Question / Help Can't switch Scenes when OBS minimized

[Blackink]

So I can't seem to switch Scenes when OBS is recording and minimized while I'm running my stock trading software. I have 4 Scenes set up with hot keys so I can switch to one of 4 monitors when I'd like to. Everything works fine if OBS is up on my monitor but as soon as I minimize OBS or put it behind another window from the trading software, OBS won't switch Scenes. It'll record OK if I start the recording while OBS is the top most window also. I can't start or stop the recording , with hot keys, if OBS is either minimized or behind a trading software window.
So what I'd like to be able to do is have OBS loaded up but minimized, start the recording from a hot key, be able to switch Scenes whenever I'd like, and to stop the recording from a hot key, while the whole time I have my stock trading software running.
Is this even possible? Or will I have to keep OBS on the top at all times to do this?

Here's a log file: https://obsproject.com/logs/nuOnESDtWvH8BR5Y

 

[Narcogen]

Try running OBS as administrator.

 

[Blackink]

Try running OBS as administrator.

I know when I installed OBS, I right clicked on the exe file and clicked on "Run as Administrator".
Would that not be what you're talking about?

EDIT: And should I be able to switch between Scenes with OBS running in the background, with other windows in front of it?

 

[Narcogen]

You need to do that every time you run it, not just when you installed it.

11:15:28.593: Running as administrator: false

According to your log, you are not running OBS as administrator.

If an app being run as admin is in focus, and OBS is not run as admin, it is not able to intercept keystrokes in the background.

 

[Blackink]

You need to do that every time you run it, not just when you installed it.

11:15:28.593: Running as administrator: false

According to your log, you are not running OBS as administrator.

If an app being run as admin is in focus, and OBS is not run as admin, it is not able to intercept keystrokes in the background.

Well then I'll take a look at it tomorrow and run it as an administrator. I always thought installing any software as an administrator made it run as administrator.
I wonder why that isn't so if they give us the chance to install software as such?!? That puzzles me!
Thanks, I'll keep you updated on if it worked or not. I certainly hope so. I seem to remember that running OBS Studio on a Windows 7 Pro 64Bit OS made those features available. I think I was able to minimize OBS, switch to any one of my 4 Scenes (monitors), use hot keys doing so and also using hot keys to start recording and stop recording, and it worked like a charm. But I never had to "log in as an administrator", it just ran like that after instaling it and I chose "Run as administrator" during the install. The only thing I noticed while running it on the Windows 7 OS was that aero theme would shut down (or something like that) when OBS loaded up.

 

[koala]

Well then I'll take a look at it tomorrow and run it as an administrator. I always thought installing any software as an administrator made it run as administrator.
I wonder why that isn't so if they give us the chance to install software as such?!? That puzzles me!

Software is always installed with elevated rights, because that's required to write the files into the destination directory and to make appropriate configuration changes in the Windows registry. Without that rights, you have read-only permission to the installed files. This is a security measure and ensures that nothing is able to change and mess with these files.
To run something as administrator is a totally different thing: the installer just copies the files but doesn't start anything. Running something as administrator is allowing that app complete system access, which is somewhat dangerous, because you have to trust that software to not change anything it shouldn't do. Because of this, software shouldn't be run as administrator.

From what you describe it is possible that your trading software is running as administrator, and if any such software is currently in focus, it isn't possible for any software that isn't running as administrator to receive hotkeys. So Narcogen suggested you try OBS running as administrator as well to enable it to receive hotkeys. The other solution would be to not run your trading software as administrator. Either run both as admin or run both not as admin.

 

[Blackink]

For Narcogen and koala....it worked....like a charm!!! Thank you both for you tips and suggestions and for educating me on administration rights.
This OBS software it the best but the support in these forums is second to none!!! Top shelf support if you ask me!!!

Thanks again!
Steve in Central Vermont