fine, taking up the whole display.

It's not that the area is simply a blue bar with nothing in it - if you move the mouse pointer into the area, or drag a window into the area it remains visible. But maximising a window does not utilise the top 5mm of the screen!

 

Same here with my new m11x r3.

After switching to windows classic theme and then back to aero it got fixed, still dont know the cause but that did the trick for me

 

I know this is the Alienware forum but I have a Dell L502x with the same problem. Switching to windows classic theme and back didn't do it for me.

Has anyone found other solutions?

 

Me and this guy are in the same proverbial boat. Looks like we got a very similar system.. i7? How much did you pay? When?

Anyway.. I built a bunch of Google Alerts on this topic. I have them directed toward my Google Reader account, If they start filling up with anything even remotely useful.. I will pull them together into a Bundle and post it here... This gap is killing me.

 

hi guys, i dont know what is the problem but i install windows 7 (not restore) and the problem is fixed

 

Try F11



Also could try to enable/disable task-bar autohide

 

It sounds like something to do with the Dell OEM build of Win7 then. The taskbar doesn't help as due to the 16:9 I have my bar on the side of the screen and the problem remains at the top.

Full screen applications use the bar, but maximising a window doesn't. When a window is maximised it loses the rounded corners just like on a normal.

Actually, as I have been typing this, my AlienFX Controller software has crashed with some sort of Windows .net problem, and the bar has now disappeared so it seems to be related to AlienFX... I'll try to fix that bug and update what happens next.

 

I'm in the midst of reinstalling the AlienFX Command Centre as it keeps throwing Windows .net framework errors. The bar is still there so nothing to do with the AlienFX graphics so that's stumped me I'm afraid!

But in the meantime here are screendumps of the M11x gap, the M11x gap in classic theme, and no gap in Win7 HP on my Vaio YA laptop. Is this what you get too?

 

I've managed to find some sort of solution. I've been having this problem with my dell xps l502x since I bought it last week, and it's really been bugging me. Now, I'm not sure if this will work for everyone but give it a go anyway...

Unlock the taskbar and drag it so its at the top of the screen. Then try maximising a window and you should get an error window pop up telling you that dell datasafe local backup has crashed. After this you can properly maximize windows and there's no little gap at the top of the screen.

Ultimately it's got to be something to do with the data backup programme running in the background.

 

That works for me too. But it's not permanent. A restart will bring up the problem again. Great find though!

 

Transparent bar at the top of my screen. M14x - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

 

THIS TOTALLY WORKED!!!

For those that dont want to click through...

 

I just bought a Dell XPS 17 and had the same problem. I solved it by uninstalling Dell DataSafe Backup

 

Yup! I ended up doing the same in the end.

Wow.. It's refreshing to look up a computer issue and not find 50 pages talking about a problem that is only remotely similar from like 2008. Next up: Finding out why FireFox wont hold my Flash install (Good luck to me finding info on that!)

Anyway, If I can I would liek to discuss the culprit of this issue.. Dell DataSafe. In what sense does that program require that space? And I hope this next thing doesnt sound arrogant but a FREE 2 GB? 2GB? I'll say it again.. 2GB? That's like offering a free sip of water when you buy a steak diner. It's borderline insulting. Almost like it serves as a way to direct report back to Dell which customers are suckers.

 

hey guys, so i had the same problem as you all have discussed. So i tried my best to fix it myself and since i just got my laptop i decided to call dell. I spoke to alienware troubleshooting and basically they didnt think it had anything to do with the graphics card. So they sent me to the solution center and after 2 hours talking to them the guy told me he spoke to some microsoft guys and they said it is a windows problem and it happens to 4 to 5 computers out of 10000. So, he told me to reformat my computer and reinstall windows. well i did that it only lasted for about 5 hours then it appeared again. I called dell and got this huge run around and basically i was told to return my laptop and exchange it out for another. I never tried this toaster.exe thing and neither did the guys at dell, but if you decide to call dell and figure this out, i wanted to let you all know so you can save yourself some time.

 

This guy has same problem:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/594419-super-annoying.html

Fix: Transparent bar at the top of my screen. M14x - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

Apparently kill 'toaster.exe'

 

If only people had explained this earlier in the thread... Oh wait.. we did... in detail.

 

In all fairness, the original thread linked to by MasivB, created by manofs12 ("Super ANNOYING") sounds different enough to the one here - he talks about the entire desktop including the icons dropping a centimeter, which is substantially more than the small gap this thread talks about, and if I remember correctly, the icons didn't drop here.

Incidentally, restarting toaster.exe doesn't reproduce the gap...

 

In my case at least, it did move the icons as well.

 

I withdraw my objection, m'lud!

Must say that I am less than impressed with the Dell bloatware that came with my laptop - the problem here is just shonky development work that is hard to reproduce and affects different people in various ways, and my AlienFX Command Centre is bust as well. I can run each individual bit (Fusion, Touch and FX) but the one thing I can't find in the full application is "Go Dark", and the notification tray icon has disappeared so I can't use it to go dark. My laptop looks like a boy racer car on my desk in the office!

 

Hi, guys, you don't need to uninstall the software, follow the steps below to stop Dell DataSafe local backcup:
Open control panel
Double click on the ‘Administrative Tools’
Double clikc on the ‘Services’
Scroll down and find the ‘SoftThinks Agent Service’, change the startup type to ‘Disabled’, and then click ‘OK’.
Restart your computer, problem solved .

Source: http://nw360.blogspot.com/2011/07/small-top-margin-on-windows-7-desktop.html