System Tray icons for active applications disappear after startup

[Ron Miller]

The system tray icons for active applications disappear after startup and
some undetermined period of otherwise normal operation. The volume and
network connection icons are visible and some of the applications icons are
visible but many are not. When I select the arrow button to show hidden
icons, it expands the view but there's an empty gap between the application
icons that are showing and the volume and network icons. I know the
applications are running because I see their processes active in Task
Manager. If I click on the executable file, it will tell me the application
is already running and to select it from the system tray which I can't do
because it's not visible. Please help.

 

[Ron Miller]

That was a step I'd already taken. Note that when I click on the arrow to
show the hidden icons, only some of them are visible. This problem affects
the application icons, not the system ones such as the volume and network
icons.

I did find a solution but it's not optimal and doesn't explain why the
problem occurs in the first place. It involves editing the registry and
restarting explorer.exe, after which all the invisible icons reappear. Here's
the link:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13880_3-9956695-68.html

Thanks for your assistance!