System Tray Icons

WelshJim,
Open WE, highlight where you want your shortcut to open, right click, send to desktop, change the icon (they live here: %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll) and drag it down to QL. I agree, always opening in My Docs is annoying. I open WE in 4 different places. Click out with the control key down and the file tree showing, and XP should remember how to open that window from your new shortcut.

To make the Control Panel open as I illustrated, use "display as a link" in the customize section of the Start Menu advanced options, toggle folders to show the file tree and click out holding the control key.

AFAIK, there is no other personalization in XP Pro for that blank white real estate on the left side of the Start Menu box, except shortcuts. Like I said earlier, I seldom click Start, except to shut down!

I keep Desktop icons to a minimum- PeteC, despite how well organized your desktop is, I would find that distracting. Like JSS3rd, I delete unwanted desktop icons, and create my own for my convenience. Like Miz pointed out in another thread, it's easy to create folders, change the icon, and drag categories of programs into it. Yes, it's an extra click, but less clutter.

PeteC, I do like your wallpaper, though! I saved that pic from your website a long time ago, and it rolls around on the screensaver now and then. It is such a striking picture, and aptly named, "Walking-the-Wave ". Another of my favorites of yours is the country lane with the crumbling stone wall, looking slightly uphill. Some of my days are like that. You know it won't be an easy walk, but it sure looks interesting, if I can just get up there, and around the bend behind that rock! That is one of the few pics I use as wallpaper full screen. I center my wallpaper, too, usually, and I change it whenever the mood strikes. Today, the Little Feat logo is there, tomorrow, who knows?

WelshJim Overall, would you say you are pleased with the switch? Have you noticed better performance, easier configurations? Or is it just a fancy Windows? I don't know the earlier versions well enough to do a fair comparison.

Johanna

 

Excellent thread and some most interesting concepts/approaches - thought provoking stuff.

As long as everyone is at it (description time) - Well, here we go - Classic Guy and firm advocate thereof - Yes, I originally experimented with Luna but it took me so long to get anywhere that I might as well have had two broken arms and a pair of mittens. Minimal desktop clutter with one row of icons. Work primarily from Start Button and Quick Launch with an occasional foray into Programs and constant use of Windows Explorer (#4 position on QuickLaunch).

I also make up a bunch of folders under Documents and Settings > All Users > Start Menu > Programs and throw shortcuts to these folders on the QuickLaunch bar and then hide 'em under the chevrons and lock that puppy down. (Example - Special PC Tools - create and name the folder, copy shortcuts to most of my utilities and put them in that specific folder, create a shortcut to the folder, give it a fancy icon & move it to QuickLaunch.) Result - I have 8 categorized groups (folders) that I can access from QuickLaunch giving me instant access to a host of apps - all with no clutter and minimal clicking. Makes for very fast navigation and will open on top of whatever else is going on.

Great thread - love seeing how others have set things up.

Side Bar - Pete, tell me thats not really your desktop - say it ain't so Dad.

 

Hi Jim...

I believe what you looking for is...

- Right click on Windows Explorer shortcut
- Left-click "Properties "
- Select "Shortcut" tab
- Target normally says %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
- Edit target by adding a space then /e so new target should look like %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e
- Now when click on Windows Wxplorer shortcut window opens at C:\

Hopefully this is what you were talking about...if not I blame it on the last beer I drank...hehehehe

PS...This is my Desktop right now...kinda bare...just reinstalled WinXP SP1 to get ready for SP2 plus been running same OS since Nov 2003.

 

The addition of a comma after the /e (/e,) will open Explorer at My Computer, rather than C:\. Actually, you can force Explorer to open anywhere you like (including nested folders) by adding the proper path (e.g. %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\windows\system32).

Note that if a full path is used, the comma after the /e must be included.

 

dobhar and JSS3rd-- adding "e," did it. Many thanks.
Johanna--Do I like XP better than Win98? So far, really not. I suppose there are a few wrinkles, like System Restore, that are a step forward. Maybe I will learn of others that I will come to appreciate. Otherwise so much seems changed without a benefit. Services and msconfig seem a bit much.
I do like the new PC, however. Much faster.
P.S.Slowly but surely XP is starting to do most things like I want it to. Just in time for SP2 install.

