Missing icons in system tray

[Ned F. Reiter]

My network connection icons have disappeared from the system tray. I have
tried toggling the checkbox to display the icons, but they won't appear.
The connections work fine, just no icons. If I want to check properties, I
have to open the Network Places Properties to access the properties sheet.
Even from these icons I can't open the status page. If I right click on an
active connection icon, then select Status, nothing comes up.

What else can I try to get them back and get access to the Status?

This is on XP Pro/SP1 and all current hotfixes. I have 2 active network
connections, a wireless adapter and a satellite adapter.

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

My network connection icons have disappeared from the system tray. I have
tried toggling the checkbox to display the icons, but they won't appear.
The connections work fine, just no icons. If I want to check properties, I
have to open the Network Places Properties to access the properties sheet.
Even from these icons I can't open the status page. If I right click on an
active connection icon, then select Status, nothing comes up.

What else can I try to get them back and get access to the Status?

This is on XP Pro/SP1 and all current hotfixes. I have 2 active network
connections, a wireless adapter and a satellite adapter.

Are there any relevant messages in Event Viewer? To run it, click
Start | Control Panel | Performance and Maintenance | Administrative
Tools | Event Viewer. For more information, see:

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308427
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

No, nothing in the event viewer that seems related.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/


| In article <#[email protected]>, "Ned F. Reiter"
| >My network connection icons have disappeared from the system tray. I
have
| >tried toggling the checkbox to display the icons, but they won't appear.
| >The connections work fine, just no icons. If I want to check properties,
I
| >have to open the Network Places Properties to access the properties
sheet.
| >Even from these icons I can't open the status page. If I right click on
an
| >active connection icon, then select Status, nothing comes up.
| >
| >What else can I try to get them back and get access to the Status?
| >
| >This is on XP Pro/SP1 and all current hotfixes. I have 2 active network
| >connections, a wireless adapter and a satellite adapter.
|
| Are there any relevant messages in Event Viewer? To run it, click
| Start | Control Panel | Performance and Maintenance | Administrative
| Tools | Event Viewer. For more information, see:
|
| HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
| http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308427

 

[Richard]

I had a problem with 2 icons missing from the system tray.
The fix for me turned out to be uninstalling UPnP as a
Windows component under "Network Services". That restored
both icons. I don't know if that will work in your case.

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

I already have UPnP disabled in services.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| I had a problem with 2 icons missing from the system tray.
| The fix for me turned out to be uninstalling UPnP as a
| Windows component under "Network Services". That restored
| both icons. I don't know if that will work in your case.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

My network connection icons have disappeared from the system tray. I have
tried toggling the checkbox to display the icons, but they won't appear.
The connections work fine, just no icons. If I want to check properties, I
have to open the Network Places Properties to access the properties sheet.
Even from these icons I can't open the status page. If I right click on an
active connection icon, then select Status, nothing comes up.

What else can I try to get them back and get access to the Status?

This is on XP Pro/SP1 and all current hotfixes. I have 2 active network
connections, a wireless adapter and a satellite adapter.

Ned,

I'm on the track of a similar problem, which randomly occurs on
two of my computers. Some icons occasionally just don't appear.

I can usually make them appear by logging off, then logging on
again. Does that help in your case?

Are your icons always missing or are they sometimes there?

Hans-Georg

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I had a problem with 2 icons missing from the system tray.
The fix for me turned out to be uninstalling UPnP as a
Windows component under "Network Services". That restored
both icons.

Richard,

that creates the obvious problem that UPnP no longer works. Fine
if you don't need it.

I've read about this fix several times, so the defect appears to
have something to do with the UPnP service.

Any further information is very welcome.

Hans-Georg

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

Hans-Georg,

The icons are always missing. At first, I could restore them by toggling
the setting on the network connection properties sheet, but now that doesn't
work.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| I'm on the track of a similar problem, which randomly occurs on
| two of my computers. Some icons occasionally just don't appear.
|
| I can usually make them appear by logging off, then logging on
| again. Does that help in your case?
|
| Are your icons always missing or are they sometimes there?

