I'm going to quote the following from a post I found in the bioware forums:

"I can minimize the dialogue box (so that I can see the playable area), but then it auto pops to full size, restricting how much I can see while journeying about. I click on the minimize dialogue box button, with no response.

If I click into a menu (i.e. character inventory), and then back out, I can then minimize it...but it auto-pops to full-size with 1-3 seconds."

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/180/index/7590890/1

After searching the internet, the bioware forums, and the GOG forums, I have not found any information relating to this bug. I was hoping that I could find some help here.

When I first installed the game, I did not have this issue. When I installed baldur's gate 2, I did not experience the issue. When I played multiplayer in baldur's gate 1, I did not experience the issue.

The issue *first* arose during my 12th or 13th multiplayer game. Uninstalling and reinstalling Baldur's Gate did not resolve the issue. The issue also affects Baldur's Gate 2. I have not installed EasyTutu yet (IIRC). I have not installed any other mods that I can remember but my memory may be faulty if other solutions do not come to mind.

Anyway, this seems to be a rare issue but I hope to find a way to resolve it. Will post more as I explore this issue and I will share any results if I find them from other forums.

-- from ipcustserv@gmail.com

Experimented today and was able to load a game and play for a while without experiencing the issue.

Stopped playing, came back to the game later (after exiting and starting again) and the dialog box started popping up again.

Here's the interesting part: It occurs after approximately eight-and-a-half seconds each time, no matter which game I load or which character I use. Even if I start a new game.

Will continue to investigate and see if there is a pattern in Baldur's Gate 2 also.

I had thought at first that I had resolved the issue by closing all of my background programs that show updates on the screen even if you are playing a full screen game and I even closed all of my other background programs and then the game started working, so I thought it might have something to do with that, but I guess that it must be something else.


***update***

After testing Baldur's Gate 2, I discovered that the same issue would appear in Baldur's Gate 2 but after approximately 9 seconds instead of 8.5.

I did not use an accurate time keeping device to measure these increments, I just counted out loud, but I'm starting to wonder if I could track down a service that sends information in those increments. Then maybe I can see if Baldur's Gate is receiving a command that would cause it to maximize the window.

I am suspecting that this information being sent confuses Baldur's Gate into thinking that it was told to maximize the dialog box like when an automatic conversation starts and then to get it to go away, one must click on END DIALOG before proceeding. At this point, the player can then minimize the dialog box like normal.

Except, I assume that if it were to receive an erroneous command to open the window but not provide the end dialog box, the dialog box would cease to function as intended.

I hope to figure this out.

Interesting. My first thought would be a keyboard with a sticky Page Up key (which in BG is the hard-coded keyboard shortcut to max the dialog box, along with Page Down, or the NumPad equivalents, #9 and #3). So I would try a different keyboard if you have one. Or, it could be a keyboard driver issue is doing something strange.

That of course would be the simplest explanation. On the other hand, if it is a bug within the game, no idea what you can do. Hope you sort it out. :)

I was thinking the same thing. I am using a laptop that uses an FN key combined with the arrow keys for Page Up and Page Down and the FN key works as a sticky key, like the caps lock key. So I'll press it once and let go, then whatever key I press next will then produce the function of that key and the FN key will then 'turn off'.

I was trying to figure out what it is about Baldur's Gate specifically that would possibly cause this behavior, assuming it is related to a stuck page up key, I believe it would be software related.

Maybe if I disable the synaptics pointing device software and/or use a mouse instead of the touchpad, or even use an external keyboard. These options may help me narrow it down even more.

Will share more details later.

I'm experiencing exactly the same issue. Did you happen to find a solution or cause of this?

I've found that it is intermittent and I think I may have narrowed it down some more.

I've noticed that it happens most often when I load a saved game where I saved while the dialog box was expanded. I have not isolated this as the cause, yet. But whenever I save a game, I make sure to minimize the dialog box before saving.

I don't know if I shared this information previously, but when the issue does occur, it takes approximately 8 seconds from loading a game to when the dialog box expands.

I hope this information helps because I have been able to successfully run my games without incident as long as I make sure to save only when the dialog box is minimized.

Excellent, that you so much for replying. It looks as if we had the same problem. Around 8 seconds in it would expand the dialogue box. Going in and out of a menu allowed me to minimize it... but only for another 8 seconds. The problem seems to have just vanished today though. I don't know why. I'm sure I'll try the saving trick if it returns though.

Let me know how it works out for you so that I may mark this issue as resolved and provide the fix / steps to avoid the issue. I won't know for sure if it was a saving issue until somebody else can verify that it was indeed the issue.

It would also be nice to compare systems to maybe figure out why the issue is only affecting such a miniscule subset of users.

Count me in as well. Does not affect my non GOG games, AFAIK. I have old retail CD on second computer, no problems but only have BG2-SoA installed, nothing else.

Thsi is frustrating as it affects all my dialog boxes. It's impossible for me to swap higher spells as the diaglog box will jump from anthing higher than page 1, several seconds.. bang, back to page 1.

First fresh vanilla re-install, same thing with a saved game. Second time around, no problem yet with same saved game. As another post, does not matter if game was saved minamized..up she pops!

Cheers

I also experienced this today in icewind dale (unpatched), icewind dale heart of winter and baldur's gate 1 TotSc. All installed from retail cd/dvd.

In my case the dialog / combat log window minimized after about 8 seconds. I tried everything: Killing all processes, restarting windows, another graphics card, it didn't fix it.

Until I read/found this post about the fn-key. I tried fn-key up and fn-key down a couple of times, these key combinations seemed to expand and minimize the combat window. Pressing these key combinations seem to have fixed the problem for now.

After that the problem didn't occur in that session anymore and neither did it happen in icewind dale. I cannot even reproduce the problem anymore..

I have a compact keyboard with an FN key connected to a desktop machine. I would guess that these problems indeed have something to do with keyboards and/or keyboard drivers. If you experience this problem you could try disconnecting or disabling the keyboard in the device manager and see the problem is solved by using another keyboard.

I've been having the same problem, but may have found a fix. pressing page down repeatedly for a while seems to turn it off.