XP SP3 desktop icons rearrange after reboot

Machine: XP SP3, IBM NetVista, with all latest updates.
AVIRA antivirus
Programs loaded: MS Office Pro 2010, Client Access Express (allows pc to communicate
with an IBM AS400 via 5290 communication; this has been there for over 10 years and
this problem started about 6 months ago), MBAM, Adobe Reader, QuickBooks 2013
Premier Plus Pro, Roxio 2010, RoboForm, Lexmark Printer Optra T616 drivers, DYMO
Turbo 330 label printer drivers, OEX, Remove Duplicates from OE, Unlocker, and a
couple more utilities that I don't THINK could be the problem, but ya never know ...


I've had this problem of my desktop icons rearranging after a reboot both before and
completely reinstalling XP SP2 and then downloading all the updates and updating to SP3
and reinstalling all the above programs. System was fine for a few days, then the same
problem came up.

Suggestions?

I've gone into the registry, renamed Desktop to DesktopOLD, rearranged my desktop
to my preference, rebooted, and all the icons were in even worse order. I then deleted
the newly created Desktop from the reboot, renamed the DesktopOLD back to Desktop,
rebooted, and the icons went back to their previous dis-arrangement, but this was better.

Anybody else run into this and come up with a solution?

Thanks!

 

here are 3 threads, read all and see if the solutions work for you:

http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/fix-desktop-icons-layout-not-saved-restart/

http://pressf1.pcworld.co.nz/showthread.php?115923-Desktop-Icons-Rearranging-by-themselves

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-6142_102-328230/desktop-icons-rearrange-themselves/

post back if these helped.

I would also run the following just to be sure:

Download, install, update and do full scan with these free malware detection programs:

Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/

Remove all found, reboot, and run again until scans run clean, these can be removed afterwards if you so choose. Run scans one at a time, please.

 

You should also check on the utilities you run and see if there is a setting that arranges your icons.