There’s a reference to a similar problem when recovering from sleep mode http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6825897 Maybe running the applet as a app is a way out ? http://www.wutka.com/hackingjava/ch13.htm Running Applets as Applications http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/Programming/TurningAnApplet/ Turning an Applet into a Standalone Application http://www.dreamincode.net/code/snippet1607.htm