My Network Connection Icon Disappeared from the System Tray
If the network connection icon is no longer in your system tray, there is an easy way to bring it back.
To open the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog window, click the Start button, then Run. Now type into the Run box, or the Start Search box:
control.exe /name Microsoft.TaskbarAndStartMenu
… and hit enter.
To open the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog window you can also right click on the taskbar, and left click on Properties.
Once the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog window is open click on the Notification Area tab. Check the Network box, and click OK.
Your Network icon should now be back in the System Tray. If the problem is fixed stop reading.
If you’re now pulling your hair out saying "The Network checkbox is grayed out!" There is a fix for that too.
Click the Start button, then type regedit into either the Start Search box, or the Run box, and hit enter. Now navigate down the Registry tree until you find the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify
Before making any changes you can either backup the entire Registry, or just the key you are about to make changes to. If you choose to only back up the TrayNotify registry key then right click on TrayNotify and left click Export. Give the file a name, and click save.
Now select IconStreams, right click and choose delete. Repeat this process by selecting PastIconsStream, right click and delete.
Exit the Registry editor. To make the changes you made take effect you can restart explorer, log off and log back on, or reboot the computer.
When you open the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog window the Network check box should no longer be grayed out. Now check the Network box, click OK, and you’re Network Connection Icon should reappear in the System Tray.
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19 Responses to “My Network Connection Icon Disappeared from the System Tray”
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Thank you!!! The
control.exe /name Microsoft.TaskbarAndStartMenu
worked very well.
Cool Tip!! Two (2)thumbs up to this publication and all those who contributed towards its creation, and promotion. I followed the instructions with precision in sequence and my (NC)Network Connection Icon re-emerged in the Notification Area/System Tray immediately after a Windows Explorer restart. But the big question looming in my head thereafter was “Why?, Why did the NC Icon disappear in the first place? Was it by design, or the result of some run-time bug in the Vista operating system programming? I Say this as my current Vista OS networking problems extend beyond this mere NC Icon disappearing act; I have also been getting the infamous,” (Not Authenticated)” String appended to the Network Location name String, which i was only able to remove by re-joining the computer to the domain.Perhaps one of you guys may have already discovered the big picture behind this deviant behaviour that my Vista Ultimate 64 bit OS is exhibiting.
Wow, that was the best advice I have ever gotten online! I can’t believe it was that easy to fix! Thanks so much, don’t know what I would do without the computer geniuses of the world!
THANKS!! that worked exactly like you said, i was skeptical but it worked. followed your instructions to the letter and it payed off! thanks again
Thank you Thank you Thank you
what a sigh of relief omg Thanks!!!!!
Thank you so much! I logged off and logged back in and it was there already! No need to do anything else! You are a darling – and a very clever one!
Hi,
Thanks for that tip. You really have worked hard to find the solution. This is a lot of work. Thanks for sharing your findings.
Thanks! I hope that this will work
I don’t know how you guys figure this stuff out! I always hate messing with the registry but this worked. Thank You!!!
Thanks I never knew this solution would involve regedit. Thanks
I deleted those two files using regedit but I was able to restore only the sound icon NOT the network icon to my systray. I did it 3 times, but the network icon is still grayed out. What do I do now? This is weird, it was there 2 days ago, now it is not. I hate it when Mercury is in retrograde. Thanks. Denise
Thank you sooo much! the instructions were very simple and understandable and easy to follow, yet it was quite a crazy path to take! i would have never dared mess with all that on my own, but it worked great! not that i woulda died without the icon, but its very nice just to get it back so easily! thanks a ton! very brilliant
Hey, I really missed that little icon! Many thanks for the fix … first time I’ve dared to tamper with regedit
Thanks a bunch! Helped a lot!
Thanks…
Thank you sooo much..your advice fixed it..
you do nothing with it Viviana .. it was just a step to backup that Registry key in case somthing worng happens while you edit the key .. and i see tht everything worked fine with u so no need for that exported file anymore ..
Thank you, it worked for me too, but i have a question, what do i have to do with the file i exported??
i’ll be waiting for your answer.
viviana
Thank you very much for the fix provided.
It worked for me.