[UriB]

I have a new installation of Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit on a brand new DELL XPS17 laptop with Nvidia (with Optimus)GPU and i7 CPU.
I installed several applications and placed their respective icons on the desktop in an order that I like.
Every time I boot the system up, the icons reset to a standard (I assume) vertical rows and I have the tedious work of placing them back in the order and locations I am used to. Why won't windows remember my preferred location as it did with Win XP?
Any solution to this problem?

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Most likely you have the option to snap in place or in columns or rows checked.
Right click on the desktop and look for the Icons settings. Are any of the boxes checked?

[rshaffer61]

Most likely you have the option to snap in place or in columns or rows checked.
Right click on the desktop and look for the Icons settings. Are any of the boxes checked?

[UriB]

Actually, When the computer starts the icons are in the right place but then, at the end of the boot-up they change the location
The "Align icons to Grid" is checked but I tried to uncheck it and it did not solve the problem

Edited by UriB, 12 June 2011 - 11:47 AM.

[rshaffer61]

Set the icons where you want. Then right click on your desktop and click on Refresh. That should lock the icons in place after you reboot.

[UriB]

Thanks for the quick answers
I tied that. Again, the computer starts with the icons in the right place but by the end of the boot up they move to a different location. It almost looks like the screen changed the resolution and the icons are located now at the top left corner of the screen

[rshaffer61]

By chance do you play games and then once you reboot you find the icons moved?

[UriB]

Nope, no games.
Brand new laptop, haven't done anything on it yet. Just admiring the bugs....
I read more about it and I am beginning to think it has something to do with this "optimus' technology by Nvidia. I am not sure what it is exactely. I think it allows the Intel embedded graphic processor to work as long as you don't need a powerful GPU and when you need, theere is some kind of a switching process. I thought maybe something like that is happening at boot up and that confuses the easily confused Windows

[rshaffer61]

There seems to be a history of this also with Win7 from what I am finding and I don't see any clear resolution to it.
When this happens does your resolutions actually change?

[UriB]

As best I can see, it does not change, unless the change to is very fast and it gets back to the original resolution very fast.

[rshaffer61]

Googling the issue I get 150 thousand hits on the issue and like I said no clear cut way to resolve it.
Try googling Desktop icons keep moving in Win7 and see what I mean. It just looks like a known issue that is still being worked on. Some sites suggest the same steps I gave but no resolution. Others are suggesting a third party program to help it resolve.

[UriB]

Thanks,
I did and at least I can see that I didn't screw up but rather it is a known Microsoft bug.
By the way, I installed a PC Magazine's utility called Wintidy and it works beautifully

Edited by UriB, 12 June 2011 - 10:22 PM.

[rshaffer61]

By the way, I installed a PC Magazine's utility called Wintidy and it works beautifully

That is great to hear and the icons are staying in place now?

[UriB]

They don't stay in place but that utility allows me to save my placement and then restore the saved placement after the boot-up is finished. Normally it suppose to do it automatically, not in this case. I have to click restore manually but at least it does it

[UriB]

An update:
The culprit was a piece of software by DELL called "DELL STAGE" that caused havoc in the arrangement of the icons. Once I prevented this app from loading at start up, the icons rest in their place and the "WinTidy" app works automatically.
Life is beautiful

[rshaffer61]

GREAT to hear and you did really good on the detective work.
The software seems to be part of Android phone which Dell must be including. If you never have used it before then it must have been installed by default from Dell at the factory.
I'm happy to know it is working correctly now.
I will monitor this topic for a couple of days and see if it works correctly for you before we mark this topic as resolved.
Great job on your part.