IBM i Access first session not usable

Got a strange one. I think it's a Windows issue, so that's why PCTech list
instead of midrange-l.

IBM i is at 7.1, IBM i Access 7.1 Service pack SI41054, Windows 2008
Server R2.

We have a user, call him Scott, that has a single .ws file defined in i
Access, SCOTT.WS, which has a shortcut on the desktop. He normally starts
2 sessions by double-clicking the shortcut. Due to the settings I have for
him, the first session uses SCOTTA1 device description on the IBM i. The
2nd session uses SCOTTB1. If/when he opens a 3rd, it uses SCOTTC1. If he
opened more it would continue through the alphabet. Been set up this way
for years.

Starting last Thursday, the first session he opens (corresponding to
SCOTTA1) is not usable. It "shows" in the tray in Windows and that's it.
You can't do anything with it. You _can_ open Windows task manager and
kill it. If you go to the IBM i, that device description (SCOTTA1) shows
as "Signon Display". Subsequent sessions open fine.

I thought maybe the IBM i device description was damaged in some way, so I
deleted it. The next time he tried, SCOTTA1 was dutifully recreated, but I
still have the exact same problem.

Since he's clicking the same shortcut to start each session, I doubt the
SCOTT.WS file has an issue.

Suggestions?