Spk Icon Missing @ startup on older machine

[John]

Hi::
I have an older 866Mhz machine with Xp Sp3 home on it. This machine was
upgraded from Me. Ever since the upgrade my speaker icon has been missing on
startup. Everything works fine except that. the only way I can get the icon
is to simply log off and log back on everytime I restart the machine.
Needless to say, this isn't a whole lot of fun, but since the machine is
seldom off I just consider it another downer one gets with old machines. So
far I have just had another grumble at Mr. Gates and gone ahead and loged
off and back on.

I have Googled this problem and tried most of the solutions suggested
(except manually massaging the registry). I even have a new audio/video
card with new drivers.(for unrelated reasons). Same thing! This appears to
be another unresolved MS problem as far as I can see. The important fact
here is that IT WORKS FINE ONCE YOU LOG OFF AND BACK ON. Pardon the caps but
that particular fact seems to put this problem in a category all by itself.
Others have reported the identical problem.(including a neighbor with an
older machine).

Now I am just a dumb old engineer but here is the way I read what may be
happening; Granted alot of stuff is trying to start on startup, and perhaps
Xp is expecting things to move a little faster, but since this is an old
machine, things (me included) don't move as fast as they should, and Xp goes
ahead and starts up the next thing before the audio stuff is complete,
thereby cutting the operation short. When it starts after a log off/log on,
fewer things are happening to Xp and everything starts up in fine fashion.

Does anybody have an easy solution for this situation (other than log off/
log on)?

Thanks in advance, John

 

[Patok]

Hi::
I have an older 866Mhz machine with Xp Sp3 home on it. This machine was
upgraded from Me. Ever since the upgrade my speaker icon has been missing on
startup. Everything works fine except that. the only way I can get the icon
is to simply log off and log back on everytime I restart the machine.

Does anybody have an easy solution for this situation (other than log off/
log on)?

Yes. Go to Control Panel -> Sound and Audio Devices properties.
Uncheck the "Place volume icon in the taskbar", click Apply. Then check
it, and click Apply. It should re-appear.
The reason for it not appearing could be various. I've seen iTunes
preventing this one and sometimes the power status icon in laptops.
Another way to prevent it from happening, (if that was the reason to
begin with) is to not log into your account right away when the login
screen appears after reboot, but to wait about 30 seconds, and only then
log in.

 

[John]

Hey progress!!!
Unchecking the "show volume icon" and rechecking it isn't a permanent fix,
but it does make the icon reappear when it is missing. I put a shortcut to
the "Sound and Audio Devices" section of the control panel on the desktop
and getting to the box for the "show speaker" icon now is sure faster than
logging off and logging back on. Thanks much.

Your idea of delaying logon is a good one but isn't appropriate for this
particular machine. I must use auto logon because this machine runs our Home
Control system and it must restart automatically if the power fails, (so I
must use auto logon). Too bad there isn't a way to build an automatic delay
into it. Hmmmm.

Any additional thoughts?

Thanks much again, John

 

[Patok]

Hmm, that complicates things somewhat. I don't know a solution, but
then I'm not a WinXP professional, just a user.
I have a suggestion you can try to see if it works - with the Group
Policy Editor (run gpedit.msc), enable "Run logon scripts synchronously"
- the one in Computer Configuration/ Administrative Templates/ System/
Scripts/. I don't know if it will have any effect, but then it might.

 

[John]

Oops, can't find the group policy editor. I googled this and found that the
group policy editor is not part of Xp home edition (which this is). There
have been several things on this computer that appear to be very stripped
down or missing. I just thought I wasn't looking in the correct area. I
guess I had never associated these things with the level of the operating
system. I thought it was just me.

Any other ideas? Maybe I should just live with it?
Thanks, John

 

[Patok]

Oh. I didn't know that Home has no policy editor - I'm on Pro. A
quick google shows a registry key with a similar name, which presumably
does the same thing:

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kb...sXP/RegistryTips/Security/AutomaticLogon.html

You can try adding RunLogonScriptSync set to 1, like they show on
that page, and see if it has any effect.

 

[John]

Hi:
Thanks, I think most of the links listed deal with enabling autologon, and
passwords etc. I didn't see anything about running scripts synchronously. I
think I am probably getting in over my head and experience tells me to leave
well enough alone (sort of).
Thanks again, John.