WinXP Task Manager "problems"

[MWE]

System: I am running Win/XP, SP2 on a (3 week old) Dell9100. Virus/Firewall is McAfee (as received with the system; it is up to date). AntiSpyware is MS AntiSpyWare (and is up to date). I have done full system scans for virus and other problems – everything looks clean.

Problem: When Cntl-Alt-Del is pressed to bring up the Windows Security window and Task Manager is selected, a normal Task Manager window comes up for the administrator account and all other accounts except one.

For that one account, the Windows Security window looks normal, but the Task Manager window that comes up appears to be a truncated version of the normal Task Manager window. There is no header, no menu bar, no tabs, etc. It looks like the Applications tab window. There are the three “normal” Application tab buttons and they seem to work as one would expect. The data in the task window is correct. This account has administrator privileges. And, of course, this is the account I use 95% of the time.

So, any idea what is going on here?

Thanks

NOTE: the attachment includes the above problem description plus screen shots of the normal and strange Task Manager windows.

 

[jh3si]

Check to make sure that the correct services are running on that user, would be my guess. Right Click, "My Computer", Choose Manage and Select, "Services. Make sure you didn't disable any services that are needed for Task Manager to run correctly.

Jh3si

 

[MWE]

Check to make sure that the correct services are running on that user, would be my guess. Right Click, "My Computer", Choose Manage and Select, "Services. Make sure you didn't disable any services that are needed for Task Manager to run correctly.

Jh3si

Thank you for your very prompt reply.

There are a few "disabled" services:
Alerter
Clipbook
Human Interface Device Service
Messenger
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Routing and Remote Access
TelNet

I would not suspect that any of these would impact Task Manager.

 

[xgerryx]

Double click just inside task managers window edge and it will come right.

 

[jh3si]

Yeah none of those would effect Task Manager. Try the helpful hint that xgerry gave and see if that works.

Jh3si

 

[xgerryx]

Here's a hint

 

[MWE]

Double click just inside task managers window edge and it will come right.

That worked. Many thanks.

I assume that there are two basic states for the Task Manager window, one is "normal" and the other is the truncated state (of any tab). Once toggled (by double clicking along the edge), it seems to stay in that state through reboots until toggled back. I must have double clicked on the normal window edge by mistake at some previous time ...

What is the function of this "feature"

Thanks again.

 

[xgerryx]

What is the function of this "feature"

Thanks again.

I did read an explanation about it a while ago but it wasn't significant enough to remember. It catch's someone every now and then.