Win7: Console window not launching but program is active

Using Windows7 I can normally launch winscp without a problem when on my work network in the office. Usualy on my home network, and even from time to time at the office, when I launch winscp all that is presented is the task icon in the taskbar. The console does not display and I have to kill the process through the task manager. The odd part is that if I hover over the icon in the taskbar, I can see the winscp console so the program is loaded. If I use that taskbar icon to connect to a 'recent session' through the right-click context menu, I can even see winscp launch the login panel in the 'hover view' when I mouse-over the taskbar icon. However, the console itself is not displayed on the desktop. I can not think of anything network related that would cause the main winscp console not to be displayed. I enabled logging from the CLI and tried to launch the console from there. Log posted below. I get the same problem from the CLI where it will create a taskbar icon, but not display the console GUI. I can even see the 'hover-view' on the taskbar try to authenticate to the server I specify when launched from the CLI. I submitted this to ask if there is any windows-specific tracing I can enable to see why the console window will not display, even though the program is started. And as noted - it does display often times, but it seems to function more often when I am on my work network. I searched the forum and either did not use the right search terms, or this is not seen by many people.

-Brian

Command from CLI (removed my login info):

WinSCP.exe username@host.com /log="c:\winscp.log"



. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 WinSCP Version 5.1.7 (Build 3446) (OS 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Configuration: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2\
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Local account: account\username
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Working directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\WinSCP
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Process ID: 4424
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Command-line: WinSCP.exe username@host.com /log="C:\winscp.log
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Time zone: Current: GMT-6, Standard: GMT-6, DST: GMT-5, DST Start: 3/10/2013, DST End: 11/3/2013
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Login time: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 9:55:08 AM
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Session name: username@host.com (Modified stored session)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Host name: host.com (Port: 22)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 User name: username (Password: No, Key file: No)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Tunnel: No
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Transfer Protocol: SFTP (SCP)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Ping type: -, Ping interval: 30 sec; Timeout: 15 sec
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Proxy: none
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 SSH protocol version: 2; Compression: No
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Bypass authentication: No
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Try agent: Yes; Agent forwarding: No; TIS/CryptoCard: No; KI: Yes; GSSAPI: No
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Ciphers: aes,blowfish,3des,WARN,arcfour,des; Ssh2DES: No
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 SSH Bugs: A,A,A,A,A,A,A,A,A,A
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Return code variable: Autodetect; Lookup user groups: A
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Shell: default
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 EOL: 0, UTF: 2
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Clear aliases: Yes, Unset nat.vars: Yes, Resolve symlinks: Yes
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 LS: ls -la, Ign LS warn: Yes, Scp1 Comp: No
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 SFTP Bugs: A,A
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 SFTP Server: default
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Local directory: default, Remote directory: home, Update: Yes, Cache: Yes
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 Cache directory changes: Yes, Permanent: Yes
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 DST mode: 1; Timezone offset: 0h 0m
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.866 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.976 Looking up host "host.com"
. 2013-11-26 09:55:08.991 Connecting to 9.41.254.24 port 22
. 2013-11-26 09:55:09.412 Server version: SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_5.3
. 2013-11-26 09:55:09.412 Using SSH protocol version 2
. 2013-11-26 09:55:09.412 We claim version: SSH-2.0-WinSCP_release_5.1.7
. 2013-11-26 09:55:09.615 Doing Diffie-Hellman group exchange
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.068 Doing Diffie-Hellman key exchange with hash SHA-1
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.676 Verifying host key rsa2 0x23, (hex keys) with fingerprint ssh-rsa 1024 (hex fingerprint)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723 Asking user:
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723 The server's host key was not found in the cache. You have no guarantee that the server is the computer you think it is.
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723 The server's rsa2 key fingerprint is:
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723 ssh-rsa 1024 (hex fingerprint)
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723 If you trust this host, press Yes. To connect without adding host key to the cache, press No. To abandon the connection press Cancel.
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723
. 2013-11-26 09:55:10.723 Continue connecting and add host key to the cache? ()

Your command-line does not open console window, but normal GUI window. But I suppose you mean that.

I have sent you an email with a debug version of WinSCP to address you have used to register on this forum.

Hello. Sorry for the confusion. We often refer to the GUI as the console. You are correct that I was launching the GUI from the CLI in order to enable trace. I received your email and will give it a try.

Ok. I'll admit - I'm being stupid. I just realized that the new laptop I got from my office automatically goes into 'extended monitor' view when not connected to an external display instead of 'computer only'. At work I am always connected to an external display in projector mode so it only goes to the external display and not the laptop display. When I take it off the docking station, it goes to extended instead of 'computer only', even though there is no external monitor connected. Every program I open launches on the primary display, except for winscp. That goes to the extended display, and because when I'm not using the docking station there is no external monitor hooked up, I just can't 'see' it. I forced the computer into 'computer only' display mode and it launches fine.

Sorry for the trouble. Winscp is still as solid as ever.

Do I understand right that your system behaves as if you actually have two monitors. So there's no way for WinSCP to detect that it's opening on non-existing monitor, right?

martin wrote:

Do I understand right that your system behaves as if you actually have two monitors. So there's no way for WinSCP to detect that it's opening on non-existing monitor, right?

Correct. I'm not sure if Windows or winscp saves the window coordinates when the program is closed. When I use winscp with my docking station, it is in 'projector only' mode so the display goes to an external monitor, and when I close winscp, those x/y coordinates appear to be saved. When I remove my laptop from the docking station, it goes into 'extended monitor' mode, even though there is no external monitor connected (this is an error in my opinion - it should go into 'computer only' display mode). And the next time I open winscp, it opens on those x/y coordinates from when I had the monitor connected. Because the operating system is setting the display mode to 'extended' even though I do not have an external monitor connected, I think winscp can not detect that there is really no external monitor.

Simple other test I can do is:
1) Run winscp when I'm using the docking station in 'projector only mode'
2) Close winscp
3) undock laptop
4) manual force to 'computer display only'
5) launch winscp

This should force Windows to know that I have no external monitor connected and I believe winscp will launch fine.

Thanks for your answer.