what could cause the windows task manager to not stay up
when opened. i.e. when ctl, alt, delete are pressed, the
task manager comes up briefly, but then goes away.
Ed has mentioned the "Always on Top" setting. There is also a "start
minimized" option. Another possibility is the presence of a virus or worm.
Check the system with an up to date antivirus program.
Many viruses, trojans and worms will block the running of MSCONFIG, Task
Manager and the Registry Editor. Since the programs are blocked by name,
renaming the executables is a workaround. Example: Rename regedit.exe to
regedit.com
Or you can run the tool created by MVP Doug Knox that creates a "backup
set" of those three programs for you:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_emerutils.htm