Taskbar & Language tool problems

Recently, my WinXP Home (SP2) taskbar has started to do the following (abnormal) 'thing':

When (any) application is open (active or not, maximized or minimized) the taskbar will show two (x2) instances of the same icon. Numerous attempts to deal with this (including getting a taskbar restore item from http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm [a regsitry restore item], have not resolved this. This is most annoying!

additoinally, the language bar (allowing switching from EN to other language, etc.) 'tends' to disappear. the only remedy to this is right clicking on an empty section of the taskbar and selecting tool bar and then deselecting ALL (sometimes as many as 3 show up on the list as checked) and then re-selecting a 'language bar' instance from the tool bar list will bring the language bar icon back...

Any idea would be greatly appreciated!

 

My first suggestion is to go to control panel/ users and create a new account (different name and password)
reboot and login to the new account. See if it has the same problem or not.
Let us know.

This way we will know if it is a problem with your user account or a problem with windows itself.

 

This PC does NOT have multiple users accounts.... This problem poped up recently (probably as a reslut of adding some 'features' to the raskbar [such as voice recognition and related functionality that is a part of Office applications).

I do not wish to create a new user account, simply because once all done, i will have to 'fight' the OS to allow simple startups...

thanks,

 

That does not matter. My suggestion was to create a second account so it will now have multiple user accounts.
If the second account does not have the problem; we know it is a problem with one of the hive files for your account only.
If the second account still has the problem; we know it is a problem with windows itself.

This is called troubleshooting; narrowing down the cause of a problem and identifying the simplest correct method of solving it.

And clicking one more time to choose a user is not that much fighting; but once we identify the problem you can easily disable the login and choose one of them as the autologin or remove the dammaged account or the new one.

But it is up to you.

You can also try this method.

Go to start / run and type
sfc /scannow
When prompted put in your XP install CD (Note if the CD is not the same service pack as your current install you will have to either borrow an appropriate cd, make a slipstream cd, or slipstream install folder and change the registry to point to it instead of the CD) . If it says failed on any file, hit retry until it succeeds.
When done, go to http://www.belarc.com and under downloads get the free belarc advisor.
Install and run and at bottom it will show damaged windows updates. Use the provided link to get a manual install of any which show.

To to start / run and type
command
hit enter
type
chkdsk /f
hit enter
It should offer to run on next boot.


Final option would be a full repair install.

How to run a repair install

 

taskbar issues (response to propses scannow)

I have run the sfc /scannow utility. It run completely [a window poped up titled "Window File protection" indicating that it is checking for protected windows files integrity. The window also showed a progress bar showing where the scan is over time] without asking for anything more, and than just ended without any info or error messages of any kind.

Any ideas?

 

Confrimed that the issue is related to user account settings !

After going through the test recommended (which yielded no clues) I have gone to the original suggestion: create a new user account.

The process has confirmed that:
with the new account created and logged in, the taskbar is 'normal' and it's appearance is as defaulted by Windows (so called classical shape an feel of the graphics).

The language bar behaves properly. So far so good.

Now is the real question:
How can I recover the original settings (default settings) for the taskbar in the 'main' account?

The reason for this is the fact that the new account starts as a 'virgin' look and feel, with all the original account added icons, settings, mail (OE...) and so on are NOT there. Setting all of these up in the new account is a tedious job (if done manually).

So, the question is (again):
Is there a way to repair the original account settings (Taskbar) and remove the new account that was creatd for this test, OR

There is a way to transfer ALL of the look and feel as well as program access (such as Outlook Express) from the original account to the new one?

Thanks,

 

You can try this.
Boot to safe mode
Log in to the Administrator account with user name Administrator
(If you have not password protected this leave password blank. If you have problems , reboot to functional account and go to start/ run and type
control userpasswords2
hit enter and change admin password)

Go to control panel/ system /advanced / user profiles/
Select the good account profile and copy it to the damaged one.
Reboot and login to the damaged account and see if that fixed it.

 

... some new details on this 'saga'...

To my surprise, the following has been observed just now:
1. With the new account created, the behavior of the 'old' account as far as the taskbar, etc is as expected (re: single program icons, language bar that does not disappear, etc.). The appearance of the window (entire screen, including the taskbar) is of the Win2000 'flavor'... the new account appearance is the default WinXP style (taskbar is more 'rounded' , etc.).

2. If I DELETE the new account (via the control panel, etc.) the old problems reappear...

3.Creating a new account (again), brings the system to the improved level, with the startup (log-on) screen showing the account choices, etc. (when the new account is deleted, the startup log-on screen is not there...).
Anyway, it seems that once a new account is created, the setup for the old account changes as well (evident by the taskbar corrected behavoir).

How do you find which setup file to select if desired to do the following:

Bring the original account to the WinXP look level (from the Win2000 mentioned above) AND retain all the proper settings?