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

The icons are always missing. At first, I could restore them by toggling
the setting on the network connection properties sheet, but now that doesn't
work.

Ned,

OK, that appears to be a different problem then. In my case some
icons are sometimes missing, and these are not always the same
icons.

Sorry, no idea. I suppose you know about the new XP settings to
remove inactive icons. They're in the properties of the task
bar.

Hans-Georg

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

Hans-Georg

Yes, that's not the problem. They are competely gone. And I can not open
the Status dialog from the icons in Network Connections either.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| Sorry, no idea. I suppose you know about the new XP settings to
| remove inactive icons. They're in the properties of the task
| bar.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Yes, that's not the problem. They are competely gone. And I can not open
the Status dialog from the icons in Network Connections either.

Ned,

the last resort is a repair installation of Windows. I have to
do that about once every one to two years for various reasons.
It usually works fine and rarely causes problems of its own, but
you have to reinstall the latest service pack and subsequent
patches as well, so it takes some time.

No guarantee that it solves your problem. Try everything else
first.

Hans-Georg

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

I've done that already. I slipstreamed the SP so I don't have to reinstall
that after a repair, but the hotfixes are another problem. Just too many of
those these days.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| the last resort is a repair installation of Windows. I have to
| do that about once every one to two years for various reasons.
| It usually works fine and rarely causes problems of its own, but
| you have to reinstall the latest service pack and subsequent
| patches as well, so it takes some time.
|
| No guarantee that it solves your problem. Try everything else
| first.

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

Well, after installing the batch of security hot fixes yesterday, the icons
are back.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| I've done that already. I slipstreamed the SP so I don't have to
reinstall
| that after a repair, but the hotfixes are another problem. Just too many
of
| those these days.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Well, after installing the batch of security hot fixes yesterday, the icons
are back.

Ned,

wait a few more days or reboots more before you conclude that
the hot fixes fixed this problem. I don't think they did. But,
of course, I can't be sure either.

Hans-Georg

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

Well, they disappeared again. Then I turned on the Volume Control icon and
they reappeared! Now I'm really confused.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| wait a few more days or reboots more before you conclude that
| the hot fixes fixed this problem. I don't think they did. But,
| of course, I can't be sure either.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Well, they disappeared again. Then I turned on the Volume Control icon and
they reappeared! Now I'm really confused.

Ned,

on my computers it is a random event. Sometimes they appear,
sometimes they don't.

It seems to have something to do with the timing of the boot or,
more likely, the timing of the logon process. After two
computers were upgraded to a 1 GHz CPU, the problem is now less
frequent, presumably because the timing changed.

When you look for this problem on the Web using a search system
like Google, you can find some references by other people to the
same problem, still unsolved. It may be relatively rare. No
consolation to us, of course.

Hans-Georg

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

Are you, or have you ever, run any Object Desktop software from Stardock
Systems? I have recently seen 2 reports of the same problem on the Stardock
news groups.

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| on my computers it is a random event. Sometimes they appear,
| sometimes they don't.
|
| It seems to have something to do with the timing of the boot or,
| more likely, the timing of the logon process. After two
| computers were upgraded to a 1 GHz CPU, the problem is now less
| frequent, presumably because the timing changed.
|
| When you look for this problem on the Web using a search system
| like Google, you can find some references by other people to the
| same problem, still unsolved. It may be relatively rare. No
| consolation to us, of course.

 

[Guest]

The same thing just happened to me. I couldn't get the
network notification icon to appear until I enabled the
volume control icon too. Weird.

 

[Ned F. Reiter]

Do you, or have you ever, run any Stardock Systems Object Desktop software?

--
-- Ned --
nreiter_AT_attglobal_DOT_net
Association of Shareware Professionals developer member
http://www.asp-shareware.org/

| The same thing just happened to me. I couldn't get the
| network notification icon to appear until I enabled the
| volume control icon too. Weird.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Are you, or have you ever, run any Object Desktop software from Stardock
Systems? I have recently seen 2 reports of the same problem on the Stardock
news groups.

Ned,

no, never even heard of them.

But I do have a large range of software installed. One of the
programs could be the trigger or the odd setting left in the
registry.

Hans-Georg