Taskbar Button Not Updated After Exiting Command Prompt

• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you run an MS-DOS-based program in Windows 95 and then start a command prompt from that program, the taskbar button for that program may not be updated properly when you exit the command prompt. That is, the taskbar button may still show that the command prompt is the active program even though you have exited the command prompt and returned to the MS-DOS-based program.

CAUSE

The MS-DOS-based program has moved its program segment prefix (PSP). (The PSP is a small data structure that Windows 95 uses to determine the program name that should be displayed on the taskbar button.) When the PSP is moved, Windows 95 cannot find it and cannot accurately report the active program on the taskbar button.

RESOLUTION

Quit and restart the MS-DOS-based program to update the taskbar button for that program.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 95. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

When you start a command prompt from an MS-DOS-based program, a new instance of the command interpreter (COMMAND.COM) is started, and the taskbar button for the original program is updated to reflect the fact that COMMAND.COM is the active program (Windows 95 gets this information from the PSP for the new instance of COMMAND.COM). When you exit the command prompt, Windows 95 attempts to update the taskbar button with information from the PSP for the original MS-DOS-based program. If the PSP cannot be found, the taskbar button is not updated and still indicates that COMMAND.COM is the active program.