Windows 10 and Outlook 2010 - Reminders Steal Focus

On our test Windows 10 machine we noticed one strange behavior: Outlook 2010 (the majority of our installs on our Win 7 machines) Reminders behavior has changed.  Before, when a reminder popped up, it would take focus, but you could move it behind other Windows, and many of our users do that to keep a list of tasks/appointments they have for that day.

Now, when you get a reminder, it pops up in front of everything, even the taskbar, and stays there, always on top.  Users are either forced to find a 3" x 4" section of their screen they can lose just to the Reminder window, or they have to close it.

Is there any way to get back the old behavior?

August 6th, 2015 3:28pm

Hello,

You should try these steps to fix the issue:

  1. Go to "Search" bar >> Type CMD >> Right click on "Command Prompt" >> Click on "Run as administrator" from the drag down list.
  2. Type sfc<space>/scannow and hit on enter button. This process will take some time.
  3.  After completion, restart your Computer.

Thanks & Regards

Kelvin Howard

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
August 7th, 2015 12:53am

Hello,

You should . . . type sfc<space>/scannow . . .

Kelvin Howard

Why a disk error might keep a window permanently in the foreground in Windows 10 and not 7 is something that would need to be explained to me.  Regardless, the scan found no disk issues, and the Outlook "Reminders" box continues to remain on top of everything.

August 7th, 2015 9:42am

Hi,

Please try removing the following registry value and then check if this issue continues:

Note: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. For added protection, back up the registrybefore you modify it.

1. Exit Outlook.

2. Press Windows key + R to open the Run command, type regedit and press Enter.

3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Options\Reminders

4. Right click the WindowPos registry value and press Delete.

5. Restart Outlook to see the result.

Regards,

Steve Fan
TechNet Community Support

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
August 11th, 2015 10:30pm

"1. Exit Outlook.

2. Press Windows key + R to open the Run command, type regedit and press Enter.

3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Options\Reminders

4. Right click the WindowPos registry value and press Delete.

5. Restart Outlook to see the result."

This appears to have done the trick.  I've opened and closed Outlook three times, and in each case, the notifications act as they have always acted in the past.  I will report back if this does NOT fix it on other users, but in the meantime, thank you!

August 12th, 2015 12:19pm

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