Annoyances - gadgets move (sometimes) on switching user or rebooting 2

[stduc]

I am running Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit on one machine and Windows 7 starter 32 bit on another. I have found that if you don't have your gadgets all arranged vertically where the Vista sidebar used to be - i.e. on the right hand side of the screen, then occasionally, after switching user, or logging out and then logging back in (whether via another user or not) or even after a simple reboot then suddenly all the gadgets are piled up on the right hand side. They only move horizontally, they are still in the same vertical position. Just some are on top of others now.

Although it is a matter of moments to move them back to where you want them to be it gets a bit tiresome after a while.

I have searched and searched for a solution but found none. So any thoughts, suggestions or better still solutions will be more than welcome.

P.S.

I still haven't gotton around to applying SP1 yet!

 

[ANFPS26]

Try doing a refresh of the desktop after you place them where you want them and they should stay in place. I had the same problem with icons not staying where I put them until I figured out the refresh worked.

Jim

 

[stduc]

Desktop refreshed - I'll report back in a few days.

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[stduc]

Switched user today and then when I switched back all my gadgets were in one column & on top of each other! So a refresh didn't work :-(

 

[ANFPS26]

Sounds like you have a different problem, then. I don't know what's doing that.

Jim

 

[SgtJarrow]

Are the users you are switching from/to have the same screen resolution? It sounds to me like the screen resolution between the two profiles is different. When switching from one to the other, the OS is possibly not updating the resolution before the gadgets are being drawn. This would cause the gadgets to be positioned incorrectly. And then wehn the OS finishes indicatingt he resoultion has changed, the gadgets are out of place and/or redrawn based on the new info.

=======================================
People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world. (Calvin from Calvin And Hobbs)

Robert L. Johnson III
CCNA, CCDA, MCSA, CNA, Net+, A+, CHDP
C#.NET Programmer

 

[stduc]

I'm afraid that screen resolution and DPI are the same for all users. Maybe Bill never thought people would want 9 gadgets - LOL

 

[linney]

What if you use a program like this to delay SideBar.exe from loading until after everything else has loaded. I guess I'm thinking more of SideBar items (Gadgets) failing to load rather than loading in the wrong place, but if they had less to fight they might get there positional senses correct?

Startup Delayer

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/startdelay.html

 

[BadBigBen]

see if these pertain to your problem:

http://www.vistax64.com/vista-general/64718-my-sidebar-rearranges-my-gadgets.html

http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/sidebar-gadgets-rearranged-at-startup

keep in mind that lots of fixes for Vista also pertain to W7....



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[stduc]

Thanks. This suggestion works.

http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/sidebar-gadgets-rearranged-at-startup

My script (I modified it a bit)

@echo OFF
cd "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar"
echo Terminating Sidebar
taskkill /f /im sidebar.exe
echo Restoring Sidebar Settings
copy GoodCopyofSettings.ini settings.ini
echo Restarting Sidebar
start Sidebar
pause
exit

Save as a .bat - doesn't need any special privileges and so to use just edit <username> to you usersname and don't forget to make a copy of settings.ini every time the gadgets are as you like them.

I may try the other suggestion some time and in which case I will report back.

 

[BadBigBen]

glad to have put you on the right track...

and thanks, for the BAT file, someone surely will make good use of it... star for that...

PS: I did a fix a long long time ago, had similar problem, but for the life of me can't remember what fixed it, I don't have a batch file doing the switching, so I probably did something along the lines of the first post, and no problems since with that issue...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"