After you move the monitor icons on your Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer, you can no longer access the Display Properties dialog box (891391)

SYMPTOMS

Assume that your Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer has multiple monitors connected. After you move the monitor icons on the Settings tab of the Display Properties dialog box and then click Apply, you can no longer access the Display Properties dialog box.

Additionally, because no Display Properties icon appears on the taskbar, you cannot restore focus to the Display Properties dialog box.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if all the following conditions are true:

You dragged the Display Properties dialog box to a location on one of your monitors.
On the Settings tab of Display Properties, you modified the position of the monitor icon that represents the monitor where you dragged Display Properties.
You clicked Apply in Display Properties.

In this scenario, Display Properties remains active in an area of the extended desktop that is not valid.

This behavior is incorrect. The Display Properties dialog box should be redrawn in a valid location on your desktop.

RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows XP service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required to install this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   29-Jan-2005  23:48  5.1.2600.2604   1,836,032  Win32k.sys

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Restart the computer

When you next restart the computer, the Display Properties dialog box appears on your desktop as you expect.

Method 2: Close and then reopen the Display Properties dialog box

Close Display Properties. When you next open Display Properties, it appears on your monitor as you expect. To close Display Properties in this scenario, follow these steps:

Repeatedly press ALT+TAB to scroll through the list of running programs or open dialog boxes. When the focus is on the Display Properties dialog box, release the ALT+TAB keys. The Display Properties dialog box now has focus.
Press ALT+F4 to close Display Properties.

Note On certain keyboards, the function keys (F1-F12) are not enabled by default. In this scenario, you must press a button on the keyboard to enable these keys. For example, you might have to press the F-Lock button to enable these keys on your keyboard.