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Resolved Tray Icons Resetting Themselves After Installing Windows Updates

Discussion in 'Windows 7' started by James Martin, 2015/01/23.

  1. 2015/01/23
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    All of my taskbar icons (near the clock) keep resetting themselves to the defaults after doing a reboot. After much toiling, I've nailed this down to the most recent security updates which were released on January 13th.

    A Google search has not been helpful yet.
     
  2. 2015/01/23
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    You are the fist one that I have seen to have this problem. I am on 3 different MB and look in at a couple more and have not seen this problem mentioned.
    You could try deleting the updates one at a time and see if this cures the problem if you are sure that this is the problem till you find it. I would start by deleting half of them and see if the problem persist. If it does, delete half the other half till you find the problem has gone away. Then download them ONE at a time till you find the problem one.

    Or delete them ALL and see if that helps. If it does, install them back one at a time till you find the bad one.
     

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  4. 2015/01/24
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    I was thinking the same thing, Bill (reinstalling updates, one at a time).

    Before I started my thread, I did a system restore, and things were back to normal until I reinstalled January's updates, but I installed them all at once.

    There were a few other oddities I noticed after installing the updates for the first time last week. Some of my folder customizations were reset, and Microsoft Money acted strangely too.

    I'm hoping I don't have to do a repair install of 7.
     
  5. 2015/02/08
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Just got off the phone with my brother, and he is having the same problem that I am after installing security updates for January.

    Looks like this is not an isolated issue.
     
  6. 2015/02/10
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    This issue appears to have fixed itself after installing Windows updates for February.
     
  7. 2015/02/11
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Update...

    Microsoft released a security update for Internet Explorer 11 today. After installing this update and rebooting (required), my tray icons were reset back to the defaults. :(

    I reset the icons back to my liking, rebooted (more than once), and my customizations seem to be holding.

    Weird.
     
  8. 2015/04/07
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    *Bump*

    Not exactly.

    Most every time I reboot 7 (Home Premium), it's as if the operating system forgets my tray icon customizations and some page layout options too.

    I thought maybe I needed to flush the OS and reinstall Windows 7, but I doubt that will fix anything after doing so on a 7 laptop (Home Premium). The (Toshiba) laptop is experiencing the exact same problems after installing 2015 updates following a system recovery. Heck, the Toshiba forgets customizations even after logging off.

    Are any of you running 7 Home Premium experiencing any of these problems? Is Windows 7 broken?
     
    Last edited: 2015/04/07
  9. 2015/04/07
    lj50 Lifetime Subscription

    lj50 SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    No problems on any of my machines.
     
    lj50,
    #8
  10. 2015/04/07
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    I could probably get used to the tray icon issue, but re-customizing certain folder options gets old.

    The folder problem is especially nagging with this 7 laptop, and Firefox 37 keeps asking me to make it the default browser, but the only way I can do that is by restarting Firefox as an administrator and then unchecking that option, but that customization (default browser) will not stick if you log off, or restart 7.

    I eventually removed all traces of Firefox (twice - including it's profile), downloaded a fresh copy, but the problem still exists (with, or without addons).

    Google has not been my friend so far.

    Even though the laptop's OS was recently reinstalled (Saturday), I have been entertaining thoughts of doing an in-place reinstall per Spyware Dr's instructions from months back.

    Thankfully, I have not had this browser issue with my Dell - yet.
     
    Last edited: 2015/04/07
  11. 2015/04/07
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    No problems here.
     
  12. 2015/04/08
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Tried that option, but afterwards, Windows Update insisted on installing IE 10 over IE 11. Other than that, the in-place reinstall wasn't too bad, although there was one time when the desktop would not load, but a reboot solved that problem. Nevertheless, instead of dealing with the IE issue, I decided to do another recovery (while keeping user data intact). This time, I will remove all Toshiba bloatware before installing any Windows updates.

    If that doesn't work, I'll have to go the nuclear route providing the end-user has their files backed up.
     
  13. 2015/04/08
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    With Home Premium?
     
  14. 2015/04/09
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    yep ;)
     
  15. 2015/04/10
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    OK, after much toil, I *think* I may have drilled down to the problem here.

    On all three systems, including the laptop, I installed a program called Free Registry Defragger 3.0 (this is *not* a registry cleaner, so don't confuse it with one).

    With the exception of a windows update issue (ran a Microsoft Fix-it tool a few times to solve that problem) after removing a bunch of Toshiba fluff (and Norton) following another system recovery, things were going fairly well until I ran Free Registry Defragger. The tool rebooted Windows 7, and it was then that I noticed the missing tray icons along with the firefox default browser message. System restore resolved these problems.

    I've ran Free Registry Defragger 3.0 for years with no problems, but it may be the program needs updating. I tried using Auslogics registry defragger (after the restore operation), but it says some registry files are missing and could not perform an optimization. Sfc /scannow found no registry violations.
     
  16. 2015/04/10
    lj50 Lifetime Subscription

    lj50 SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    I've never used a registry defragger to me they are pointless and just asking for trouble. Now I think I will go into the registry and mess around a bit. There's something in there I want to check out.
     
  17. 2015/04/10
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Pointless?

    I'm not sure.

    On XP, I used a combination of Free Registry Defragger, or NTREGOPT, and Diskeeper Lite to keep the registry and the hard drives defragged for years with zero problems.

    The NTREGOPT web site also has a registry backup tool (ERUNT) that is still used by some of Broni's virus removal tools today, although it's been a while since the two utilities have been updated. NTREGOPT does not work well with Windows 7 from my early experiments with the tool, so I've been using Free Registry Defragger 3.0 exclusively until now.

    Windows has changed much over the years, so defragging the registry may very well be pointless. Using these tools were carryovers from my XP years, so I used them on 7 by force of habit.
     
    Last edited: 2015/04/11
  18. 2015/04/11
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    I have to agree with lj150. I haven't either and don't know of anyone that has.
     
  19. 2015/04/11
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    To Auslogics' credit, even though the tool claimed to identify some registry discrepancies, it refused to do an optimization. Free Registry Defragger 3.0 had no such warning.

    I guess I'll just stick with defragging the harddrive for now.
     
  20. 2015/04/11
    MrBill

    MrBill SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    Windows 7 & 8/8.1 watches and does a defrag when necessary. Not like the older versions of Windows. No need to worry about a defrag.
     
  21. 2015/04/11
    James Martin

    James Martin Geek Member Thread Starter

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    True, but I assume one would have to leave their computer on 24/7?

    I know Windows has a scheduled time for weekly defraggings, but is that the only time automatic defragging takes place?

    I usually put mine to sleep right after finishing my work, although sometimes I forget and let the timed sleep setting do its thing.
     

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