system tray icons disappear

S

Sheila

Although the programs are actually running, several of their icons that used
to show up in the system tray are no longer there. How can I get them back?

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but in the registry I found
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad".
Does the DelayLoad have anything to do with it?

Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Sheila
 
J

Jose

Although the programs are actually running, several of their icons that used
to show up in the system tray are no longer there.  How can I get them back?

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but in the registry I found
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad".
Does the DelayLoad have anything to do with it?

Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Sheila
Click to expand...

No, no, no... There is probably no need to edit the registry for this
problem.

If you mean the area to the left of the system time, let's call it the
Notification area.

Program icons can be set to hide, never hide, hide when inactive.

Do you see a < character in a circle to the left of the clock? If
yes, click it. Clicking the < makes them all show up - at least
temporarily, but you have great control over what shows up there and
what hides.

Here is a good and short MS article that explains how it works:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279771

If you still need help, have trouble, questions or get it fixed, come
back.
 
T

Trevor Lawrence

I also have an icon that I don't want, so it would be good to have the
option of removing them completely.

For example, at the moment I have an Office Validation Icon (the blue
5-pointed star) which says "Validation Incomplete" despite the fact that I
have installed Office 2007 from a genuine MSDN download with product key. I
can hide it, but it wont go away. BTW, going to the site and clicking
Validate Office doesn't help either

--
Trevor Lawrence
Canberra
Web Site http://trevorl.mvps.org

Although the programs are actually running, several of their icons that
used
to show up in the system tray are no longer there. How can I get them
back?

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but in the registry I
found
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad".
Does the DelayLoad have anything to do with it?

Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Sheila
Click to expand...

No, no, no... There is probably no need to edit the registry for this
problem.

If you mean the area to the left of the system time, let's call it the
Notification area.

Program icons can be set to hide, never hide, hide when inactive.

Do you see a < character in a circle to the left of the clock? If
yes, click it. Clicking the < makes them all show up - at least
temporarily, but you have great control over what shows up there and
what hides.

Here is a good and short MS article that explains how it works:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279771

If you still need help, have trouble, questions or get it fixed, come
back.
 
T

Tim Meddick

The fact remains that although people immediately assume that you can't
handle the little arrow icon that says "Show hidden icons" that Windows XP
does sometimes make icons in the "System Tray" (Notification Area) disappear
with NO EXPLINATION. It seems to happen when an error occurs when loading
the profile, or sometimes when Explorer is forced to re-start after a
critical error and "needs to close". The only way I have found to get them
back is to Log off and Log back ON again. This always has them all back
again for me at any rate.
 
J

Jose

The fact remains that although people immediately assume that you can't
handle the little arrow icon that says "Show hidden icons" that Windows XP
does sometimes make icons in the "System Tray" (Notification Area) disappear
with NO EXPLINATION.  It seems to happen when an error occurs when loading
the profile, or sometimes when Explorer is forced to re-start after a
critical error and "needs to close".  The only way I have found to get them
back is to Log off and Log back ON again.  This always has them all back
again for me at any rate.
Click to expand...

You say "it seems to happen after an error occurs...".

Well, if that is the case and the icons disappear after the error (or
seems to), then perhaps it is the error itself that somehow made the
icons disappear, maybe just temporarily in your case until you reboot
or login again, which is a pretty serious way to "fix" a problem.

I have never seen an anything just disappear by itself - it is always
preceded by some other event. There is always a "something else" that
happens first. The disappearing icons is not the problem, they are a
symptom of the problem. Fix the problem or fix the symptom (and fix
it again).

Rebooting, login and logout, I imagine reloads and resets a lot of
things. The original problem is still there (whatever brought on the
error), so it will probably happen again as soon as whatever caused it
in the first place is repeated.

Maybe we have just been lucky around my place, but there has always
been an explanation or preceding event. The service quit running
(why), some Explorer crash (why)...

I have seen plenty of people that did not notice the < or the >> on
the Quick Start menu. Wow!