 

Thanks, Pete. I really like "Harley, Motorcycle, Hog, Chopper" Pics. Found the graphic on a "Wallpaper" page along with 2 others along the same line. I probably change my wallpaper once a month...always interested in graphics.

Welshjim => Jim...Glad it worked out for you.

JSS3rd => Jim...Thanks for the /e,...didn't know the "comma "

 

Jslow;

Had a similar problem with my systems tray in which several icons would no longer display, one of which was the Safely Remove Hardware icon. In watching a reboot I could see that the programs were loading, some of them displayed splash pages, but the icons would not show up in the system tray. It appears that over time XP becomes confused as to what is suppossed to be displayed.

I'm using Windows XP Home set in classic mode with "Hide Inactive Icons" unchecked. The following corrected the problem for me;

Run Regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify

Delete the IconStreams and PastIconsStream values. (These will be rebuilt in the next step).

Close Regedit and open Task Manager (CTRL, ALT, DEL). Highlight Explorer and click on End Process. Then click on File and select New Process (Run...), type Explorer in the run window and click on OK.

Restart your system and the icons set to run in the system tray should now be displayed.

Hope this helps,

 

Rod ...

Simply logging off and back on should accomplish the same thing as these two steps. Doing so after an Explorer crash brings things back to what passes for "normal" on my system.

 

Jim:

Yes, logging off and logging back in should accomplish the same thing, but aint it neat to learn something new?

 

You mean like how to kill a fly with a sledgehammer?

 

That nice, loud SPLAT is worth all the extra effort though - even the part where you have to wipe fly-splat bits off the walls.

 

Yeah, but then you have to patch the hole in the wall you made with the sledgehammer!

 

A similar situation re: the systray… ( as I write this, I am reminded of how inconsistent MS is when new updates are released. A perfect example is changing the name of the systray to notification area. I was just starting to remember what systray meant in Windows 98 and becoming the smart kid on the block, when whammo MS changes the name in XP and I have to remember another name all over again..)

Now that I have "vented," here is another problem I cannot solve re: the taskbar and the start menu. This happens in either classic or XP views.

A balloon message similar to that in the comic strips appears over my connection icon and in the "turn off computer" message box. The connection icon message: "You are now connected to SBICS" and the turn off computer message is either: "standby" "restart" or "turn off.â€

Before I re-installed windows due to a crash, I did not have these balloon messages.… I must have found the method to hide these balloon messages before, but cannot find it now.

Here is the thumbnail picture to illustrate this issue. It is an attachment - I thought I knew how to paste to this message, but cannot.

Thanks for your help, Judy

 

This may be the tweak you applied previously for balloon messages

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
Navigate to the following subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\advanced

Right-click the right pane, create a new DWORD value, and then name it EnableBalloonTips.

Double-click this new entry, and then give it a hexadecimal value of 0.
Quit Registry Editor. Log off Windows, and then log back on.

HTH

 

Hi Judy...

If your running WinXP PRO (does not work for WinXP HOME) and your not comfortable editing the Registry, as an alternative to miniB's suggestion you can...

Use the Group Policy Editor to turn it off...
1) Click "Start" => then click "RUN "
2) In "RUN" window enter "gpedit.msc "
3) Navigate to "User Configuration => "Administrative Templates" => "Start Menu and Taskbar "
4) Double-click "Remove Balloon Tips on Start Menu items" and select "Enabled" (Note: To change back just change selection to "Not Configured ")
5) Click "Apply" then "OK" => Close Editor

Use the free TweakUI for WinXP Pro or Home...
1) Install TweakUI
2) Click "Start" => then click "RUN "
3) In "RUN" window enter "tweakui "
3) Navigate to "Taskbar and Start Menu "
4) In "Settings" window deselect "Enable balloon tips "
4) Close TweakUI

HTH

 

Thank you, thank you, Kent for telling me about TweakUI.

It worked !! and now the annoying balloon messages are gone.

 

Hi Judy...

Thanks for posting back. Glad it all worked out for you.