Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: 3/24/06 Give me back my Windows system tray icons

Answer:

I had the exact same problem, and while I cannot be absolutely certain that what I found relates to your situation, I think that it might. What I found was that there seems to be a bug in Windows XP, and that for some inexplicable reason, Universal Plug and Play can cause icons to disappear from the system tray.

There are two places where you can manage the presence or absence of UPnP in Windows XP:

First, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, select Add/Remove Windows Components (on the left), then click on Networking Services and Details. You will see UPnP User Interface listed. (this seems to be the setting that is relevant to this issue).

The second place is in the Windows Firewall, in the Exceptions Tab (you must first have allowed Exceptions in the general tab).

I have no idea why there is an interaction between UPnP and the icons in the system tray, but when I removed UPnP from Control Panel Add/Remove Windows Components, on my system the problem disappeared.

After I originally found this last November, other people reported a similar connection. My original report of this link (between UPnP and disappearing system tray icons) was in a now-expired Microsoft Newsgroup article from last November, which is no longer directly available, but this link will bring up the message thread.

Hope that this helps.

Submitted by: Barry W. of North Canton, Ohio

Sorry, sir, SP2 for Windows XP can be removed. Your system is under great risk for the lack of it.

Of course SP2 can be removed. Why would one want to?

Surely, I can't be the only member plagued by MS "error messages"? As I said in my original thread I can go a few days without one message-then the next thing I get a spate of them. More often than not-they cannot explain the "error" or problem...but suggest installing SP2 or when I had MSN Messenger 7.5,suggested upgrading it, presumably to Pro which you have to pay for. I have a feeling these messages are a "sales pitch" for SP2 and other MS products.
does any member agree or disagree?
davidjd
Australia

Couldn't agree with you more. Have had SP2 on 3 computers and have never had any problems with it. In fact I've had Windows since it came out and have never had the problems reported. Must be with the operators...

I've had SP2 on my laptop since it came out and have had few problems with it. I do advise to instal it from a CD and not from Windows Update though.

Sp2 is totaly unstallabile i should i have had to unstill severial programs and i reinstall it so often on other computers that i now have it on a disc just for that reason.
Its not that Sp2 is a problem but some systems or programs on those systems refuse to get along for some reason.
I know in the begining i had all kinds of trouble with it when i tryed to just do the down load and install its to big in my opinion for that so i went for the disc option and have not looked back.
Sp2 loads and can be unloaded through the Add/Remove feature on your system any time you want.

Sorry, but XP SP2 is a must for any XP system and I've never had any problems with SP2 on many computers.

I have to admit the forum writer who suggested "superstition" might have been behind my SP2 prejudice is probably right.
But,in fairness to myself,I have tried to download SP2-without success-two or three times.
My laptop is equipped with XP-Pro - and has plenty of space.
On "dial up"-unless things have changed-it is a marathon download.
What annoys me about Microsoft is their continuous error messages - which they can't explain.
Typical message runs something like this. We can't explain what has caused the error-but if you install SP2 or upgrade your MSN Messenger perhaps this will solve the (unknown) problem.
To me,it sounds suspiciously like a sales pitch.
I use PandaActive ( free virus remover), Ad-aware (free spyware remover), Spybot and MS's malicious spyware remover.
My laptop is virus-free, but always has a bit of spyware (but doesn't every PC no matter what you use? unless,of course, you are a real geek and can totally eliminate it. And I mean totally and KNOW you have).
I guess I have a gripe with Microsoft and their market dominance which may color my view of their software.
But that's another thread-for another day.
Many thanks for the opinions expressed.
I found many very instructive.
davidjd
Melbourne
Australia

My new machine of 15 months came with XP SP2 installed and has been the most stable, easiest to use system that I have ever owned, heck, I've had more problems with some of the DOS based OS's I've had in the past.

I would worry if I only had SP1 - there are known security holes that cannot be plugged without SP2.

It may be that the SP1>SP2 upgrade is not as good as having SP2 installed with the original OS...I do not know...all I know is - I have never had a problem adding or deleting any hardware/software and have never had any security problems that weren't caused by my own stupidity.


steve_is

You are so right! after installing SP2 my PC went downhill, became sluggish and some programs refused to work correctly, I thought it was time to heave it off the harbour bridge untill I read your posting.
I went to install/unistall and pressed remove, a warning box appeared, I continued and it uninstalled sweetly, I restarted the PC and would you believe it's running 4 or 5 faster and all my programs are faultless, unbelievable!!
Thanks davidjd and thanks CNET.
micpic

Read post 44. The writer had trouble with SP2...are most of you MS "plants"!
I know one is it cuckoo/swallow? doesn't make a spring-but surely this post must represent others' experience with SP2?
I have heard of awful experiences with SP2. Another writer posted he needed a CD to install it-becuase it took too long...by download.
I bowed to majority opinion, after reading several posts suggesting SP2 was an invaluable tool.
But, post 44 dissents so strongly...that I am not so sure about installation.
davidjd

I did not read message 44 again. I do recall several people describing such problems. I went through hell trying to get XP SP2 to work on a friends computer. after countless hours I just put the WINDOWS 3.11 back in. I think that some of the older computers especially the 486 and P1 version machines are just not up to running Win XP at all.

I put SP2 in my machine in the first week that it was available. I do not recall any problems. I am now running IE7 and it is giving me several problemas way worse that SP2 ever did

My point exactly.

People who are having such serious problems with SP2, might help themselves by looking at their systems and other programs.

First, the issue isn't processes; the problem is that the icon disappears, not the underlying process. And, second, it's really annoying when you lose, for example, the volume control (speaker) icon (even though "show volume control in the system tray" is still checked), or an essential icon for controlling hardware (for example, the ATI icon to bring up the player program for an installed TV tuner card), or the icon to bring up Windows Messenger (which is still installed and running).