Your pointer changes to an hourglass when you hold it over the taskbar for a few minutes after starting your Windows XP-based computer

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SYMPTOMS

When starting a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer, you may notice any one of the following symptoms:

The pointer changes to an hour glass when you move it over the taskbar.
Some icons do not appear in the notification area.
When you click Start, nothing happens.
The Start button does not work for several minutes, and then it starts to work.
When you restart the computer, the icons in the notification area are missing. If you log off and log on with the same user account, the icons appear.
When you click any icon in the Quick Launch bar immediately after starting the computer, the pointer changes to an hourglass.

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CAUSE

This behavior can be caused by the Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP). This service discovers Universal Plug and Play devices on your network.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, follow these steps to disable the SSDP feature:

Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
Click Services and Applications.
Double-click Services.
In the Services list, right-click SSDP Discovery Service, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, in the Startup type drop-down list, click Disabled.
Click OK.

Note When SSDP Discovery service is disabled, new devices on the network cannot be found automatically.

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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about SSDP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

821980 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821980/ ) The Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control Client is an optional networking component in Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1a (S about SSDPa)

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