Vista's Windows Explorer: bugs in Notification area... | The Coffeehouse

BlackTiger
If you stumbled and fell down, it doesn't mean yet, that you're going in the wrong direction.

I'm almost humbled with often icon disapperance from notification area. But this bug is annoying. I HAVE A "VOLUME"! I HAVE A "NETWORK"! Why they are disabled? I' m sure what after system reboot everything will be enabled, but why options are diabled just now? Maybe it cause by "Sleep" mode?

cescotto

BlackTiger wrote:

I'm almost humbled with often icon disapperance from notification area. But this bug is annoying. I HAVE A "VOLUME"! I HAVE A "NETWORK"! Why they are disabled? I' m sure what after system reboot everything will be enabled, but why options are diabled just now? Maybe it cause by "Sleep" mode?

Are you sure they aren't hidden? The arrow to show hidden icons is present in the screenshot.

Also try to see if the netprofm service is active, I have a bad feeling about this: if the netprofm service is turned off and you can't start it because of an "insufficient resources" message you can already start screaming.

BlackTiger
If you stumbled and fell down, it doesn't mean yet, that you're going in the wrong direction.

Yes, I'm sure. I've played with "Hide Icons" setting too. It's not happens everytime, just sometimes I don't have icons for WLM, Skype and couple other apps (processes are running and listed in taskman).

About my previous screen shot - I've just killed "explorer.exe" and started it again. All icons (Volume and Network) now listed in notification area, previously disabled options are available too.

So untested UI... Perplexed

Raghavendra_Mudugal
This is how it feels when you do not upgrade to the latest technology...

Somethink like this.... might help Smiley

(I guess there is an option for this in Vista... )

Rich2k

I often get this two on a vista business laptop and an ultimate desktop. Seems totally random and a log off and logon seems to fix it until it decides to do it again. Sound and network both work just the status icons disappear and refuse to enable through the properties.

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

I had this once. Like Rich2k sais, logoff/logon fixed it. Don't know what caused it.

kponeill2006
Me

This appears to be a common problem with Vista. It happens to me all the time and is starting to drive me crazy!!! Just now, I have rebooted 3 times and every time I have a different combination of displayable icons. The clock seems to be the only icon that will always display? If anyone finds a fix to this issue I'm pretty sure Microsoft will pay big $$$ for it because it appears to happen with every copy of Vista that I have ever seen!

Pace
In The Mix...

In reply to kponeill2006

#Jul 9th, 2008 @ 5:28 AM

Most strange.

I have never seen this bug personally.

Guess that's where all my extra cash went on Ultimate Smiley

hehe

Dovella
Go Microsoft !!!!!!!

you use a first Set up OEM producer?? (+bloatware etc??? )

BlackTiger
If you stumbled and fell down, it doesn't mean yet, that you're going in the wrong direction.

In reply to Dovella

#Jul 9th, 2008 @ 5:47 AM

No, it's Explorer's bug(s). If you will kill "explorer.exe" process and restart it then all icons will be in place.
It's impossible to track what exactly causing icon's disappearance from notification area and settings.
Just... happens.

Dovella
Go Microsoft !!!!!!!

In reply to BlackTiger

#Jul 9th, 2008 @ 5:52 AM

happens to me only with MSN messenger.

if I close messenger, remains for me the icon below.
Indeed disappears in step mouse

Big Smile

OpnMnded
OpnMnded

In reply to BlackTiger

#Jul 9th, 2008 @ 5:52 AM

BlackTiger, Thanks for the tip about shutting off the explorer.exe process. It worked like a charm!

For those of you that don't know the 'step by step on how to do this, I've included them below:

1) Press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys at the same time and let them go.
2) Click on Start Task Manager
3) Click on the Processes tab
4) Find and click on explorer.exe in the list
5) Click the End Process button (in the lower right corner of the dialog box) -- Don't freak out - it is normal not to have access to your taskbar at this point because you just turned it off!
6) Click on the Applications tab
7) Click on the New Task... button (in the lower right corner of the dialog box)
8) Type in explorer.exe
9) Click on the OK button.
10) Congratulations, that's it!! Now see what surprises you have in the Notification Area. Hopefully, the icons you wanted to see are back. Smiley

CannotResolveSymbol
{insert caption here}

In reply to OpnMnded

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 6:42 AM

Because killing running processes without giving them the chance to close open files and network connections and save state is always a good idea.

There's actually a way to close Explorer properly, without doing End Task in Task Manager.

On Vista with the standard start menu:
Hold Ctrl+Shift and right click on any empty area of the start menu. Select "Exit Explorer".

On Vista with the classic start menu or XP with either start menu:
Open the Shutdown dialog, hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift and click the Cancel button.

This can be used to close explorer so you get your volume and network icons back, or used to run the entire desktop shell as elevated on Vista. (Thanks to Aaron Margosis for the obscure trick).

AndyC

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 6:57 AM

So, I figured I'd try that out and now Explorer hasn't come back. Ho hum....

