Preventing the Snipping Tool disappearing

Ultimate 64-bit on Dell XPS 8300

Like a lot of others, I have had a "disappearing Snipping Tool" problem. I've had to use the standard remedy (browse to Windows\System32, make a shortcut for snipping.exe, pin to menu and taskbar etc etc). I've also done all the checks and actions with TabletPC and so on.

Despite this, the tool disappears from desktop/taskbar/menu from time to time.

MY QUESTION

I've looked through the forum on this but cannot see any explanation of what may cause this. Does anyone know if there is a solution to keep the tool permanently i.e. stop what causes disappearance happening?

I found a couple of references to the disappearing snipping tool in a Microsoft Answers forum and a Microsoft Technet forum. They both say you need to enable Tablet PC Optional Components even if you're not using a tablet PC.

Windows 7 Snipping Tool has disappeared - Microsoft Answers

Windows 7 Snipping tool.

Also found this:

Snipping Tool Missing

Thanks for that info. I've followed all the advice about Tablet and so forth, and in fact it has never been turned off. I've also got the Tablet PC Input Service running.

An interesting phenomenon has arisen. I use Opera, and have just updated to the latest version 11.50. At the same time I've reinstated my Snipping Tool.

Now, when I start Opera, I get a (presumably) system message about the Snipping Tool shortcut being moved and so forth.

I attach a snapshot of the relevant message taken, as it happens, with the Taskbar Snipping Tool!

I should add that this only happens so far when starting Opera, and I've got quite a lot of Microsoft and other applications being started on here every day.