TextPad has "seized" my desktop, and will not let other open programs display unless TP is minimized. I think this is a recent problem, but I have not changed any TP settings, so I don't know why that's happening. I installed ver 6 hoping that would solve the problem, but that didn't help.
Have you inadvertently set TextPad to stay on top of other windows? Right-click the TextPad button on the taskbar and ensure Stay on Top is not selected.