In guiminer, did you try "-p1" without spaces? I'm assuming you went through the create new CL miner option and filled in the different boxes before hitting the "start" button.
Might also be handy to know which version of catalyst/windows you are using.
-p1 does nothing, -platform1 brings me back to the never ending connecting issue.
I have catalyst version 10-12 and Windows 7 64-bit as my OS.