Restore missing or disappearing tray icons in Windows Vista
Here’s an annoying Vista problem. Periodically, I would find my network connection and some other tray icons disappearing. A little research revealed that it is a Vista bug caused by some Registry entries filling up. Sometimes rebooting brings the vanishing icons back but not always. You may have to resort to editing the Registry. (Back it up first.)
The Registry key that is involved is:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify
There are two values in this key called “IconStreams” and “PastIconsStream” (graphic below).
Delete these two values (after you make a backup). Now you have to log off for the change to take effect. Your missing icons should be restored. Unfortunately, this is not a permanent fix since in time the two Registry keys values will fill up again. The most common problem in the tray is missing network connection and sound icons but I have had other application icons disappear as well.
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence and I don’t have quantitative measurements but my computer boots up faster after cleaning up the tray icon Registry entries.
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On my home computer (Vista Home Premium), it’s been getting slow on boot up – I’ve scanned for malware, viruses, use Iobit tools (ASC, Defrag, 360), Ad-Aware, SpyBot – and come up clean – good thing. I’ll have to try this – at work now. Wondering if you would know, in CCleaner there’s an Advance option to reset the Tray Notifications Cache, is this option and your tip talking about the same thing? I have it on my computer but left the Advanced Section alone. If it’s one and the same, then CCleaner could be the better approach, if one does not want to edit their registry.