Connection tray icon

[Guest]

the connection (LAN/Dialup) connection icon (two monitors) do not blink
(notifying network activity) as in earlier window version. is is possible to
make them blink?

 

[Richard Urban]

Right click. Choose the option.

While you are at it, why don't you right click on many other icons, in
various windows, and see all the options you may not have known about. They
are many. Right click the desktop and open the sub-options also.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Max]

Right click tray icon, "Turn on activity animation".

 

[Guest]

Yes I did that already and selected "Turn on activity animation".. But it
doesnt change anything

 

[Guest]

I had already tried that but it still doesnt blink.

 

[Haydon]

Same here.

 

[Richard Urban]

Is the correct Lan adapter being displayed in the tray?

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

I have Dial up and have worked two month's trying to make it work, no luck.

 

[John Barnett MVP]

to make them blink you need to right click on the connection icon and select
'turn on activity animation'

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
Windows - Shell/User

Web: http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org
Web: http://vistasupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail/post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any
kind, either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail/post. The Author shall not be liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the
use of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this
mail/post..

 

[Guest]

No offense John, but the folks have already 'turned on animation' with no
perceptible change in the icon's appearance. I cannot see a difference either
and am wondering if the animation is so subtle the many (me included) cannot
see the difference.

 

[Dave]

I have a cable connection, but I can see the 2 monitors alternately light
up...
Maybe it's the screen resolution, colors, etc.
I doubt that I could see it on my wife's laptop.

 

[Guest]

Very possible. I'm using a laptop with high res. All the icons are very
small. Also, Vista seems to use much more muted colors that providie less
contrast than previous versions. MS could have the screens on the icon go
from black to neon blue instead of blue to blue.

 

[Guest]

I have the same problem. I have dial-up access. It makes no difference
whether or not I turn on animation. My monitor is a high quality, high
resolution 19 inch CRT, but I see absolutely zero color transitions among the
two small icons during network activity. I'll bet that the related registry
entry would show that , in fact, animation is not being set by the
right-click initiated invocation.

 

[Guest]

Since my last post I have discovered that the icon is active (animates) when
I connect to a faster connection, i.e. a satillite network. Dial-up must be
too slow to register? The icon in previous versions 'animated' properly with
dial-up, but apparently not in Vista.

Dave P

 

[Michael Walraven]

Dave,
If you have two network devices (Ethernet and dial up for instance) there
should be two icons, one for each network.
For instance my laptop has wireless and wired. There are two icons, if I
have just the wireless plugged in then that shows activity and the wired one
has an x on it. The show icon is on a device basis so has to be selected in
each network device individually.


Michael

 

[Guest]

Agreed Michael,

....1 icon for 1 connection, 2 icons for 2 connections. However, what I'm
saying is that the icon in the case of a dial-up connection merely indicates
that there is an open connection. The icon does not blink 'animate' to show
activity on the connection as it does with other connections. In XP for
example, the icon would blink with activity, even with dial-up. The animation
is helpful in the case of a dial-up connection because sometimes the
connection can become corrupted without actually being disconnected, and with
the help of the blinking icon, this quickly becomes apparent alerting you to
reset the connection instead of waiting...even longer.

Thanks,
Dave P

 

[Michael Walraven]

Dave,
Sorry about that,
I misread that you only had one icon down there.
Michael

 

[Guest]

Michael,
In his earlier reply, Dave stated well the usefulness of activity animation.
Regarding the issue of speed, my dial connection generally is 49 Kbps or 45
Kbps. After the connection is established a small orb is merely superimposed
upon the lower right area of the icon. No activity is shown whether or not I
turn on activity animation.

 

[CALIENTE65]

As a new user of Vista, I am somewhat relieved that I am not alone on this
issue. I live in the sticks and dial up is the only option......and with
previous windows editions one could see clearly that the modem was
communicating without having to View Status in Network and Sharing center.
The blinking icon was particulrly usefull when waiting for a web page to laod
or sending a receiving e-mail. At least it reminded you gently that things
were indeed happening and to remin patient. I really wish microsoft would
addres this small issue for those of us trapped with DUN.