Mysterious SAS Message Log Window appears using SAS 9.4 Windows 11

[PaigeMiller]

When I run code in base SAS (version 9.4), I am getting this mysterious SAS Message Log window now that my computer has been switched to Windows 11. I never saw it before under Windows 10, Windows 7 or earlier operating systems. I don't want this window to appear. How can I stop it?

I note that if my code includes PROC PRINTTO LOG= to send the log to a text file, that is when I get this mysterious window. If I run the same code without PROC PRINTTO, the window does not appear.

So how do I get rid of it?

[SASJedi]

@PaigeMiller  - That IS a bummer. I'm using SAS 9.4 (TS1M8) on Windows 11 Enterprise. I tried to reproduce this behavior using this code, but was not successfull:

proc printto log="sas_log_test.txt";
run;
proc print data=sashelp.cars(obs=5);
run;
proc printto;
run;

I tried using a .log extension for the output file, too, just in case that made a difference.
What maintenance level is your SAS9? Might you have any unusual custom SAS configurations that affect SAS logging?

[PaigeMiller]

Thanks, @SASJedi . As I continued to modify my code to get it to work properly (ignoring the message box), I must have changed something, because the problem seems to have disappeared 👻. I'd still like to know what caused it; it is especially weird since the message in the box was from repeated PROC FORMAT but I don't have a PROC FORMAT in the code. But I'm glad it went away.

[SASJedi]

@PaigeMiller  - Grrr... I hate "mysteriously self-healing" computer problems! It always feels like they're just hanging out there waiting to bite you without warning. But I'm glad to hear you're back on track 🙂  

[quickbluefish]

@SASJedi - unrelated to anything, but just wanted to say that I attended that SAS talk you gave a week or so ago and it was the most informative hour-long SAS talk I've ever heard - thank you!

[SASJedi]

Man, you just made my day! Thanks 😊