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It may not be due to TP, but my system (Win2K), but just in case, here goes:

Recently when launching HTMLTidy and CSE HTML Validator(full) as tools I'm getting a black screen for several seconds - previously the window of the file I was editing remained visible until the command results window appeared.

Other tools (IE, Topstyle, Arachnophilia, PHP manual etc) don't do this.

Are there any TP settings that may affect this is is it more likely my machine getting old and crabby?

Black screen = Command (DOS) window?
If so, take a look at the Configure->Preferences->Tools->*yourTool*, the help file mentions "Suppress output until completed" and "Close DOS window on exit" along with other parameters you can tweak. HTH
Edit: I seem to remember DOS windows starting full screen, but that was way back in win31 or win95 - I think. Perhaps you can change the command prompt settings for that.

As far as I can tell it's not a dos window, just a blank screen (no borders, title bar, scroll bars etc), though before I installed 4.7.3 over 4.7.2 there was a flashing cursor, which suggests it was (is?)

I tried all the options I thought could make a difference, but they didn't.

Task Manager running "Always on top" doesn't remain on top of the black/blank screen, though it does over the dos window if I run the command prompt.

Did you try pressing Alt-Enter the moment you get the black screen? Or Pause/Break for that matter. If you do manage that there are settings for the Command Prompt Properties, Options Tab, Display Options (That's from my system which is WinXP).

Neither of these appear to have any effect (they do when the file or command results windows are active in TP)

To fix the problem:

1. Get to a DOS prompt. You can get there by (a) double-clicking on C:/WINDOWS/system32/cmd.exe, or (b) using Start->Run and then entering cmd.exe in the box followed by the OK button, or (c) using Start->All Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt.

2. If the result is a window, move to step 3. If the result is a full, dark screen, press the Alt-Enter key combination; this will replace it with a window.

3. Right-click on the window's "title bar." (It's probably blue; it's the thick bar that has the words "C:\WINDOWSsystem32\cmd.exe" inside it.)

4. Select "Defaults" (NOT "Properties").

5. On the resulting "Console Windows Properties" tab, change "Display Options" from Full Screen to Window.

6. Click OK.

7. Close the window.

8. Open an html document using Textpad and see if the HTML Validator tool (control-zero) -- or any other tool -- still causes the screen to go blank before it produces its output. Now it shouldn't.

HTH, Dave Baker

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the advice - better late than never The problem resolved a very long time ago - can't remember how, as it was August 2004.

Just shows how busy this forum gets!

Cheers, Nick

When using Windows 2000 the black screen did not happen. Now, with Windows XP, it does on my desktop, but not on the computers at school. It is not a big deal so long as TextPad results come back, but it is puzzling.