CannotResolveSymbol
{insert caption here}

In reply to AndyC

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 7:32 AM

You still have to restart it via task manager-- this closes explorer properly, emphasis on the close.

CKurt
while( ( !succeed=try() ) ) { }

In reply to OpnMnded

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 6:42 AM

Step 1) and 2) are just :

Right Click on taskbar en select 'Task Manager'

K0ogle

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 7:39 AM

i just have turn "hide inactive icons" off, whats the friggin point in a customize dialog when it doesn't bother adhering to the settings its been like that XP for a long time.

Its all just another useless part of the windows sh/t explorer among tons of other slacking areas. Namely the piss poor file default management window (which qttabbar does a much better job of improving), with things like movie thumbnails that lock explorer or are sh/t and get the first frame... where is customization why would I want video thumbs that are just black! or the fact that common views like details/thumbs are imbedded in a stupid drop menu.. when they should just be quick individuals icons on the bar! or at least stuck into a customize dialog... Y'know and seeing as Explorer saving of individual folder views/dialog sizes is just crap.. or that its default window size is a non customize sh/ty 800x600...

Explorer such a key part of windows.. and so much of it is just unbelievebly SH/T! or just for noob users.

i reckon if there was a log of the most "end process" .exe item on the task manager window it would be the sh/t explorer.exe what a pile of.. oh hello MS Smiley

this wasn't a reply to you .symbol.. but this forum is useless and won't let me change it to "reply to root"

ZippyV
Fired Up

In reply to CKurt

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 9:16 AM

Noob, Ctrl + Shift + Esc launches task manager directly.

CKurt
while( ( !succeed=try() ) ) { }

In reply to ZippyV

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 9:48 AM

Oké, je mag me een Noob noemen omdat je ook een belg bent Tongue Out

BHpaddock

In reply to BlackTiger

#Jul 9th, 2008 @ 5:52 AM

Disappearing icons are rarely Explorer's problem. Lots of apps don't listen for the WM_TASKBARCREATED broadcast to repopulate their icons when needed (explorer restarted, for example). There is little that Explorer can do about that.

BHpaddock

In reply to K0ogle

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 9:42 AM

Why are you blaming Explorer for bad video thumbnails? If you have broken thumbnails, it's because you have a broken thumbnailer. Specifically, you probably have busted video codecs. I bet you're one of those people who installs those god awful "codec pack" things and then blames Explorer when the codec pack screws up.

K0ogle

In reply to BHpaddock

#Jul 24th, 2008 @ 10:47 PM

pretty arrogant response to assume I just install video codec packs.

"If you have broken thumbnails"

who said anything about broken thumbnails, I'm not saying it can't have anything to do with shity video codecs and the whole screwed up mess of getting videos codecs to play nicely seeing as there is no real easy way of maintaining codecs and there file associations on windows.. (just a another poor shity area, no wonder people use codec packs and end up installing other * that isn't really needed, although CCCP isn't bad, not that you'd have a clue I'm guessing).. but its seems to be left upto outside development of decent video players like zoomplayer and kmplayer to take control of there own video codec associations and to offer more control over the mess.. not something i'd count on crapy a WMP to do properly or to offer much configurability on.

"Why are you blaming Explorer for bad video thumbnails"

perhaps you weren't getting what I was talking about, the movie thumbnails are generated from the 1st frame of a clip.. now how stupid is that when most movie clips start off with a black frame first! why is there no easy thumbnail customization dialog with options to say look just generate the thumbs with options like middle of the movie, or this many frames in.. or even better a just more intelligent thumb generation that just uses the first frame that doesn't appear to be all black. I mean it might aswel do it fking properly when it is generating thumbs regardless if it takes that bit longer do it right.

PaoloM
Hypermediocrity

In reply to K0ogle

#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 5:13 AM

Dear K0ogle, if you had any clue about how these things actually work (instead of being an annoying jerk), you'd probably would have guesses that thumbnail generation is responsibility of the thumbnail handler, not explorer. Explorer just asks for a thumbnail to the handler and displays it.

For example, the thumbnail handler for WMV returns the first "good" non-black frame to Explorer when asked. If these "codec packs" k00l guys don't know how to do that and just take the cheap way of returning the first frame in the movie, well... you know who to blame.

That said, try to be less obnoxious in your posts, thanks.

Manabi
Take back the web!

I have been having this same problem as well, and I've mainly remedied it by only having my Avira, Windows Live Messenger, and "John's Background Switcher" load [their notification icons] on startup.

BHpaddock

In reply to K0ogle

#Jul 25th, 2008 @ 5:13 AM

As Paolo said, Explorer doesn't know anything about what frame to pull. It asks the registered thumbnail handler for that file type to generate a thumbnail. By default, Vista uses a thumbnail that selects the best frame from the first section of the clip (I think the first non-black frame that is a certain percentage of the way into the video, or something like that). This is not the responsibility of Explorer, it is the responsibility of the thumbnailer. As I say, the default thumbnailer provided by WMP is pretty smart. The third party ones often are not.