> Usually this is just an inconvenience, but sometimes it has come near
> to ruining a lot of work if I'm tired and my hand is in semi-automatic
> mode.

This can also happen if each instance would preserve its own settings. If you are not aware that you switched to another instance (of possibly many) and therefore expect the same F9 cursor position which you just used a second ago (but on another instance). Also, it is a good thing that you don't loose changes on your F9 settings if you modify it in multiple instances.

Jürgen.