My-Clock-Won't-Hide-Puzzle

The taskbar (notification area) clock does not want to stay hidden. I tried GPEdit, enabled "Remove Clock from Notification Area," and the result was that the (right-click Start > Properties > Taskbar) checkbox for "Show the Clock" was grayed out or unresponsive--but the clock was there, over in the corner! This is not a big thing, but it is a bit frustrating. I've undone the Group Policy "Remove Clock," and my workaround is to make sure the clock isn't showing, and then lock the taskbar.

No, I don't remember what I installed / changed around that time, since the clock isn't a problem, really, and it took a while for me to realize that it won't stay hidden without being tricked. Everything else is working normally. Any ideas?

D_Spider

 

Hi, D_Spider.

There is a ready-made registry edit tweak at http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm that might do the trick for you.

Read the beginning of that page and then scroll to line 134 to find your tweak: "Hide the Clock in the Notification Area "

• Right-click on the item and select "Save Link As..." (in Firefox) or "Save Target As..." (in Internet Explorer) to save the hideclock.reg file to your computer.
• Then double-click the hideclock.reg file to merge/import it to your registry.
• Then reboot.

Note there is also a ready-made "Undo" tweak available right next to it (in case you ever decide to reverse your tweak).

 

Thanks, Mailman!

Turns out my workaround doesn't always work (clock just reappeared!) I had looked at Kellys-Korner, hoping, but I didn't see anything. So double thanks for pointing me in exactly the right direction.

[Edit: Alas, the Kellys-Korner tweak didn't work. Its result is the same as using GPEdit: the "Show the Clock" checkbox is grayed out in Taskbar Properties, but the clock reappears...]

D_Spider

 

Hmmm....

Since Windows isn't behaving as expected, I would be inclined to run System File Checker to see of any of Windows' system protected files need to be replaced.

If SFC doesn't yield any clues, then perhaps we need to poke around in the registry. (I am not an expert though so we would have to wait for suggestions from someone more knowledgeable.)

Editing the registry can be dangerous. Therefore, you need to be sure you back up the registry and know (ahead of time) exactly how to use that backup in case things go awry.


If you decide to use System File Checker (SFC),

• Have your Windows XP CD handy because you may be prompted to insert it into your CD drive during this process.
• Click Start > Run...
• Type [FONT= "Courier New"][SIZE= "3"]sfc /scannow[/SIZE][/FONT] in the "Open:" field.
• Click the OK button.

A "Windows File Protection" window will open and display its progress. If SFC runs successfully without any intervention from you, it will take approximately 15-25 minutes to complete. When SFC completes, the "Windows File Protection" window will simply disappear.

To see any changes that may have been made by SFC after it completes:

• Click Start > Run...
• Type [FONT= "Courier New"][SIZE= "3"]eventvwr.msc[/SIZE][/FONT] in the "Open:" field.
• Click the OK button.
• Click the "System" item on the left side of the "Event Viewer" window.

Any changes made by SFC will be displayed (in reverse order) as "Windows File Protection" events between Event ID 64016 (Windows File Protection started) and 64017 (Windows File Protection completed).

Double-click on an event (or right-click on the event and select "Properties ") to view details about the event. You can use the up/down arrow buttons on the right side of the event's "Properties" window to view details about adjacent events without having to close the event's "Properties" window.

If you want to copy event details to your clipboard (for pasting into Notepad or a forum message, for example), use the button immediately below the up/down arrow buttons in the event's "Properties" window.