Messenger Messages Are Lost If Desktop at Screen Saver
Article ID: 187174
Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
This article was previously published under Q187174
SYMPTOMS
When your computer receives a Messenger message while the desktop is not
the foreground application (for example, a screen saver is running), the
message is not displayed.
CAUSE
With Microsoft Windows NT, the Messenger service attempts to display a
message box, and, if it fails because of an incorrect desktop, the thread
goes to sleep, and will be displayed after the next desktop switch by
Winlogon.
With Terminal Server, Messenger messages are not displayed by the Messenger
service, but a special Terminal Server mechanism is used to display it on
the correct session. But the errors are not tested, so if the messages
cannot be displayed because of a wrong desktop, they are lost.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows NT
version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition.
Keywords: kbbug kbpending KB187174