单独屏幕上的启动画面隐藏服务器响应

Question

I have a C# Windows program that offers a 30-day free trial. After that, users must purchase the product or it will lock them out. I made a splash screen to occupy the user while the program queries my web server to see if the user is tampering with data to try to get the program to work without purchasing it.

On my Windows 8 machine (I'm using .Net Framework 3.5), the splash screen comes up nicely, then the MessageBox comes up (over top of the splash screen) to give them info like "your 30 day free trial has 2 days left".

However, on my XP machine, the MessageBox is hidden by the splash screen. Any ideas on how I can SendToFront() the MessageBox or SendToBack() the splash screen? If I just try to send the form on the splash screen to the back, that's not the same as sending the whole thread to the back.

Here's the code to show the splash screen:

static public void ShowSplashScreen() {
    // Make sure it's only launched once.
    if (ms_frmSplash != null)
        return;

    ms_oThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(SplashScreen.ShowForm));
    ms_oThread.Name = "SplashScreenThread";
    ms_oThread.IsBackground = true;
    ms_oThread.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
    ms_oThread.Start();

    while (ms_frmSplash == null || ms_frmSplash.IsHandleCreated == false) {
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(TIMER_INTERVAL);
    }
}

Answer 1

Without seeing all of your code, I think what is happening is this: You run your splash screen on a separate thread from your main GUI thread, then launch your message box from the main GUI thread (or yet another thread). Interfaces on separate threads will act independently (read: erratically) for their Z-order. Try moving your GUI elements (splash screen and message box) to the main thread. Run all long running processes (your server check) on another thread.

Answer 2

OK, I see what Servy and MikeH are saying, but my concern is that I do a bunch of work and it still doesn't work. Or, it just isn't predictable from machine to machine. So, the approach I'm going to take is to enhance the splash screen so that it presents the results from the server, rather presenting it in a separate window. That way, no Z-ordering to worry about at all...

Thanks for the thoughts, though, I might need them later on!