How can I stop my Notification icons from disappearing?

In the Notification Area to the right of the Taskbar, there is a pointer on which you can click to show or hide the icons place there. Sometimes, my pointer just disappears, leaving me with the icons on display permanently. How can I get this pointer back?


This is pretty easy to do though it’s slightly different in Windows XP as in Windows Vista. Here’s how you can do this:

  • Windows XP: Right-click on an empty part of the Taskbar and select Properties from the menu that appears. Left-click on the Taskbar tab if it’s not already displayed.
  • Vista: Click on the Notification Area.

Click the option Hide Inactive icons. This will reduce the number of icons in the Notification Area and return the small arrow to display them all.

What Windows thinks should be on display will not always match what you do, and so it is possible to mark certain icons to always be on display. Click on the Customise button next to the Hide inactive icons options. A list appears with all the recent icons that has been displayed. Click on an icon to show a dropdown menu with three options: Hide when inactive, Always Hide and Always Show. Click on OK twice when youa re happy with the settings to save them.

See, I told you it’s easy; easier them moving your outdoor furniture around to find the best way to lay them out huh?

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