We have not heard from the OP yet. If the icons are not there and the
OP starts poking around in the registry for a solution, then some less
invasive troubleshooting methods should be offered first (IMHO). The
OP problem may just be properties. Maybe something else. We are just
guessing right now.
 
A

Al Falfa

Trevor said:
I also have an icon that I don't want, so it would be good to have the
option of removing them completely.
For example, at the moment I have an Office Validation Icon ...
despite the fact that
I have installed Office 2007 from a genuine MSDN download with product
key. I can hide it, but it wont go away. BTW, going to the site and
clicking Validate Office doesn't help either
Click to expand...

Use http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/xp_pastitems.vbs to
clear *all* items from the Notifications Area - they will be redrawn
as needed. If that unwanted icon returns, use Autoruns from
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb545027.aspx to find
what is putting it back.
 
T

Tim Meddick

Jose,
It goes like this: Explorer crashes for "some reason" - it does not
matter what the reason is - I have seen Explorer crash on many systems, it
is not hopeful that you will find out the reason (unless maybe you're a
programmer).

More often than not (whatever the reason) after Explorer re-starts most
of the icons in the Notification Area are missing. It's NOT A PROBLEM - I
finish what I want to finish and THEN I log off - I simply stated that
logging off / on WAS the only way to get them back again. I didn't say that
I would Log off / Log on mealy to get the icons back.

The SAME thing happened in Windows'98, on my last machine, so it's a
code thing when the shell explorer process goes down and re-starts.
Explorer does not crash every time I use my computer, I can have many
sessions before I do something that disagree with the OS so that this
happens. I took it as a daily way of life with Win98 but, have found NT
based systems to be incredibly stable but (unlike a server), when you have
an actual person at the controls it becomes less so.

That is my experience, take what you want from it, if you have seen
similar then you know there's not much you can do about it. WHEN you decide
to reboot it is all back to normal anyway.


==


Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
The fact remains that although people immediately assume that you can't
handle the little arrow icon that says "Show hidden icons" that Windows XP
does sometimes make icons in the "System Tray" (Notification Area)
disappear
with NO EXPLINATION. It seems to happen when an error occurs when loading
the profile, or sometimes when Explorer is forced to re-start after a
critical error and "needs to close". The only way I have found to get them
back is to Log off and Log back ON again. This always has them all back
again for me at any rate.
Click to expand...

You say "it seems to happen after an error occurs...".

Well, if that is the case and the icons disappear after the error (or
seems to), then perhaps it is the error itself that somehow made the
icons disappear, maybe just temporarily in your case until you reboot
or login again, which is a pretty serious way to "fix" a problem.

I have never seen an anything just disappear by itself - it is always
preceded by some other event. There is always a "something else" that
happens first. The disappearing icons is not the problem, they are a
symptom of the problem. Fix the problem or fix the symptom (and fix
it again).

Rebooting, login and logout, I imagine reloads and resets a lot of
things. The original problem is still there (whatever brought on the
error), so it will probably happen again as soon as whatever caused it
in the first place is repeated.

Maybe we have just been lucky around my place, but there has always
been an explanation or preceding event. The service quit running
(why), some Explorer crash (why)...

I have seen plenty of people that did not notice the < or the >> on
the Quick Start menu. Wow!

We have not heard from the OP yet. If the icons are not there and the
OP starts poking around in the registry for a solution, then some less
invasive troubleshooting methods should be offered first (IMHO). The
OP problem may just be properties. Maybe something else. We are just
guessing right now.
 
J

Jose

Jose,
        It goes like this: Explorer crashes for "some reason" - it does not
matter what the reason is - I have seen Explorer crash on many systems, it
is not hopeful that you will find out the reason (unless maybe you're a
programmer).

    More often than not (whatever the reason) after Explorer re-starts most
of the icons in the Notification Area are missing.  It's NOT A PROBLEM - I
finish what I want to finish and THEN I log off - I simply stated that
logging off / on WAS the only way to get them back again.  I didn't saythat
I would Log off / Log on mealy to get the icons back.

