cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window

[Frederik Fouvry]

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In GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2002-08-29 on astest
configured using `configure  --host=i686-pc-linux-gnu --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu 
--target=i386-redhat-linux-gnu --program-prefix= --prefix=/usr 
--exec-prefix=/usr --bindir=/usr/bin --sbindir=/usr/sbin --sysconfdir=/etc 
--datadir=/usr/share --includedir=/usr/include --libdir=/usr/lib 
--libexecdir=/usr/libexec --localstatedir=/var --sharedstatedir=/usr/com 
--mandir=/usr/share/man --infodir=/usr/share/info --with-gcc --with-pop 
--with-sound'
Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: POSIX
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: de_DE@euro
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_GB
  locale-coding-system: iso-latin-1
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

When I want to open a new file and start doing so (C-x C-f), but
then recall that I already have the file opened, and switch to it
with C-x o (buffer names being shorter than full file paths), I
can type in the buffer name, but not switch to the buffer because
"Cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window".

Is there no way Emacs can detect this condition and switch the
buffer in (one of) the main window(s)?  I guess the window in
which this should happen is the window the user was in just
before switching to the mini-buffer (information which I guess is
stored anyway, since aborting the command brings us back to that
window).

Thanks.

Recent input:
<escape> <backspace> A SPC s i m i l a r SPC a p p 
r o a c h SPC i s SPC t a k e n SPC <escape> <backspace> 
<escape> <backspace> h a s SPC b e e n SPC t a k e 
n SPC <up> C-e <left> <left> <left> <left> <left> <left> 
<left> <left> <left> <down> C-x C-f <up> <down> C-x 
b o <tab> <return> C-x b o t <tab> <return> <switch-frame> 
<switch-frame> <switch-frame> <switch-frame> C-x b 
* M e s <tab> <return> C-x b <return> <C-down-mouse-1> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<menu-bar> <help-menu> <report-emacs-bug>

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call-interactively: Cannot switch buffers in minibuffer window
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