Programs to give me control over the icons in Windows Explorer desktop?

I am beyond sick and tired of moving the icons in the Desktop directory of Windows Explorer in XP where I want them and having Windows move them somewhere I don't want them to be after the next reboot. I would like my ordering of the icons to be locked in place until I and only I choose to re-arrange them. My icons are sort of arranged chronologically , but not really. There is a past-to-present arrangement in the top of desktop, then a folders section, then a loosely chronological ordering below that. Plus Windows doesn't fill in the holes in rows, and it puts some icons partly off my screen. the View tab in XP isn't giving me what I need.

I would like to be able to make topical groupings of icons; would be really nice to have them with color-coded backgrounds. But what's the use when I know Windows will disassemble the groupings I make??

 

Right click desktop - arrange icons by- uncheck auto arrange - uncheck align to grid.

You should be able to arrange the icons as you see fit.

 

I have played with those same options from the View tab. As I said, the problem is I lack a way to keep Windows from its aggressively re-arranging my icons after reboot.

 

Those options should work but rather than diagnosing the problem here's a utility as you asked-

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/icon_restore.html

 

Never have had this problem, but for the regular desktop...

I use StarDock Fences to arrange icons into groups. It works very well for me:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/fences.html

What I do is organize the icons into Fences "fences" and then I turn off the program. After doing this, they have always stayed in place for me. The great thing is that I can save any number of states or arrangements.

Although I work bascially 100% of the time with desktop icons hidden, because of Rainmeter Omnimo, it is very relieving to find the icons where they should be, when I have to make them visible for whatever reason...

 

I was hopeful and I downloaded it but saw that its menu is in German. So, using it may be a challenge.

Edit: Ah, now I see a way out of this initially perceived dilemma. It initially displayed in German but the user can change the language by clicking the icon in the lower left corner of its window. Mention of this in the description at http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/desktopok.html would be helpful.