Strange desktop issue w/ user-switching

[wwroller]

Hi.

My OS is XP Pro SP1.

There is only one user set up, besides the Administrator account and the other automatically created accounts. Let's call this user Darth Vader. Darth Vader's in the adminsitrators group.

I have 2 small but annoying problems, and I don't know if they're related.

First Problem: When I use "fast user switching" to switch users from Darth Vader to Administrator (or vice versa), the desktop gets confused when the new user loads. If the desktop is confused, and I then switch users from Administrator to Administrator (or from Darth Vader to Darth Vader), the desktop fixes itself. In other words switching to a *different* user messes up the desktop, whereas "switching" to the *same* user fixes it.

By "confused desktop", I mean the following.

1) Even though the taskbar is set as LOCKED and "Keep the taskbar on top of other windows" is checked, when I open an app, the bottom of the app window goes BEHIND the takbar all the way to the bottom of the screen instead of bottoming out at the task bar's top edge. If I right-click the task bar and hit properties to check the settings, the settings box does the same thing, so the OK/Cancel/Apply buttons are hidden behind the task bar. Dragging the bottom edge of an app to the bottom of the screen allows the window to go down behind the taskbar instead of stopping at the edge of the taskbar (and maximizing an app window does the same thing)

2) Desktop icons that were situated at the lowest screen position (snap-to-grid is turned on), show up too low -- touching the task bar -- whereas normally at the lowest position, there's room between the icon and the task bar.

If I reset the settings (locked / always on top), it's fixed, but only for that session. If I switch users again, the problem is back, unless I'm switching from same-user to same-user, in which case, it's all fixed.

Second Problem: when booting, the welcome screen is skipped altogether and the default user's desktop comes right up. It used to be that I would get the welcome screen (even though only one user is listed there), and that's the way I want it. I checked to be sure the welcome screen is enabled (it is).

Does any of that make sense? Doeas anyone know what the heck??

Thanks,

-WW

[pip22]

can't help you with the 'confused desktop', but I do know that a fresh install of XP with only one user account (not counting the default ones) bypasses the logon screen at every startup. An exception to this is if the user account has a password attached to it. If you aren't getting the logon screen you could either set yourself a simple password, or enable the 'guest' account which would also force the logon screen to appear.