>My workaround is running these programs by another user account (I created one specifically for this purpose) via the RunAs setting in the Scheduler.

Thanks for the idea, Ben. I'd actually considered trying that, but I need the app to run in the same user context as the current user.

This thing has got me stumped. I get the impression that VFP is doing something not-so-Kosher which is causing the odd behavior from Windows, but I don't know what that is. I've checked, and VFP is running some calls that would "steal" the focus in earlier OSes, but XP is *supposed* to prevent that... Oh well. Perhaps I'll just have to use some sort of OLE-based "wrapper".

Thanks again.

Peter