Solution to Windows ALT-TAB problem

[neurocrash]

If you are one of the lucky ones who has had problems with this, here is what I have learned:

a. The ALT-TAB to switch between programs only seems to work when in Gestures mode - it would be nice it it worked in both (patch or update please?)

b. If you are in Gestures mode and Windows still wants to change to other Windows apps, I think I've found the solution to this problem.

Some programs can make a registry change to somehow "enhance" your task switching experience. Change it back to normal like this:

1. Start the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
2. Move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
3. Double click on Coolswitch
4. Set to 0 and click OK
5. Close the registry editor

In my case, it was set to 1, which resulted in ALT-TAB triggering Windows task management instead of Darwinia.

Cheers!

[xander]

a. The ALT-TAB to switch between programs only seems to work when in Gestures mode - it would be nice it it worked in both (patch or update please?)

It is only supposed to work in the gesture mode. In the gesture mode, [ALT] brings up the task manager, and, with the task manager up, [TAB] can be used to switch between programs. In the icon mode, [TAB] brings up the task manager, and the mouse must be used to select programs.

xander

[neurocrash]

I suppose that since the manual does not reflect the version of the game in my box, this distinction was not clear. In any case, I would not have been able to use it in Gestures mode due to the above Windows task switching problem, so I wanted to pass on this fix since I did not locate a solution in these forums.

Thanks for helping with the clarification.

[chalz.r]

So, like.. help? I know this is an ancient thread, but searching for 'alt-tab' hasn't brought me many new options..

I installed the 1.5.11 patch on my XP system today, and alt-tab switches between Windows programs, not Darwinia programs. I am in gesture mode (I find it so much faster and slicker than icon mode) and tried that CoolSwitch option change and no go. Am I doomed? Are my only options now to downgrade or hunt for the CTRL key so I can do ctrl-alt-tab?

<insert whining and suffering>

Or has some new information come to light that I'm not finding?

[KingAl]

Yep, the system's changed in the latest patch. I believe it's Ctrl + Tab - though you can manually select the slot you want with the mouse if you bring up the control panel with Ctrl.