Quick Launch icons disappeared from desktop application toolbar

I have lost the "Quick Launch" icons, that should be next to Start on the
application toolbarfor my profile.
I moused over the area, hoping it might pick something up, but no go.
I checked the toolbar for Quick Launch to be selected. It is. I toggled it
and the Compute on/off/on; still no Quick Launch.

Quick launch is appearing in all other profiles, including "all users" as
well as in safe mode. -- in safe mode, it is not giving me the opportunity
to choose which user: I assume it is all users, since the QL that appears is
the QL that is in the all users, QL floder.

I copied the the QL folder for my username to the "all users" and it appears
as it should, on the toolbar--of course, "all users" does not have the
programs that my username does.

I went back to my profile, selected from toolbar: new toolbar and the QL
folder that should be appearing. It now appears on the application toolbar
as a new application, which I have to go through lots of trouble to get to
where I want--the desktop, various programs.

I took an icon from the desktop that is (was) in the QL area of the toolbar
and is in that folder; dragged it to the space where Quick Launch should be.
I got a message box that said Quick Launch was already there, did I want to
replace that QL with the new one? I chose "no." Rebooted.

I tried the same again, but this time chose "yes."

The icon disappeared from the desktop, but nothing appeared where Quick
Launch should be on the toolbar--I just have an empty space on the desktop.
--I had to go to Explorer and grab one of the shortcut icons from the Quick
Launch folder and paste that back on to the desktop.

I'm at a loss as to what to do.
Is there something simple that I am missing?
Is there a registry check or something in msconfig that should be turned on
(1) but is turned off (0)?

Any ideas, anyone?

thanks,
Bob T