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March 24, 2006
Dear CNET members,
I'm back, still a little sleep deprived, but kicking! And it's great to be back in the presence of this community. My first order of business is to thank my coworker, Marc Bennett, who has continued to write and deliver these community newsletters to you during my absence. He did an incredible job, making me think I should take more time off (just kidding, Marc). Secondly, I'd like thank all of you who e-mailed me congrats and well wishes for the new addition to our family. And just to let you know, the baby is doing incredibly well and my wife is recovering wonderfully from her cesarean section. The best news of all is that our son adores his little sister (I haven't heard, "Please take her back to where she came from" yet.) Every week you all share a little about yourselves with me, whether through the Q&A participation, forums, or through e-mail, and now I want to share with you some pictures of our new little one. So here they are. Enjoy! Now let's get cracking with this week's troubling issue of Robert's disappearing Windows system tray icons.
While I would love to pick a concrete solution for your issue, Robert, this system tray icon disappearing act is one of those puzzling computer issues that have many possible scenarios and solutions. Hopefully, this week's two winning answers (by Barry and Michael), all of the honorable mentions, and other recommendations from our members will give you some insight or a good start on how to bring those icons back. So Robert, if you get a chance, please join us in this week's discussion to tell us whether any of the solutions did the trick. And if they didn't, I hope that a few of you who have found yourself in Robert's shoes in the past, who actually solved this issue, would step up to the plate and help us through Robert's problem. The more possible solutions we offer, the more likely the problem will be solved. Thanks, everyone.
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Member Question of the Week
I have a Dell Dimension running XP Home edition with all updates and SP2. All of a sudden, the icons in the system tray started disappearing randomly. First, Safely Remove Hardware" went away, then the volume control, then icons for background applications such as Counterspy and my desktop search, and the McAfee antivirus app. A few are still there, and--oddly enough--sometimes when I reboot, some that had been gone show up again, only to vanish on the next reboot. I checked the task manager, and the background programs (such as McAfee) are running, but there's no systray icon. I've checked the Properties/customize notifications, and clicked Restore Defaults, but that didn't help. Not having the icons in the system tray is more than an annoyance, as it is often hard to access some background programs another way. Can
you help?
Submitted by:
Robert M.of Lockhart, TX
Answer by Barry:
I had the exact same problem, and while I cannot be absolutely certain that what I found relates to your situation, I think that it might. What I found was that...
Submitted by:
Barry W. of North Canton, OH
Answer by Michael:
I, too, have this problem with my "Frankenstein monster" running XP Home SP2 and all the updates. My solution was rather simple, I pause during bootup. Let me...
Submitted by:
Michael T.
For
Barry's and Michael's
efforts, we're sending them their choice of any
Help.com Learning CD.
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Best regards and enjoy!
Member ddwebb is looking to replace two computers: one for the kids and another one that will be the workhorse for the house. While he explains the needs of the computers in his post, he isn't sure what will serve him best--building them or buying right off the shelf. He's no newbie to building computers but is seeking recommendations from our members and the best approach. Check out his needs and what others have recommended, and if you have additional advice, dive into the conversation.
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Take the SiteAdvisor spyware quiz
Are you good at sniffing out Web sites that are plagued with spyware/adware? Wanna take on a challenge and take the SiteAdvisor quiz that our moderator Marianna posted for us? Take the quiz and post back in this discussion how you fared. It'll be interesting to see how we all did.
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Member ajvaught has a kitten that just loves the computer keyboard, making it her bed whenever she gets an opportunity. Now with the keyboard all full of hair and fuzz, she's seeking advice on how people clean out their keyboards. Many of you have chimed in already, but if you have a special method, please join us and tell us how you clean your keyboard--we're all listening.
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Member mdhimsey is new to Macs and has had more than his fair share of problems with his iBook G4. After several attempts to make good on his computer troubles, he's giving up and seeking advice to wipe his hard drive clean and start fresh. If you find yourself wanting to do the same, check out this discussion on how
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Help WantedHere's your chance to help your fellow CNET members solve their PC and gadget woes.
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Check out next week's question:
I've heard a lot lately about using wireless routers to connect multiple computers at home. I want to connect my son's computer with my two others so that we can share a printer and Internet access. Can this be done? The three computers run Windows XP Home Edition. Two have 512MB of RAM and one has 256MB. We already have DSL hooked up to one system. How does the wireless thingy work, and where do I begin? How much can I expect to spend? Thanks.
--Submitted by:
Anne B. of Boulder, Colorado
If you have the answer,
e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com.
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Have you ever built your own computer?
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Simple question, simple answer
Help your fellow members
| Member Profile of the Week |
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User name: HarrisNick1
Location: Orlando, Florida
Member since:
December 11, 2005
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About me: I'm currently going to NorthStar High, I like politics, the usual tech stuff, and emerging tech. I'm planning on...
(read more)
Each week we feature a CNET member who contributes to our community. Fill out your profile to get a chance to be featured in our newsletter and win a CNET t-shirt!
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Click here to see Barry's full answer