    The SAME thing happened in Windows'98, on my last machine, so it's a
code thing when the shell explorer process goes down and re-starts.
Explorer does not crash every time I use my computer, I can have many
sessions before I do something that disagree with the OS so that this
happens.  I took it as a daily way of life with Win98 but, have found NT
based systems to be incredibly stable but (unlike a server), when you have
an actual person at the controls it becomes less so.

    That is my experience, take what you want from it, if you have seen
similar then you know there's not much you can do about it.  WHEN you decide
to reboot it is all back to normal anyway.

==


The fact remains that although people immediately assume that you can't
handle the little arrow icon that says "Show hidden icons" that WindowsXP
does sometimes make icons in the "System Tray" (Notification Area)
disappear
with NO EXPLINATION. It seems to happen when an error occurs when loading
the profile, or sometimes when Explorer is forced to re-start after a
critical error and "needs to close". The only way I have found to get them
back is to Log off and Log back ON again. This always has them all back
again for me at any rate.

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
Click to expand...

You say "it seems to happen after an error occurs...".

Well, if that is the case and the icons disappear after the error (or
seems to), then perhaps it is the error itself that somehow made the
icons disappear, maybe just temporarily in your case until you reboot
or login again, which is a pretty serious way to "fix" a problem.

I have never seen an anything just disappear by itself - it is always
preceded by some other event.  There is always a "something else" that
happens first.  The disappearing icons is not the problem, they are a
symptom of the problem.   Fix the problem or fix the symptom (and fix
it again).

Rebooting, login and logout, I imagine reloads and resets a lot of
things.  The original problem is still there (whatever brought on the
error), so it will probably happen again as soon as whatever caused it
in the first place is repeated.

Maybe we have just been lucky around my place, but there has always
been an explanation or preceding event.  The service quit running
(why), some Explorer crash (why)...

I have seen plenty of people that did not notice the < or the >> on
the Quick Start menu.  Wow!

We have not heard from the OP yet.  If the icons are not there and the
OP starts poking around in the registry for a solution, then some less
invasive troubleshooting methods should be offered first (IMHO).   The
OP problem may just be properties.  Maybe something else.  We are just
guessing right now.
Click to expand...


I believe you.

I use Explorer very rarely, I would even say I never use it. So I
have never personally had a crash from it. I have heard lots of
people saying it crashes, but can't relate. I have sympathy though.
Explorer does not exist to me.

My point is, if Explorer crashes and icons disappear, and you have to
reboot or log back on to get things back, they did not just suddenly
disappear by themselves. Something as a result of the Explorer crash
made them disappear. I doubt that is the OPs problem though, but
we'll see.

Maybe I did use Explorer once and it blew away my icons or something
and I swore never to use it again... ;)
 
S

Sheila

Paul and everyone,

Preceding the disappearing icons, we moved 4 computers into a different
building. (Probably) because it was late and I was tired, I reversed the
cables from the router to the modem when setting everything back up. When
the internet didn't work, I realized what happened and redid the cables.
But after that, although the internet worked, the network did not. After
several days and finally wonderful help from an administrator on Woody's
Lounge, we got the network working again. That involved changing a registry
key(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\DhcpNodeType).
The next time I booted, the disappearing icons started happening.

I can't see that this fix involved the icons, but it is the only thing that
happened right before the problem.

I found a Microsoft script that deletes past icons from the Taskbar and
Start Menu Properties box. That seems to make the icons reappear, until the
machine is booted again. Then the icons go missing again. The ones that
appear and the ones that don't seem to be almost random each time I boot,
but certain icons won't appear at all (until I run the script). The Volume
icon and Sunbelt's Vipre are two that won't show up.

Paul, the script you sent me removes the tray icon. I don't want to remove
them, I want them back! ??? Microsoft's script also closes and restarts
Windows Explorer.

Sheila
 
T

Tim Meddick

Jose,
You cannot help but use explorer as it is the shell that Windows
uses to launch every other program. Please note: I did not say that an
Explorer Windows crashed nut that the "shell explorer process" or the last
explorer that is ALWAYS left running and cannot be terminated without
terminating Windows. (See for yourself - start Task Manager with no
"Explorers" open and there is still ONE there on the list!)

==


Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.


