Streaming client freezes / app crash when alt+tab

[mkdr]

The steam client randomly (after a few seconds) crashes / freezes now when switching into window mode (alt+enter), doing something else in Windows and then clicking back into the Steam window, showing just a circling cursor and it's frozen, with just sound working, and a white border on the right side:

http://i.imgur.com/kCRdvqD.jpg (youre not seeing the cursor though)

I cant reproduce it with 100% certainity, but it happens a lot. This never happened before with any client version... nice. Mostly just go window mode, do a bit outside of the window, switch back, and bam, crash.

http://i.imgur.com/nxs4ErH.jpg (white bar at the right, the window is frozen and mouse cursor cycling, closing it via close in the task bar results in app crash):

http://i.imgur.com/Kbq9Kb5.png

[DamienLoki]

I can confirm that this also happens to me, specifically when using the in-home streaming.

Running a game from another PC in alt-entered windowed mode then leaving the window focus for more than a few seconds will cause the stream view to freeze. I can use task manager to end the stream then re-open it and it continues to work fine, but i cannot do other things while using the in-home streaming now.

This has only been an issue for 2 or 3 days, so i believe something happened during an update to introduce this bug.

[BlissfulPixel]

I've been having this same problem the past few days and it has been driving me nuts trying to figure out what the issue is. I try to move the stream to my second monitor by hitting alt + enter and the game will start to freeze a few moments later and not respond. It happens at random (every few seconds, to every few mins) but occurs enough to be incredibly frustrating when playing.

If I ctrl-alt-del, and close the task manager, the stream resumes for a few more seconds/mins but ultimately freezes again. (As a side note, I use 3 monitors and the stream usually jumps to the 3rd monitor when this happens as well)


I also believe this is from a recent update as it has been working great before this.

[mkdr]

BUMP.

Latest changelog says saomething about a fix of "alt+tab crash in dx9 games", but still broken... this is unbelievable. Also tried beta client, no change.

[genius_dva]

The same issue. Faced with it this week. Today non-beta Steam update was installed on both host and client PCs, but the issue still here.
(I hopped it will be fixed based on changelog as @mkdr said above)

Playing the same game and the same way as previous days. Faced with the issue each time as I switch game stream in window mode to another window for a few seconds\minutes and back to stream again.

How to re-produce the issue:
1. Start stream of any game on client PC.
2. Change in window mode [Alt+Enter].
3. Wait while game loads and main menu appears.
4. Switch to another window and do something for a few seconds\minutes. (I am browsing the Web, openning new tabs in Chrome)
5. Switch back to game stream and get window frozen wiht "(not responding)" in the name of the window.

Hope the issue will be fixed. It will be really great.

[mkdr]

Bump.

[BlissfulPixel]

bump... this is still broken :(

[genius_dva]

yea.. the issue is still here. almost half of year.. :(

[Judger]

I think I found a fix for this.

I had the same issue when alt tabbing off the steam streaming window. On a hunch, I went into the task manager and changed the thread priority on streaming_client.exe*32 to realtime. Since doing that, I no longer appear to be freezing.

If I had to guess, it has something to do with performance tuning when the window isn't focused, but obviously the thread shouldn't all out stop responding.

** EDIT **
Apparently it was a fluke. It went unfrozen for 45 minutes and froze right after I posted this.... sigh....

[Judger]

On another hunch, I left Task Manager running in the background (minimized), and so far (knock on wood), no freezing. Can someone else try and see if it resolves the problem for them as well?

[DamienLoki]

Tested that idea, and no, still freezes sadly

[genius_dva]

As workaround I am using software which minimize window to tray (where clock) instead simple minimize to taskbar or alt+tab swithing.

[mkdr]

Originally posted by ;1353742967823185191:

As workaround I am using software which minimize window to tray (where clock) instead simple minimize to taskbar or alt+tab swithing.

What? What software? rbtray? Also... what does this have to do with this problem? I want to have streaming client as a small window resized opened...

[genius_dva]

Originally posted by mkdr:

Originally posted by ;1353742967823185191:

As workaround I am using software which minimize window to tray (where clock) instead simple minimize to taskbar or alt+tab swithing.

What? What software? rbtray? Also... what does this have to do with this problem? I want to have streaming client as a small window resized opened...

yea, rbtray. I paused game and minimize stream window to tray when I need switch to another window. It helps to avoud freeze of the stream window when it is back in focus.
Not sure if it help when using a few windows in parallel.

[mkdr]

Originally posted by genius_dva:

Originally posted by mkdr:

What? What software? rbtray? Also... what does this have to do with this problem? I want to have streaming client as a small window resized opened...

yea, rbtray. I paused game and minimize stream window to tray when I need switch to another window. It helps to avoud freeze of the stream window when it is back in focus.
Not sure if it help when using a few windows in parallel.

I just was wondering, how do you use RBTray for this matter to not have it freezing? Because of my understanding, RBTray just works the way, that you have "Right click on any program's minimize button to minimize it to the tray". So how does it help here?

You would still need to do alt+enter to get to the minimize button, and then the app freezes...

[xirtex]

Bumping, this is still an issue.