Desktop display effects not staying set

I have XP Pro SP 1, After windows is up, I notice that the window contents while dragging option has reverted back to the original setting(unchecked) in display properties/appearance/effects "Show window contents while dragging ". I recheck it , OK/apply/OK and the window contents dragging works like I want. After powering down and back up, that box has reverted to unchecked. What gives. I've used CounterSpy and SpyRemover to check for hijack type problems, but nothing shows up. Any ideas?? Tx

 

Are you making login from a local or domain account?
What kind of rights your account have?
TKS

 

It's a home PC and I have admin privs. It's a local account.
Ron

 

Is it a Dell?
If you have a Dell PC, then the problem is most likely due to "Dell User Experience" utility. Check with Dell Technical Support to sort out this problem.
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/windowcontents.htm
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Since you have described yourself as "Expert" and a user with "admin privileges ", I am going to assume your aware of registry risks and safety precautions. For other readers of this post who may fall short of this description, I don't recommend this!:
Explore registry hkeys dealing with \policies hkeys. See if there's any key here relating to or mentioning "saving ", "resetting" or "allow changes" , or anything similar. I don't know what it would be but sometimes these make sense and you can figure them out or research them on the net, search engine of your choice. Certainly don't make any changes without first doing this research and knowing full well, in advance, what such a policy setting controls and what a change would effect. Often what seems to be a small change will effect co-dependant settings, if any. You can lock yourself out of your own system in any number of ways with these policies. Don't experiment with these "flying by the seat of your pants ".<-Keep that in mind and see the following: (These are usually found in the following but others can exist: )

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ *

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ *
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Is this the only customization or option change your having a problem with or are other preferences and customizations resetting or a reboot?
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Worth a shot:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.co*m/xp_tweaks.htm
Line 30. (Windows XP Doesn't Save User Settings)
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Sometimes this stuff happens without rhyme or reason. Many settings can be codependent and may require something else be turned on or off for it to stick. Multiple tweakers can be a problem. Options in a program can effect a stick. Sometimes you just have to log in as the Official Administrator rather than a user with admin privileges in order to make changes that stick.

You can make this change in at least two ways that I am aware of, off the top of my head. If you are using the right click on the desktop method and selecting properties and making this change via the effects button on the "Appearance" tab, Perhaps you should try the right click on the "My computer ">select properties>select the "advanced tab ">select the "settings button" and make your changes here. Shoot, do it both ways.

-- "Brain Storming" or "Brain Fried ", you decide...
I am guessing here (below), without double checking myself. Wee hours of the morning and tiredness/laziness prevent me from researching or testing this as a possibility. It just makes sense to me, at the moment, that a "DragFullWindows" option would be graphic intensive and may be indirectly "effected by" or "related to" any lowering of a directx or full graphics option. If you have lowered the performance of such, for instance, in an effort to check out or fix another unrelated issue such as a fussy mouse or application/game, perhaps this should be looked into or kept in mind for further investigating. It would have to be checked out to see if this assumption or connection quesstimate is even applicable. I admit it's a either remote possibility or not possible at all.
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You are aware that users usually seek a way to stop or disable this particular "Bell and Whistle ". It has a history of coming with it's own set of problems and nuisances. Just thought I had to point this out because I thought it an interesting twist that a user was asking how to turn this on rather than off.
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To sum up...while I do have a google list opened in the background, as mentioned, I'm to pooped to pop. Originally, I only intended to popin and post the "Dell" specific issue but one thing led to another. I tend to ramble or overkill a topic, more so when tired. Anyway...I will look at this google list as time permits. This may be a known common user blooper based on a setting or option somewhere else that is effecting windows ability to permanently save this preference option without resetting it on a reboot. If and when I come up with something more concrete then the above, or (after a nap) the logical or obvious snafus return to memory, I'll append it to this post. In the meantime, perhaps something I mentioned, already, will help.

--additional comments---
CounterSpy & SpyRemover, its always possible for some security option in one of these guys to disable your ability to make changes to settings that stick. I'm not familiar with these particular ones but such snafus with other brands have been known to do this dependant on the complexity of the program.

 

Thanks, Ann
Yup, itsa Dell . I'll have to see if I turned off all the goop they bring into their systems. This was a problem from the get go before I had loaded anything "hi-tech" on my system, i.e, Spy removal stuff etc. I checked the policies part of the registry and didn't see anything suspicious, but I'll go back and recomb the little beast. I had originally thought of checking back with Dell to see if there were any features that resided in their latest systems (bought Mar '04). Other Dell's I purchased (Mar '03 to June '03) for work with XP installed didn't seem to have this problem. So maybe it's an enhancement they added. I like plain vanilla systems and I add the flavours when and where I want. So I'll check tonight to see what Dell has added to my system that I wasn't aware of and check out the two links you supplied. I thought the user with full admin privs would be the same as Official Admin, or at least that's the way I set up my account. At least this will give me something more to learn about. Afterall, one is only an "expert" as long as you keep learning .. tx, Ron

 

Well the Dell site was the kicker. Just ran msconfig and went to the "Startup" tab, UNSELECTed "PCMSerivce, saved and rebooted and voila. It stays. I'm wondering what the Dell issue of
"The Show Window Contents While Dragging option has been shown to cause video corruption on various systems depending on what other software or hardware may be installed. "...is all about. I'll have to post to the Dell BBS to see if I get a real answer or a yada yada response.
Thanks for the heads up. Ron

 

Hi Ron,
Your welcome. I hope you'll come back and share the information. This might save another member having the same problem, further down the road. Did you notice that in the "Dell" link, I had provided, that a work around was offered. A startup, that restores the "DragFullWindows" display, on each reboot for you. I don't know if this avoids the possible video corruption susceptibility, since I assume it's the using of the preference that causes the problem not the setting of the option but it is still another choice other than disabling a service that may be needed for other reasons. In any case, your doing the wisest thing in by tracking and pinning down the exact specific cause of the issue. You can base your choice on whether to continue to use this preference from an informed stand point. I got to admit, I didn't look beyond the fact that, when googling this problem, using a "Dell" was the number one topic on the hit list, pointed at most often. If the Dell bbs or site support is slow in a response to your question, perhaps a google "group tab" search would help.

Thank you for the update provided thus far.