(Windows question) taskbar icons

[ross22]

Hi,

Sorry to post a windows question; I don't know any windows help forums (please let me know a good one!)

On my winxp the taskbar icons for programs that are running disappear eg. the power icon which tells me how much left in the battery; the volume icon and everything!

I have already checked the "Hide inactive icons" button o the properties menu; any other ideas?

Thankyou for your help

Ross

[blobrana]

Hum,
have you tried right clicking on the taskbar and clicking on properties then changing any options (ie Classic start menu)?

Try a different theme...(in control panel ->display)

[uncharted]

If you right click the task bar, select properties then click on the "customize" button in the lower right hand corner of the window, you will be able to alter the display properties for each item individually.

For example on my laptop Volume and battery are set to "Always show"

Hope this helps.

[blobrana]

Hum,
is it possible that he has no background tasks (programs running)?

Is he the only person on the planet that doesn't have a firewall, virus checker or Seti@home etc running...?

(i hadn't thought of that possibility...)

[ross22]

Thanks for your help guys.

Unfortunately I've already tried what you've suggested and I still get the same problem.  It's intermittent; all of the icons are set to always show - sometimes they do and other times they don't  :-(

I've been looking for a while for a solution, and I'm still stuck!

Ross

[MarkAshley]

Next time it happens, go to task manager and make sure there is a process called "systray" running. This is the process that provides the system tray (the tray next to the clock that you seem to be missing).

If that process is not there, then that is why. For some reason the systray process seems to be crashing so the icons disappear.

If systray is running, then I'm stumped :-?

EDIT:
Sorry, I'm an idiot. You don't see systray running in task manager on XP. This could still be the cause, but I don't know how to check.

[ross22]

I've finally solved my problem!  Her name is Qingqing (my gf  :evil: )

She's been using my computer to download some chinese TV programs using emule (and I'm guessing downloaded something nasty as well).  My solution was simply to delete the temp folder; I don't know what the problem was but it wasn't recognised by any of my spyware or virus programs.

ah well, just happy to get it fixed  :-)   Thankyou all for your help

Ross