System tray...grrrrrrrrr

[squeakmail]

Have now got a humongous system tray sat in the right hand corner of my screen. It's full of aggravating little icons..that I rarely use.

Please, please, oh, puhlease, guide me through what to click to kill off the little icons without hurting the actual programme.

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Animals...it's their World too!!

[InFinRetirement]

Just right click on a grey part of the bar - go to toolbars and un-check whatever is checked. That should do it, but as you didn't say what icons they were.....

[squeakmail]

Ah...been there, done that - didn't work (on two different computers with the same aggravting system tray).

If I do "Toolbars", the only "checked item" is "Quick Launch" - which gives me mini icons for Outlook Express and Internet Explorer...and puts them towards the left hand side of the toolbar (near the start key).

The ones that bug me are extreme right, in a box that includes the clock (which is set wrong [must go fix that today]} - the pop up titles for them include:- "V Shield" (Virus tracker is ON), "Task Scheduler is Ready", "Service Connection" (some direct link to Compaq web sites), "Volume Control", "Real Jukebox", "Disc Detector" (something that realises when a CD is in the Writer [does that really need a full time icon?]), "Sidewinder Joystick Softwrae Wizard", "Easy Access Button Support" (Keyboard configuration device), "Zone Alarm is On" (much as I like the programme, I don't want an icon on all the time), "First Aid 2000", "Real Player", "SoundBlaster Live Audio Mixer Controls"....then a couple of television sets that say I'm connected to the internet - those I can live with...but the first ten, I would like to lose.

Does this alter any resposnes from you gurus?

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Animals...it's their World too!!

[MAX REVERSE]

Hmm.

If you don't like the clock, you can remove it. Click Start and navigate through "Settings" and click "Taskbar". There is a checkbox in there for "Show Clock".

The System Tray is a different matter. Those icons indicate that something is running in the background, and will remain unless you switch that thing off. There are certain items on your list that you do NOT want to switch off - resident virus protection and the firewall spring to mind!

For other ones, you'll need to go into the settings of the relevent program. Look for a setting that reads "Auto start on bootup" or something like that and disable it.

[pilot-lite]

Go to the start menu, click Run..., type msconfig, hit enter.

Click the Startup tab, uncheck any programs you don't want.

Job done.

pilot-lite

[squeakmail]

Ah ha ha...substantial progress is being made.

Vast majority of the little buggers have been wiped out - with the help of msconfig and some violence with dozens of little tick marks (killed my "hot keys" though, on the keyboard [I'll figure that later]).

Next topic...passwords.

Whenever I turn on this new machine, it boots, then runs the virus de-bug thingie...then asks me for my password.

Tiresome. This didn't happen on my other machine...so I'm assuming there is a switch somewhere....???????

(I do not care who [in this house] can access any programme that may be loaded).

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Animals...it's their World too!!

[pilot-lite]

I'm using win2K so this is from memory....

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network.

Change the "Primary Network Logon" dialogue box to "Windows Logon".

Hope this helps

pilot-lite

[Mycroft]

Re password: Assuming you don't want a windows password, go to the Windows folder and delete the PWL file relating to the log-on name. Next time you log on it will ask for a password, just press return and hey presto, no Windows password (if you are logged onto a LAN, use the same pw as your Network password and remember to go through the procedure each time your password changes)

Re task bar icons: most of the programs (ie a/v) that you want to keep running permanently will have an option in their config to turn off their icon; it just means that to change anything you'll have to run them through the start menu

[MAX REVERSE]

Ah no, Squeaky wants more! Not just no password, but not having to bother about it at all, even having to press <RETURN> is too much effort for him :)

Squeakmail, I guess that on your old PC you were running Win95 and had the Power Toys installed. There was an option in Tweak UI which allowed you to "Log on automatically at system startup". 'Fraid I don't know how to do this in Win98 though, as we don't use it. Sorry.

[This message has been edited by MAX REVERSE (edited 18 May 2000).]

[spannersatcx]

if you right click the icon in question it may have a properties tab and in there you will find a check box for loading on start up uncheck it and it won't run on start up, failing that read the helpfile/manual for settings, failing that uninstall and then reinstall you are normally give an option to put things in the task bar, just say NO.

[squeakmail]

"REad the Help file"...whoever thought of that one?

That would be like reading the manual for the video recorder. (Not much of a 'guy thing', is it?).

[squeakmail]

Well....whoever said computers cannot think for themselves is a "expletive deleted".

I re-encountered a snag with my ForceFeedback joystick...so telephoned Microsoft helpline...EXTREMELY helpful...ran through "safe mode" got joystick working perfectly...then I mentioned the "password" thing.

Nice helpful man talked me through, button by button....restarted and ALL CLEAR - pressed some buttons to get original settings.....and I now have...A HUMONGOUS SYSTEM TRAY FULL OF SMALL ICONS.

Read message 1 of this thread .... and stop laughing.

Max - you may need medical help if you laugh at this as much as I expect you to.

(If I knew how to put one of those little laughing faces here, I would).

[Feline]

SqueakMail -

Since I'm running Win 95, and as a result don't have msconfig.exe (glibly referred to above), I had to do clear up my systems tray the old fashioned manual way ;)

Not sure whether this will work in Win 98 but ... From Start Button, choose Settings | Taskbar | Start Menu Programs | Remove
Scroll down the list and click on "Startup" then simply take out the items you no longer wish to see. Easy isn't it?

When you restart your computer, there may still be a few items left. These are not started up from the Startup Menu but from the autoexec.bat or config.sys file, and they start before Windoze (usually things like virus checkers).

BTW, if you just want to get rid of the icons in the tray temporarily, just depress the shift key after you have entered the password and keep it held down until the desktop screen appears.

Also, if you get rid of the log-on password, you will have to re-eneter your password every time you log on. Another little Windoze gotcha. That seems to be the only purpose served by the log-on password - if you hit "cancel" instead of entering a password, the system will still startup. Stupid if you ask me.

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Feline
(I Sit, I Watch, I Smile)

[saggy]

There are also some programs that do not appear in the startup menu but still come up in the system tray (e.g. real player). Things like that you have to go into the preferences of the program and disable 'start centre' and whatever other names they've come up with..
Warning...this will stop the programs loading up when starting windows. Except if you really need it (-can't think why-)!!

Saggy

[Flying Banana]

To kill off the system tray icons without damaging the programmes right click on the programme open the programme and most have options somewhere not to display in sys tray.

Just for info go get a great free programme called Tweak All (Ver1.2.3) it can be found at www.abtons-shed.com (http://www.abtons-shed.com)

Basically a turbocharged control panel, it gives you more options to play with than most people need. It can log into Windows automatically on startup, you can change startup and shutdown logo pages, alter disk/memory/hard drive settings, free up to 75% of available memory with a button push, edit video and graphic card settings, check what runs on startup and more.

I got it with 'Windows Answers' Jan 2000 magazine which put 30 most useful utilities on cover disk and the mag covers everything from tuning windows to run properly right up to the dreaded format and reinstall of Double Glazing.

The publishers website is at www.futurenet.com (http://www.futurenet.com) or if you want a copy of an article email me and i'll get it scanned in and email it to you.

'To start press any key....Which one's the any key?'