Dismissing the Mysterious Floating Box on Windows 10
In recent times, Windows 10 users have reported witnessing a mysterious box hovering around desktop screens. This translucent rectangle typically occupies the top right corner and displays various system statistics like CPU, GPU, and RAM usage.
Understandably, many find this distracting overlay intrusive and desire to purge it for good. But with no close button in sight, users are often left confused about how to banish the pesky box.
Fortunately, we’ve uncovered some proven techniques to effectively eradicate the covert overlay for good. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through various methods to dismiss the secretive hovering pane once and for all.
Disable Unnecessary Background Services
Often, obscure background services and processes lead to weird behaviors like random popups. Let’s start by eliminating any unnecessary services clogging up resources.
How do I fix a startup error on Windows 10?
1. Open the Task Manager and click on Startup tab. 2. Enable one of the disabled Startup apps and Restart your computer. 3. Observe again your computer and see if the enabled Startup app would cause the said issue. 4. If not, enable another Startup app and Restart your computer. 5.
How do I fix a grey box on my Radeon?
Press the Alt + R keys to launch the Radeon Settings and then uncheck the option of Show Overlay. Then check if the grey box issue is resolved. If so then you may have to disable the hotkey combination, to do so, press the Alt + R keys and select the Toggle Radeon Overlay Hotkey box.
PressCtrl + Shift + Escto open Task Manager and navigate to the Startup tab. Carefully review each entry, determine relevance, and judiciously disable unimportant services. Leaving only essential services running optimizes system performance.
Now restart your PC and check if the stealthy box vanished as a result. With fewer processes running, Windows has fewer opportunities to show weird UI elements.
Restart Windows Explorer
If the transparent rectangle still looms, Windows Explorer itself may be glitching out and manifesting the box. Let’s bounce Explorer to shake out any bugs.
Open Task Manager again, go to the Processes tab, locate Windows Explorer, right-click and select "Restart." Give it a moment to reload, then return to your desktop. The refresh should clear any stuck UI issues plaguing Explorer.
Terminate the MiniSearchHost Process
MiniSearchHost facilitates Windows Search functions but sometimes goes rogue, hijacking desktop real estate. Eliminating this troublemaker often resolves UI issues like our shape-shifting box.
Open Task Manager one more time, find MiniSearchHost under Processes, right-click and choose "End task." With this problematic process terminated, the box should finally retreat.
Why is there a shadow box stuck on my computer?
I realize that there is a shadow box stuck on the computer. I will try to help you with this issue. Suggest you to boot the computer in a clean boot state and check if that helps. A clean boot state will help us to determine if any 3rd party service or application is causing this issue.
How do I get rid of a grey box on Windows 10?
You may try these workarounds one by one to check if any of them removes the grey box on your screen: Press the Windows + L keys to lock the system. Then login to the system. Press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys and then in the security options window, choose Cancel. Restart your system.
Why is there a grey box in Windows 10?
The grey box could be a result of a stuck Windows tips or tricks ‘leftovers’. In this context, disabling the Windows Tips in the Windows Settings may solve the problem. Press the Windows key and open Settings. Then uncheck the option of ‘Get Tips, Tricks, and Suggestions as You Use Windows’.
Update Graphics Drivers
Outdated GPU drivers frequently foment display issues, including errant overlays. Let’s update your graphics software to rule out driver incompatibilities.
Open Device Manager via Start menu search, expand the "Display adapters" section, right-click your GPU driver, and select "Update driver." Follow the prompts to automatically fetch improved driver software from the internet.
After installing the latest GPU drivers, restart your computer and see if the box vanished. Current drivers optimize stability and quash pesky graphics glitches.
Restore Earlier System Restore Point
If all else fails, revert Windows to an earlier restore point preceding the box’s arrival. This rolls back system changes that may have triggered the pop-up.
Hit Start, type "restore" and open System Restore. Click "Scan for affected programs" then tap a listed restore point before the box appeared. Finally, click "Next" and "Finish" to undo intervening system changes.
Give Windows a minute to undo recent adjustments, potentially eliminating whatever spawned the box.
How do I remove non-Microsoft services from Windows 10?
1. Open Start Menu and type “msconfig”. 2. Right-click on the top result (System Configuration) and select “Run as Administrator”. 3. Click the Services tab, and below this tab check the “Hide All Microsoft Services”, and now the list of non-Microsoft services that you disabled a while ago will show up.
How do I fix a grey box in relive?
Open Radeon Settings and open Relive. Now select Scene and open Indicator Location. Then select Off in the dropdown and check if the grey box has disappeared. If not, then open Relive in Radeon Settings (step 1) and check if disabling the Record Desktop resolves the grey box issue.
Pre-emptive Precautions
Now that you’ve banished the hovering hindrance, let’s discuss proactive precautions to prevent a recurrence:
- Avoid unnecessary software– Stick to essential apps and plug-ins to minimize processes crowding RAM and vying for resources.
- Update graphics drivers regularly– Outdated GPU drivers commonly cause display oddities in Windows.
- Don’t ignore Windows updates– Updates patch bugs and close security loopholes that could open the door for shady UI.
- Use reliable anti-malware software– Malware running in the background can generate pop-ups and other system issues.
- Clean temporary files periodically– Old temp files, cookies and caches eat up space and slow Windows down over time.
Staying vigilant saves you from waking up to more weird widgets littering your desktop tomorrow!
Did you encounter the secretive hovering box in Windows 10? Let us know if these tips successfully eradicated the invasive overlay for good. We invite you to share your own fixes as well – dealing with technical gremlins is a community effort after all!
How do I fix missing Windows 10 desktop icons?
Use the system file checker to repair system files. Another issue that can lead to missing Windows 10 desktop icons is when system files become corrupt due to viruses, malware, or anything else. Thankfully, the System File Checker utility (also known as “sfc”) lets you scan your computer for corrupt system files and automatically repair them.
How do I fix corrupt files on Windows 10?
Microsoft has packed a command line in the Windows OS that lets you search and fix corrupt files on your PC. For example, if you are someone downloading files from unknown sources on the web, you might need to run the command to bring back disappeared icons from the desktop. Step 1: Press Windows + R keys and open the run menu.
How do I remove a service from Windows 10?
Instead, find out which program or software package installed the service, and then choose Apps in Settings to uninstall that program. Many services are integral parts of Windows; if you remove them, you might cause system instability. To use the steps in this article, you first need to add a service installer to your Windows service.
