Vanishing Act

Q: I have a problem of keeping web sites on the bottom tray. If I have multiple web sites on my tray and leave the computer for a while, as soon as I click on the mouse the web sites leave the tray. I've had three techs try to fix this problem.
W. Hurt
A: First of all, thanks for not placing any pressure on me. This is an interesting situation, but there is a lot of information missing. For instance, what operating system are you using? What web browser are you using? Does the screen saver appear? Are the web sites still open and you can’t see them or have they closed? Although the answers to those questions would help give a more precise response, there still are ways to compose a work around or fix for this problem.
How recent is this issue? If it is fairly recent and you know the approximate time frame when it began, just use your trust system restore option to reset your system to a prior point. If this corrects the problem, then it would suggest that the source of the problem is something that you downloaded. I am taking it for granted that your system has been scanned seven ways to Sunday for all types of viruses.
Option two is to try using another web browser. If you are using Internet Explorer, consider using Mozilla or FireFox. If the problem is resolved, then it was likely something unique to that particular web browser. If the problem persists, then that means that the source may be a system setting, or some type of problem with the version of web browser that you are using. A patch or upgrade may be the solution.
If your screen saver appears when you leave your computer, then you can remove your screen saver or extend the amount of time before it appears. You can change the screen saver settings by right clicking your mouse on an open area of your desktop. Select properties from the menu that appears. Next, click the Screen Saver tab and choose None from the drop down list. This will not necessarily provide insight into the cause of the problem, but may resolve the problem none the less. If all else fails, there are a couple of ways to work around the problem.
Open the task manager after the problem occurs. Ctrl, Alt, Delete should bring it up. Make sure that the Applications tab is selected so that you can see what is running. If you see all of the websites listed here then you know that they are still running, but you can’t see them. You can select each of these here by double clicking on them and the websites should reappear on the task bar and on the desktop. Another option is to press the Alt and Tab buttons at the same time. This should maximize any item on the task bar.