System Tray Icons Missing after a Software Config Change

[Ian]

I am experiencing "weirdness" with my Windows XP machine related to icons
that live in the System Tray.

Sometimes, after I install a new program & then restart the computer, many
of the normal icons I have in my System Tray are missing after the restart.

If I restart the computer a second time, the icons reappear.

The issue seems more tied to the operating system (in my opinion) than to
idiosyncrasies of any particular new program that I install. I keep my
computer environment pretty stable and I only install software from
well-known vendors.

I know that some people recommend periodically doing a clean disk reinstall
of Windows itself on an annual basis in order to prevent/eliminate
configuration problems with the operating system that can manifest
themselves over time. I have to admit that it's probably been about 4-5
years since I last did this - apart from the problem I describe above, I am
fairly happy with how the computer runs / how stable things are.

Can anybody recommend some troubleshooting steps that I could do to resolve
the issue I describe?

Thanks for knowledgeable replies.

 

[Leonard Grey]

Even though the icons may not appear, are the programs or processes they
represent running? (Look in Task Manager.)

If the programs/processes are running you are experiencing a behavior
that is not uncommon. While programs/processes are being loaded after
Windows has started there is intense CPU activity and sometimes
interfaces just don't show up. Restarting your computer may result in
all the icons showing, but that's just the luck of the draw.

You can write to the programs' technical support to see if they have a
solution, but they may just shrug.

XP does not need or benefit from periodic reinstalls. That's old advice
that may have applied in the 9x era but no longer. Of course, if your
system is compromised by malware, or if it has been abused beyond repair
you may have no other choice. Doesn't seem like either of those
situations apply to you.