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

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.

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.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

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