[Ham-Computers] Re: More on XP systray

[jandlmiller at bellsouth.net]

Thanks, Aaron and all.  The majority of time I have five visible icons in the 
systray, and two that are hidden.  Those hidden are Volume and On AC power.  
These seven are all listed as Current Items in the Systray/Properties/Customize 
window.  These two can go into hiding either immediately or shortly after boot.  
When I hit the expand button, all seven appear, then the two go back into 
hiding. If I hit the "expand" button and select Volume, for example, to change a 
volume or wave setting, then change the setting and close out of Volume, that 
icon will stay visible for a fairly long time because I recently made it active.  
No problem; this is normal.

But when this problem occurred, the usual five of seven were visible.  Then the 
expand button disappeared.  Quiet honestly, I don't remember what exactly I was 
doing when it disappeared.  I may have leaned too long on one of the two mouse 
buttons on the touch pad, but I really can't be certain.

I restarted the computer.  Same thing, no expand button.  I powered down the 
machine for two or three minutes, then powered up.  Same thing, no expand 
button.

I went into Properties for the Systray, unchecked the Hide inactive icons box, 
clicked Apply then OK, went back to the Desktop, went back into Properties for 
the Systray, checked the Hide inactive icons box, clicked Apply, then OK, went 
back to the Desktop...and still no expand button.  All of this was an attempt to 
"reset" the Hide inactive icons box.  Still no expand button.

Then I went back into Systray Properties, selected customize and visually 
confirmed that all seven icons were at the default of Hide when inactive and in 
Current Items.  I reasoned that with seven in Current Items, and five of seven 
visible, two had to be in hiding.  However, no expand button.

Finally, not knowing what else to do I did a System Restore to an earlier 
checkpoint.  The expand button is back...still seven Current Items...still two 
that hide most of the time and five that are visible most of the time...all is 
apparently normal.

Can't explain it!

John W0IKT

-------------- Original message ----------------------
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. More on XP systray (jandlmiller at bellsouth.net)
>    2. RE: More on XP systray (RJD)
>    5. RE: XP Systray (Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal))
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:19:38 +0000
> From: jandlmiller at bellsouth.net
> Subject: [Ham-Computers] More on XP systray
> To: ham-computers at mailman.qth.net
> 
> Thanks, Jeff, but I had tried that before writing.  When you Rclick on Start 
and 
> select properties the check mark must be in Hide Inactive Icons, but this does 
> not return the arrow in the ball on the far left of the systray.  That arrow 
is 
> normally a less-than sign, and when you click the arrow it toggles briefly to 
a 
> greater-than sign before returning to less-than.
> 
> By carefully finding a clean spot in the tray and doing a Rclick, then 
selecting 
> Properties, then in the Notification Area selecting Customize, you see a 
> Customize Notifications  window.  In that window are all the icons, and by 
> selecting any of them a down-arrow box pops up so that you choose either 
Always 
> On, Always Off, or Hide when Inactive.  So much for that, but nothing there 
> returns the arrow to the far left of the systray.
> 
> I am not sure what I did to cause the arrow to disappear.  I need to ensure it 
> is there each time I boot, stays there for the whole session, and pay 
attention 
> to what I do in between!
> 
> I have not found a way to return the arrow.  I will try for awhile to find a 
way 
> and then I will do a System Restore to an earlier time when it was there.
> 
> John W0IKT
> 
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: ham-computers-request at mailman.qth.net
> > 
> > Today's Topics:
> > 
> >    1. XP Systray (jandlmiller at bellsouth.net)
> >    2. Re: XP Systray (jeff)
> > 
> > 
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > 
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:38:39 -0400
> > From: jeff <jeffv at op.net>
> > Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] XP Systray
> > 
> > jandlmiller at bellsouth.net wrote:
> > > In the XP systray, there is to far left of the clock a button that upon 
> > clicking expands the systray to show all icons there.
> > > 
> > > Something I have done caused this button to disappear.  It does not 
reappear 
> > on a restart or a cold boot.
> > > 
> > > Anybody know the steps I should take to bring this button back?
> > 
> > Right click on the START button.
> > I'm pretty sure it's in there under Properties.
> > I don't have XP up right now to check.
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:00:06 -0000
> From: "RJD" <nj9k at wi.rr.com>
> Subject: RE: [Ham-Computers] More on XP systray
> To: "'Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications,	or
> 	experimenting'" <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
> 
> Check mark the "Hide Inactive Icons" and then hit the "APPLY" button and the
> arrow should appear in the ball.  It does on mine.
>  
> Dick, NJ9K
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:10:25 -0700
> From: "Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)" <aaron.hsu at nbcuni.com>
> Subject: [Ham-Computers] RE: XP Systray
> To: "I>Ham-Computers" <Ham-Computers at mailman.qth.net>
> 
> John,
> 
> The "expand" button for the systray will show *ONLY* if there are "active" 
> hidden icons ("active" meaning that the app that put the icon there is 
currently 
> running).
> 
> Windows has a MRU (most recently used) list for the systray which can be 
> accessed via right-clicking on the Taskbar -> Properties.  If you tick the 
"Hide 
> inactive icons" box, you can then "customize" which systray icons are shown or 
> not shown.  The MRU shows the "current" icons ("active") on the top of the 
list 
> and icons that were once detected by Windows, but are currently "inactive", on 
> the bottom of the list.  Regardless of active or inactive, you can set each 
icon 
> to one of the following settings (aka "Behavior"):
> 
> * Hide when inactive
> This is the Windows default setting.  Windows will automatically "hide" the 
icon 
> if the icon itself hasn't been changed (aka static) by the app.  Examples of a 
> change are color, size, picture, just about any "change".  Exactly how long an 
> icon needs to be idle before Windows hides it is a good question.  
> 
> * Always hide
> This forces the icon to always be hidden even if it changes.  An example of 
it's 
> use is if you have a program that always starts with Windows and adds a tray 
> icon, but you never want to see the icon.
> 
> * Always show
> This forces the icon to always be shown in the tasktray.  A good use of this 
is 
> for Anti-virus apps as you always want to know the status of your AV app even 
if 
> it hasn't detected anything in a while.
> 
> Note:  Windows doesn't always keep good track of which icon belongs to which 
> app, so you might see a particular app's icon several times.  Or, you might 
see 
> the wrong app or a strange name associated with a particular icon.  To be 
safe, 
> just make changes to "active" apps/icons and leave the "past items" alone.
> 
> I currently have 22 icons in this PC's systray.  Do I need to see *all* of 
them?   
> NO.  So, I've hidden 5 of them so they never show and the rest hide 
themselves.  
> I've also set 4 to "always show" as I might need to access them at any 
> particular point in time (anti-virus, firewall, process explorer, volume 
> control).
> 
> So, John, check the individual icon settings and see if any are allowed to 
hide.  
> If not, then the missing expand button is because nothing is hidden in the 
> systray.
> 
> 73,
> 
>   - Aaron, NN6O
> 
> 
> End of Ham-Computers Digest, Vol 44, Issue 7
> ********************************************