IceChat9 problems, runs in background (Windows 8.1)

dpaterso

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derekpaterson.net
Just in case anyone else encounters this... it's not just you!

IceChat9 suddenly decided to start running in the background yesterday -- after years of not doing this. And today it's behaving the same way again.

That means it's running, somewhere... but a window never appears... and it's not in the tab cycle.

I can hear the software connecting! The familiar beeps and music chords as it signs in and joins #absolutewrite channel. And IceChat9 lists in Task Manager -- under Background Processes. But there's no IceChat9 window. Kinda hard to use something when you can't see it or select it.

In Task Manager, there's no option to bring IceChat9 into the foreground (so it lists under Apps instead of Background Processes). Searching the wonderful information repository that is the Internet reveals old discussion threads with advice like right-click and then select Maximize but there's no such option. The only option available is End Task to kill the program.

I downloaded and re-installed IceChat9. And got the same damn problem, IceChat9 insists on running in the background, where it's absolutely useless to me. Why that's just groovy.

So I'm using Mibbit as a backup. I might get used to this, eventually. But damn I want my IceChat back.

EDITED: during discussion with KitCat, I checked that the teeny IceChat icon wasn't on my system tray. I tried restarting IceChat again, and the window disappeared again (groan) BUT this time an icon did appear on the task bar. Well 3 of them did. Spoiled for choice! I right-clicked on one and saw a Restore option -- and lo and behold, I have an IceChat window again. I checked Options > Program Settings just in case but "Minimize to system tray" was not ticked (I don't even go in there). The other system tray icons disappeared when I hovered the mouse pointer over them, which is the same behavior I get from Filezilla which leaves icons hanging around until mouse hover makes them go away. So I'm still scratching my head wondering how this became a thing for me.

-Derek
 
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