Lost Sound Icon in systray

[MarcLodge]

Hi All,
running Vista home, and today my sound icon has disappeared from the systray. I can still hear stuff through the speakers, but the icon's gone. I have right clicked on the start button line and then clicked properties and in the notification tab, the sound icon is greyed out.

I have a creative sound audigy card which I can go to and get the volume up there, but I've no idea why my icon has just disappeared.

Marc

 

[linney]

Have you tried using System Restore?

Do you have the same problem if you log on as a different user?

Does the "creative sound audigy card" have any setting that also controls displaying the Volume Icon in the Notification Area?

Is the Volume check box (Start Button Properties) dimmed when viewed from Safe Mode?

 

[MarcLodge]

Linney,
There is only one user on the machine so that wasn't an option, but after I had shut down and rebooted, the sound button was no longer greyed out in start button properties. I clicked to show it and it re-appeared.

Will have to put it down to one of those odd faults. Thanks for you help .

Marc

 

[MagMike]

I had the same thing happen about a year ago (on an XP machine).

I was never able to figure out why it happened, but when I switched from Norton Internet Security to Trend Micro, my sound icon re-appeared in the systray. I had been using NIS for years before that, I guess some update had somehow started interfering.

The problem re-surfaced a few months later with TM. I then switched to AVG and haven't had a problem since.

You might try disabling your antivirus software & reboot to see if it will re-appear on its own.

Hope this helps. I realize this just fixed the symptoms, not the cause.

Mike

 

[harebrain]

You might try disabling your antivirus software & reboot to see if it will re-appear on its own.

Noooo!

But I wouldn't put it past NIS or other systray users to jack up the systray.

 

[MarcLodge]

Mike,
I've got AVG free on my new Vista machine and have not had a problem with it. I have a feeling that it's just one of those unexplained glitches. Over the years of messing about with 3.1, 95, 98, XP, and Vista, I can honestly say that 'sound' has given me the greatest number of problems that are solved by a reboot. Even today, I installed some software and drivers for my son's MP3 player, which contrived to totally knock out my sound. A reboot solved the problem.

Mind you, it could be that I've got a buggy old (and I mean old) soundcard.

Once again, thanks to you all for your help and interest.

Marc