Jose,
It goes like this: Explorer crashes for "some reason" - it does not
matter what the reason is - I have seen Explorer crash on many systems, it
is not hopeful that you will find out the reason (unless maybe you're a
programmer).

More often than not (whatever the reason) after Explorer re-starts most
of the icons in the Notification Area are missing. It's NOT A PROBLEM - I
finish what I want to finish and THEN I log off - I simply stated that
logging off / on WAS the only way to get them back again. I didn't say
that
I would Log off / Log on mealy to get the icons back.

The SAME thing happened in Windows'98, on my last machine, so it's a
code thing when the shell explorer process goes down and re-starts.
Explorer does not crash every time I use my computer, I can have many
sessions before I do something that disagree with the OS so that this
happens. I took it as a daily way of life with Win98 but, have found NT
based systems to be incredibly stable but (unlike a server), when you have
an actual person at the controls it becomes less so.

That is my experience, take what you want from it, if you have seen
similar then you know there's not much you can do about it. WHEN you
decide
to reboot it is all back to normal anyway.

==

message

The fact remains that although people immediately assume that you can't
handle the little arrow icon that says "Show hidden icons" that Windows
XP
does sometimes make icons in the "System Tray" (Notification Area)
disappear
with NO EXPLINATION. It seems to happen when an error occurs when
loading
the profile, or sometimes when Explorer is forced to re-start after a
critical error and "needs to close". The only way I have found to get
them
back is to Log off and Log back ON again. This always has them all back
again for me at any rate.

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.
Click to expand...

You say "it seems to happen after an error occurs...".

Well, if that is the case and the icons disappear after the error (or
seems to), then perhaps it is the error itself that somehow made the
icons disappear, maybe just temporarily in your case until you reboot
or login again, which is a pretty serious way to "fix" a problem.

I have never seen an anything just disappear by itself - it is always
preceded by some other event. There is always a "something else" that
happens first. The disappearing icons is not the problem, they are a
symptom of the problem. Fix the problem or fix the symptom (and fix
it again).

Rebooting, login and logout, I imagine reloads and resets a lot of
things. The original problem is still there (whatever brought on the
error), so it will probably happen again as soon as whatever caused it
in the first place is repeated.

Maybe we have just been lucky around my place, but there has always
been an explanation or preceding event. The service quit running
(why), some Explorer crash (why)...

I have seen plenty of people that did not notice the < or the >> on
the Quick Start menu. Wow!

We have not heard from the OP yet. If the icons are not there and the
OP starts poking around in the registry for a solution, then some less
invasive troubleshooting methods should be offered first (IMHO). The
OP problem may just be properties. Maybe something else. We are just
guessing right now.
Click to expand...


I believe you.

I use Explorer very rarely, I would even say I never use it. So I
have never personally had a crash from it. I have heard lots of
people saying it crashes, but can't relate. I have sympathy though.
Explorer does not exist to me.

My point is, if Explorer crashes and icons disappear, and you have to
reboot or log back on to get things back, they did not just suddenly
disappear by themselves. Something as a result of the Explorer crash
made them disappear. I doubt that is the OPs problem though, but
we'll see.

Maybe I did use Explorer once and it blew away my icons or something
and I swore never to use it again... ;)
 
S

Sheila

Problem fixed.

For anybody with a similar problem, I was advised by Sunbelt to go to My
Network Places, and click on "Hide icons for networked UPnP devices". On
rebooting, all my icons are back and have stayed back through numerous
reboots.

Sheila
 
S

shawn

Right click an empty spot on the taskbar. Go to properties. Hit Customize
next to "Inactive Icons". Look for the program you want and set the option
you want. It might have been set to always hide.
 
J

Jose

Problem fixed.

For anybody with a similar problem, I was advised by Sunbelt to go to My
Network Places, and click on "Hide icons for networked UPnP devices".  On
rebooting, all my icons are back and have stayed back through numerous
reboots.

Sheila
Click to expand...

That is... odd.

But, the thrill seeker in me found this link with some discussion of
the issue and the resolution used is similar:

http://www.tech-pro.net/howto_013.html

Jose
 

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