The PC Informant » Tweaks

Restore missing or disappearing tray icons in Windows Vista

Vic Laurie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:22:01 +0000

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.

Remapping special keys on the keyboard

Vic Laurie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:15:30 +0000

I have posted about remapping keys like the “caps lock” before. I have also written elsewhere about remapping the standard keyboard in general. However, a special case is presented by those keys that are added by manufacturers to access software like Internet Explorer or email clients or media players. These keys often do not correspond to a particular PC user’s software or ways of doing things so remapping these special keys is desirable.

That calls for special software and an attempt to provide such program is called “Skeys”. This is not a finished program, however, so expect possible rough spots. You can find the author’s description here. My computers don’t have special keys so I haven’t tested this program. Ghacks has a post about using it.

Download is here.

Left-handed mouse pointers for Windows

Vic Laurie — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:44:13 +0000

I’m not left-handed but, from teaching, I know that the standard mouse setup can be inconvenient for those who are. Changing the buttons on a mouse is a standard Windows adjustment but Microsoft has also supplied a set of mouse pointers (AKA cursors) for left-handers. They can be downloaded at this Microsoft link. The download site includes a Word DOCX file with instructions on how to install the files.

Cursor files have the extension .CUR and are usually in the \Windows\Cursor\ folder. Download the desired cursor files and place them in this folder. Or, if you desire, you can create a sub-folder to hold all left-handed cursor files. If the PC has several users, you may want to create a separate left-handed pointer scheme to make switching back and forth easier.

The quickest way to access the Cursor folder is to enter “cursor” in the Run line in XP or the Start Search line in Vista. (In Windows 7, I haven’t found a quick way unless the Run line is enabled.) Note that you may be prompted about administrator privileges.

Once the cursor files are where you want them, the mouse can be configured as explained at my education page or in the Microsoft Word document mentioned above. Mouse settings are available through the Control Panel.

Control your browser font sizes

Vic Laurie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:25:11 +0000

As some of us get older, our eyes aren’t what they used to be and we need larger font sizes in our browsers. Also, the newer displays have high resolutions that make fonts look smaller and harder to read. The common browsers like Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox have settings that provide for permanently increasing font size.

I have previously discussed the accessibility settings in IE.

Firefox has similar settings. Go to Tools-Options-Content (figure below).

Click the “Advanced” button and the dialog box shown below will open. Note that you can configure the font family as well as the size.

If you are only concerned with temporarily changing the font size, both browsers have the same simple procedures. Hold down the “Control” key and press the “+” key until you obtain the desired size. You can also use the “-” key to reduce sizes. If you have a scroll mouse, hold down the “Control” key and use the scroll function to either increase or decrease font size.

Customize your icons

Vic Laurie — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:11:34 +0000

Many Windows users are unaware that they are not stuck with the default set of icons that comes with their setup. In fact, it is quite easy to edit or replace the existing icons. Some years ago I wrote an article on how to customize your icons. Why should all your folder icons be the same bland vanilla symbol? Add color and design to your desktop. In fact, Windows comes with a selection of icons. You can also download libraries of icons or create your own.

My original article discusses how to change icons for Windows XP and where to get some extensive selections of new icons as well as free software for editing or even creating icons. Windows Vista/7 have similar procedures.

For folder icons, right-click a folder and choose “Properties”. Then click the “Customize” tab. The dialog box (shown below) will contain a button “Change Icon”. Click this and the procedure is then similar to what is outlined in the XP article.

Shortcut icons are also easily changed in Windows Vista/7 by a procedure very similar to that given for Windows XP. Right-click, open the properties dialog, and click the button “Change Icon”.

Here are some places where you can download icons:

Quick tricks to repair a wireless connection

Vic Laurie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:42:10 +0000

While we are on the subject of wireless networking (previous post), let me remind you of the trick that often repairs a wireless Internet connection that is slow or inoperative. Sometimes all it takes is to reboot the modem and/or router. Turn the power off for 10 seconds and then turn it back on.

Also, sometimes rebooting your computer will work. And don’t forget that Windows has a repair function for network connections. Often a problem is due to trouble getting an IP assignment from your router. If you have the network icon in your tray (AKA notification area), right-click it and choose “Repair” as shown in the figure below for Windows XP.

The procedure in Vista is very similar except that the menu reads “Diagnose and Repair”.

How to toggle Adobe Flash on and off

Vic Laurie — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:12:47 +0000

Adobe Flash clips are ubiquitous on the Web and that includes a lot of advertising. The Windows Flash player can also be a vector for malware and needs frequent security updates. As a result, many PC users might find it useful to be able to turn Flash on and off as desired.

The Firefox browser has the extension NoScript that I have often mentioned. This extension provides the ability to disable or enable Flash for a given Web site.

Users of Internet Explorer have two utilities that can toggle Flash on and off. These are not site specific but are easy to use. One is from Nir Sofer and works for Windows XP. It is called TurnFlash. It consists of a single small executable file that places an icon in the Taskbar. Simply click the icon to turn Flash on or off.

Another utility that works in Vista as well as XP is Toggle Flash. It places a toggle button in the Internet Explorer toolbar. The author says that the application is unsigned so installation will likely get a security warning. When Flash is disabled, sites will give an incorrect warning that you need to update your Flash player. (Requires IE7 or later and Net Framework 2.0.)

Making PCs more accessible for seniors

Vic Laurie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:36:10 +0000

There’s nothing new in the suggestions but MakeUseOf has collected seven ways for making PCs easier to use for those of us who are a little older. The author says that it is aimed at young people who are called upon to help family members but the rest of us might find a useful tip or two.

Speed up Firefox

Vic Laurie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:18:16 +0000

If you are a Firefox user, you might take a look at a utility called SpeedyFox that is recommended by “Gizmo” Richards:

All up, a pretty useful free utility that provides a genuine benefit to most Firefox users. The degree of benefit will depend on the age and condition of your profile. I suspect some folks will see a significant improvement while others will see almost none. But what the heck, you’ve got nothing to lose, so give it a try.

SpeedyFox compacts the databases that Firefox uses. It speeds up loading but not the actual browsing. It requires no installation and is easy to use. On my systems, I noticed marginal improvement but as Richards says, others may see a lot or no improvement.

The download is here (300 KB).

Speed up your PC

Vic Laurie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:15:36 +0000

For years I have advised people to keep their Windows temporary files cleaned up as a way to improve PC performance. Bill Pytlovany (author of WinPatrol) agrees and even says that cleaning the temporary Internet file folder is the “#1 tweak to improve Windows performance”. According to Pytlovany:

Providing support for my WinPatrol program I run into a wide range of symptoms reported by our users. Some problems don’t always make sense yet a surprising number are resolved by just cleaning up the Windows Temporary Internet Folder. I haven’t read much from Microsoft about cluttered Temp Folders but my years of experience tell me if this file gets too large all kind of seemingly unrated problems can result. You might be saying “I don’t use Internet Explorer so why do I care about it’s Temp Internet Folder” option. Trust me, if you’re using Windows XP, Vista or even Windows 7, you care.

You can read how to keep things clean at my education site. You can also get instructions on cleaning the temporary Internet files at Pytlovany’s blog.