Windows notification area

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I don't know if I'm allowed to ask support questions here, but ...

The Windows "notification area" on my laptop has gotten screwed up. I'm talking about the part of the taskbar on the far right, where the date/time is. For as long as I've had this laptop (over a year), I've also had the volume control and the power options control there, and I use them both fairly often.

This morning, when I turned on the laptop, I see that both of them have suddenly disappeared! When I bring up the taskbar "Properties" screen and select the "Notification area" tab, there's a section of the screen that lists "System icons". There are four checkboxes: Clock, Volume, Network, and Power.

Until now, all four of those were checked. Now, suddenly, only Clock and Network are checked, and the Volume and Power boxes are greyed out, so I can't check them. I have no idea why.

I can still change the volume and set power options with the Control Panel. It's just the notification area that's screwed up.

Can anyone help? Thanks!!

For Vista -

* Make sure the the drivers and devices that go with the system icons are installed and working properly. They will not work if the device or driver does not.
* Sometimes to simply logoff and logon, or restart the computer, will enable the missing notification icons again. You should try that first.
* Sometimes a simplereset of the Notification Icons will clear the problem.
* Sometimes on a laptop, you can shutdown the laptop and remove the battery pack, reconnect it, and power the laptop back up to get the Power (battery) icon back or ungrayed.

I had exactly the same problem with Vista one day. No volume control and it was greyed out. Go for a system restore as your first step. That fixed the problem for me.

Thanks guys. I rebooted, didn't help, then rebooted again, and that did it. So the secret to everything is ... reboot twice .. lol

^ The Microsoft idea of a stable OS
Win7 is more stable than Vista, but Not the upgrade version, go for the clean install.

It's a feature (not a bug). You are probably quite glad to have your toolbar back where it belongs, whereas before it went missing you probably did not stop to appreciate having the tool bar where it belongs...


Microsoft are dedicated to enhancing your computing experience. Sometimes you might forget to really appreciate all the bits and bobs that come with your Operating System. To overcome this (end-user introduced) bug, Microsoft include features in their OS that ensure you can never really be sure that your bits and bobs will be all present, accounted for, and fully functioning. That way, you appreciate them more when they are present and working.