ICal does not stay open at start up

Question

I know you guys will think this stupid but .....
I have iCal as a start-up item. The old version would start-up and stay on the desktop. The new version quickly closes though the app is still running.
I didnt want to fiddle with the "Plist" for fear I would loose all my data.
Is there a way one could hack into the preferances to keep it open after it first starts? or something?
Thank you for your help in advance!
A very loyal apple addict
I dont do windows {;-)
Pamelarose
G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9) 1 M ram Radius Graphics card extended desktop AGP
G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   1 M ram Radius Graphics card extended desktop AGP

Answer 1

Pamelarose,
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
No need to fear fiddling with .plist files.
They contain instructions for recording and executing tasks associated with the the application or function that owns them. They can and do become corrupted. If you look in the ~Library/Preferences Folder you can usually guess what application or function the .plist serves by analyzing the file name. In your case I would suspect com.apple.iCal.plist
Proper identification of the appropriate .plist is not always so obvious, but for example com.apple.iCal.plist is the preference file for iCal. When an application malfunctions, removing the associated .plist file from the preferences folder to the Desktop is often the best first troubleshooting step.
If you have a problem with an application, Quit the application, find the associated plist file in the Preferences Folder, and move it to the Desktop as a first step in your troubleshooting procedure. Then log out/in or restart and re-evaluate the performance of the application.
A new default .plist file is automatically created in your Preferences Folder after you remove the recalcitrant .plist and initiate the log out/in restart sequence. You can expect default application behavior and you will have to reset some preferences. If the application or function returns to normal after removing the .plist file, it will prove that the original file was corrupt, and you can now safely trash the .plist file which you placed on the Desktop.
If the application or function is unsatisfactory, the original copy of the plist file which was placed on the Desktop can be safely returned to the preferences folder. Just allow the system to replace the newer plist.
If you are having problems with any aspect of OS X, experiment with deleting the appropriate .plist file. Plist corruption is common and .plist file deletion often cures many problems. Too many users try intricate solutions first and end up complicating their problem.
As a safety valve, you should use the File>Export feature of your calendars before you experiment with the plist removal.
;~)