Changes after a restart (Windows XP, SP3)

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On one of my PCs after any restart I lose the icons on my quick launch bar and the icons on the desktop are not sorted alphabetically as they were before the restart.

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How long has this been going on ?? Any major updates or upgrades to software ?? Have you tried a System Restore ???

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It has been happening for a while. It is my wife’s computer so I do not know when this started. I don’t think a system restore will help.

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For the desktop icons, when you right click on the desktop>Arrange Icons is Auto Arrange checked ??

For the Quick Launch Bar, from here…..

“There are two forms of the Quick Launch error:

1) After every reboot, you have to manually restart Quick Launch, or
2) when you try to activate Quick Launch, you get a “Cannot create toolbar…” error.

If you are encountering problem #1 above, then do the following:

1. In Registry Editor (Start > Run… > regedit), navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon

2. Find the “Userinit” key
3. it probably contains:

%system32%wsaupdater.exe,

where %system32% represents the path to the System32 folder. For example, C:WindowsSystem32

4. Instead of wsaupdater.exe, the data should contain userinit.exe,. Using the example above, change it to:

C:WindowsSystem32userinit.exe,

Do not forget to add the comma at the end!!!

5. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.”

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Desktop: Auto Arrange is checked but it does not hold after a reboot

Quick Launch Bar: I checked the registry and found the “Userinit” key is set correctly as “userinit.exe,” The Quick Launch bar disappears after a reboot. I am able to create the Quick Launch bar. It just will not hold after a reboot.

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I know you said that you don’t think a System Restore will help, but it can’t hurt, can it ??? This is an unusual issue and it sounds like it has to do with a system setting or registry entry being corrupt. A System Restore will address that situation.

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I tried to restore to Nov. 4, Dec. 1, and Jan. 1, each time I received a notice “Unable to Restore, no changes have been made.”

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You will probably have to turn off your anti-virus program temporarily while performing a system restore. Don’t forget to turn it back on afterwards!

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I shut all down (ZoneAlarm SS) and still and still unable to restore system.

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HansV said the Anti Virus NOT the Firewall!

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Dave,
“ZoneAlarm SS” should probably be interpreted as ZoneAlarm ISS, i.e. ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite …

To the OP:
If SR doesn’t work then (and it’s mostly documented that Norton products interfere with SR and need the disable, but the security products do develop some new features every now and then so …), then the RPs may be corrupt. But a SR isn’t the only option here with the icons.

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My error, I forgot about the Suite that is now offered.

Thanks,

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Argus,
What are RPs? What are the other options you mention?

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What I meant with RPs:
Sorry, sometimes I abbreviate a commonly (in my post) used word, but I usually introduce my abbreviation such as “the Restore Points (RPs) may be corrupt”. It makes it easier (for me) in the rest of the post. So RPs are the different restore points you tried, created at different times.

As mentioned by me (for instance here post 631,597) and others in other threads in the Lounge some software can interfere with the restore process, most notably Norton products due to a built in security mechanism in that software. To circumvent this one usually turn off the security feature in the software during the restore process. That is what you tested, if everything went OK with your ZA.

However, one can also stumble on corrupt RPs, then one also gets a message about not possible to restore. But troubleshooting SR is another issue apart from the subject of this thread; IF indeed your RPs are corrupt, then troubleshooting that can wait, since it involves removing all RPs (since they are useless), and it will not help you with icons etc.

But if you just have some software interfering with SR, and no corrupt RPs, by all means try SR if you like.

But there are a little you (and everyone who use SR should know about SR, sorry if you know this already); one should uninstall programs that are installed after a certain Restore Point if you are going back to that RP. Otherwise SR may remove some but perhaps not all parts of that program; since it was installed after the RP was created. If one wants to keep the program but still do the restore due to other issues, then one should reinstall the program after a successful restore is completed.

“other options”:
Have you looked at my post 752,413?

Since a SR can involve a larger part of the system one can always try to find solutions that only involves the application or issue one need to change.

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Same problem last week which must have been caused by one of those large group of updates I’m assuming. so I found this about disabling SSDP http://www.tech-pro.net/howto_013.html%5B/url%5D so tried stopping both and mine worked. I also remember someone saying something about having two user accounts one of which may be hidden but cant find that link now.
edit as an afterthought…I think kellys corner has a fix also if you try a search (sorry I’m in a rush tonight to go looking)

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The Tech-pro article concerns the system tray icon. The icons I am concerned with are those on the Quick Launch bar on the left side of the task bar. I can restore them with a right click on the task bar – tool bars, and checking Quick Launch, but the icons disappear after a restart and have to be reset. Same for the order of icons on the Desk Top.

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If you search the net for the Windows registry string HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellBags1Desktop you will find a lot about icons not keeping their position between sessions.

A start could be to take a look at the values in the abovementioned key. The key permissions could also be partially corrupted.

Some also seems to have had success with some steps mentioned in this thread:

» Desktop Icon positions will not “save” on re-boot

I can’t see why a scan with the System File Checker (SFC) should work in this case, since you can have these problems and all system files are OK, but a scan doesn’t hurt. But do take a look at the follow-up post at Dec 26, 2007, a bit down in the aforementioned thread. Steps: enable Auto Arrange, restart, disable Auto Arrange, move icons to desired place and refresh Desktop (F5), perhaps several times. Check by doing a restart.

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