print icon no longer shown in notification area

[Guest]

Hello. In using Windows XP Pro SP2, I am printing on a network printer. I
remember in the past that the printer icon would appear in the taskbar
notification area when I had a print job queued. It no longer seems to appear
there any longer.

Is there some setting I can change in Windows to get the printer icon to
appear again when I have print jobs queued?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Bob I]

The "icon" only stays until the job is sent to the printer. With most
small print jobs the icon may blink into view and disappear quickly.

 

[Guest]

Actually, I have several large jobs in the queue, and the icon never appears
in the system tray. I can open the print queue from settings > printers and
faxes, but even then the icon never appears in the system tray.

 

[Bob I]

Humm, you have all Icons set to show? Not set to hide them? (R-click
Start button, Properties, Taskbar)

 

[Guest]

Yes. I checked the list of icons after clicking "customize" in the
"notification area" section and there isn't anything even in there for the
printer or printing.

 

[Guest]

Does anyone else have any idea why the printer icon isn't showing up in the
system tray notification area or how I can get it to pop up there when I have
print jobs queued? As I said before, this is a network printer - not one
directly connected to my laptop.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Bob I]

Does it pop up for the local printer? Or is there some "special"
software that got installed with your local printer that has
commandeered the icon?

 

[Guest]

Actually, I have never had a local printer hooked up to my laptop. I have
always used one of the network printers in the office I work in. Is there any
way to reset the printer settings to get the icon to show up again?

 

[Bob I]

You could try turning on Notifications. (Start, Settings, r-click
Printers and Faxes, Open, File, Server Properties, Advanced)

 

[Guest]

I checked all the notification boxes. Still no luck.

 

[Bob I]

Perhaps some other software is interfering, or you have Icons set to be
hidden? Not set to hide them? (R-click Start button, Properties, Taskbar)

 

[Guest]

No, the icon isn't set to be hidden. Oh well. I guess it's like you said.
Some other software must be interfering. I thought this might be a simple
fix. But it looks like it's going to take more time to fix than it does to
open the printer under printer settings each time I want to check the queue.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Bob I]

If that's what you are after, simply r-click on the printer in "Printers
and Faxes", drag and drop on the desktop, and pick shortcut. Or you can
put it in Quick Launch if you want.

 

[Guest]

Well, it doesn't make the icon appear by iteself in the tray, but it will do.
Thank you.

Mike